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Curriculum Overview

The Culinary Arts Program is built around a focused, practical curriculum that systematically takes students through the essentials of working in a commercial kitchen.

There is no fluff here; the subjects and skills taught by our chef instructors are what restaurant owners and executive chefs want from their new staff members. Our aim is to help our students become immediately employable by giving them a solid grounding in the basics and many hours of hands-on practice.

Course Overview                                                                
    

Course Descriptions
 

CUL111 – Introduction to Professional Cuisine – 7.0
This course will introduce students to the modern world of professional cuisine and provide the theoretical and technical foundation for the entire program. Topics covered will include kitchen safety and sanitation, proper use of equipment, knife skills, culinary math conversions, basic cooking methods, stock making, and soups. Students will also begin the ServSafe sanitation training certified by the National Restaurant Association.

CUL121 – Cooking Methods and Flavor Essentials – 7.0
Prerequisite: CUL111
While continuing to develop foundational skills, students in this course will begin to explore the world of ingredients and flavor profiles, training their palates to determine proper seasoning and balance of flavor. Fabrication and technical ability in the cooking of various proteins, vegetables, and starches will be stressed, along with an introduction to fresh herbs and hot sauces. Students will also complete the ServSafe sanitation training certified by the National Restaurant Association.

CUL131 – Professional Culinary Technique – 7.0
Prerequisite: CUL121
Entering the second term, students in this course will continue to practice foundational skills covered in term one such as knife handling, palate development, and essential cooking methods. Intermediate culinary math focuses on yields, recipe conversion, and ingredient cost. In addition, students will work on more advanced techniques and plate presentation as they start to develop true culinary artistry. Nutritional and international cuisine, the world of herbs and spices, and breakfast production will also be covered, along with the garde manger skills of meat fabrication, forcemeats, cold sauces and emulsions.

CUL141 – Advanced Culinary Technique – 7.0
Prerequisite: CUL131
Students in this course will be asked to take what they’ve learned and put it together into a synthesized cooking plan. Teamwork and time management will be stressed in the “live fire drill” as students develop and cost out menus, then execute the production of hot entrees, soups and salads, working on multiple tasks simultaneously and together with classmates to get an accurate feel for how industry professionals function as a team. Wild game and seafood fabrication will also be covered, as well as baking, pastry, and plated desserts.

CUL151 – Management Applications and Culinary Artistry – 8.0
Prerequisite: CUL141
This course will explore management and profitability in the restaurant industry, as well as advanced culinary technique and plate presentation in the kitchen lab. By studying restaurant business concepts, students gain an understanding of food and labor cost controls, menu development and costing, sales analysis, and personnel management and procedures. Students will also receive product in the school’s storeroom and cover proper purchasing, storage, and inventory control. The lab time will be devoted to advanced meat, game and seafood fabrication and utilization, with an emphasis on proper execution and plating for fine dining.

CUL161 – Restaurant Practical – 6.0
Prerequisite: CUL141
Students in this course will gain valuable practical experience by operating the school’s full-service, fine-dining restaurant. They will be responsible for all preparation and hot line production of contemporary cuisine for the multi-course, prix fixe meals, including soups, appetizers, salads, and hot entrees. Proper dining room food and beverage service will also be covered, and in addition to all stations on the line, students will work the floor as servers and expediters.

CUL198 – Culinary Externship– 12.0
Prerequisite: CUL141
Upon successful completion of all, or substantially all on-campus required course work, students are required to complete a 360-hour externship at an approved food service property. In this pass/fail course, students work under the supervision of an extern site supervisor and an OCI culinary externship coordinator to develop practical experience in the industry. Specific training goals and objectives are prepared prior to the start of the externship, and students maintain a written work log documenting their experience. Whether or not a student has completed substantially all on-campus required course work will be determined at the discretion of the program director, but includes at minimum, successful completion of all CUL110-140 level courses.

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