Colorado Mountain College culinary arts program offering new sustainable cuisine degree

The culinary arts program at Colorado Mountain College, a college with 11 locations in western Colorado, is offering a new Associate of Applied Science degree in sustainable cuisine. The degree that’s being launched this fall semester is an extension of the college’s current three certificates in sustainable cuisine at the campus in Edwards, west of Vail.

Colorado Mountain College culinary arts student Monica Martin of Eagle, Colo., will be taking a sustainable operations class this fall. (Photo credit: Kate Lapides)

Chris Moyer, project manager for the National Restaurant Association’s environmental initiative Conserve: Solutions for Sustainability, says about the college’s program: “I think it’s exciting, awesome. I have yet to hear of another sustainable cuisine specific associate degree.”

Visit www.coloradomtn.edu/sustainablecuisine.

Kendall College School of Culinary Arts launches part-time format for baccalaureate degree completion

The Kendall College School of Culinary Arts will launch a new program in October 2011 for part-time students to complete their bachelor’s degree in the culinary arts. The new flexible learning option, designed for working adults who have already obtained an associate degree in the culinary arts from Kendall, will blend online and traditional on campus instruction.

According to Renee Zonka, RD, CEC, CHE, MBA, dean of Kendall’s School of Culinary Arts, the new B.A. part-time completion program offers flexibility to chefs already working in the marketplace as well as new students eager to begin their careers.
 
In the junior and senior years of the baccalaureate program, students further their knowledge of the culinary arts with classes in global cuisine, food science, advanced pastry and research and development while honing their business skills and deepening their understanding of the business world. The new part-time format also includes a concentration in culinary nutrition currently offered to students in the traditional B.A. program. Courses are 10 weeks in duration, including an intensive integrative senior project required for graduation.

Visit www.kendall.edu.

Culinary School of the Rockies and Culinary Academy of Austin officially launch as the Auguste Escoffier Schools of Culinary Arts

The first two Auguste Escoffier Schools of Culinary Arts have launched in Boulder, Colorado and Austin, Texas. The schools incorporate the methods, principles and systems of Auguste Escoffier, while addressing contemporary culinary trends from around the globe and putting a unique focus on seasonal foods, farm-to-table, and sustainable practices. Both schools offer professional Culinary Arts and Pastry Arts programs, as well as Home Cook classes for the culinary enthusiast.

Chef Mark Dowling, VP of academics and executive chef at the Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts, in the school's new uniform

 “I cannot think of a better springboard for students’ careers,” said Chef Mark Dowling, vice president of academics and executive chef at the Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts, “than learning the methods, recipes, and the philosophy of the man who in many ways is responsible for modern cuisine.”

The Culinary School of the Rockies (CSR) and the Culinary Academy of Austin (TX) were purchased last summer by Triumph Higher Education Group of Chicago who formed an affiliation with the Auguste Escoffier Foundation and Museum in France and with Michel Escoffier, great grandson and president of the Foundation. Michel Escoffier serves on the national advisory board for the Auguste Escoffier Schools of Culinary Arts, and will assist in building a cadre of world-class chef advisors to their programs. Students will have the additional benefit of getting context and history directly from the Escoffier family.

The Auguste Escoffier schools integrate the best of CSR and CAA programs with a more comprehensive focus on the principles, methods, recipes and quality standards of Escoffier. The unique farm-to-table externship at the Boulder location, for example, will also be implemented in Austin, subject to regulatory approvals. The externship allows students to directly experience where their food comes from, and how much effort goes into growing and producing organic produce, free range meat and poultry, and other foods.

Visit www.escoffier.edu.

CIA launches degree progam in San Antonio

The first class of the CIA's associate degree in culinary arts at the San Antonio campus will begin on August 22, 2011. The Associate Degree in Culinary Arts at San Antonio is based on the proven curriculum offered at the main campus in Hyde Park, NY. 

The CIA's San Antonio campus

More information is available at www.ciachef.edu/visitsa.

The French Pastry School announces new 'L’Art de la Boulangerie,' the Artisanal Bread Baking Course

L’Art de la Boulangerie, a comprehensive, eight-week course is custom-designed to meet the needs of students wishing to specialize in the venerable art of bread baking. For eight hours a day, five days a week, this unique, hands-on experience allows students to focus on all aspects of creating artisan breads and breakfast pastries. 

L’Art de la Boulangerie presents the opportunity to learn under the direct guidance of Master Bakers and World Champions, providing the practice and tools needed to build a solid foundation, so that you can advance in the baking industry.

In eight weeks, you will learn everything from the fundamentals to advanced techniques in...

• Food Service Sanitation, Safety, Technology, and Basic Skills
• Fundamentals of French Breads
• Pre-ferments: Poolish and Sponges
• Levains and Starters: Techniques and Applications
• Specialty Whole Grains and Organic Breads
• Breakfast Pastries and Viennoiseries
• Advanced Breakfast Pastries and Viennoiseries
• Specialty Breads from France and around the World

In L’Art de la Boulangerie, students receive the rare opportunity to learn the art of bread baking in an intimate setting, being personally mentored by masters in their field. Continuous personal attention is given to each student’s needs and goals, from the moment they begin the course, until graduation, and throughout their careers. L’Art de la Boulangerie, the Artisanal Bread Baking Course, is the ideal educational experience for passionate baking enthusiasts. 

Start date: May 31, 2011
End date: July 23, 2011
Tuition: $10,600

Sessions available: 6:45am to 3:15pm, Monday - Friday

Application fees and deadlines for June 2011 session (May 31 to July 23, 2011): $150 (applied towards tuition)

Total Course Cost includes: Tuition, books and course materials, three full uniforms, complete pastry tool kit, all premium ingredients, and use of state-of-the-art equipment. There are no additional fees upon registration confirmation. The application fee is applied toward the total tuition payment. Admissions are conducted on a rolling basis, and classes fill quickly, so it is in your best interest to apply early to ensure your space in the desired session.

For syllabus and more information, click here now.

Honey Culinary Instruction Kit now available as a free download

The National Honey Board’s popular Honey Culinary Instruction Kit (introduced in 2009 as a CD-ROM) is now available as a free download at www.honey.com.  Culinary educators and other interested foodservice professionals can access the comprehensive information tool on the Foodservice page at www.honey.com, under “Free Culinary CDs.”  After providing basic contact information, visitors simply indicate if they wish to download the kit or receive it as a CD via mail.

The National Honey Board developed the culinary curriculum to share the benefits of honey – as a food, an ingredient and a marketing tool – with student and professional culinarians.  An advanced classroom teaching guide is divided into four learning blocks:  Life of the Hive; Ingredient Functionality; Varietal Honeys; and Tasting Workshop with Culinary Applications.  A PowerPoint presentation emphasizes key learning points, and an appendix offers additional honey information, references and resources.

Culinarians who pass the comprehensive exam (also included in the kit) qualify for 3.5 American Culinary Federation continuing education credits.  Culinary educators, students and foodservice professionals can download their free copy of the Honey Culinary Instruction Kit today at www.honey.com. 

Michelin star chef shares advice with CIA at Greystone graduates

Richard Reddington, executive chef and partner of Redd restaurant in Yountville, CA, addressed 18 graduates at commencement ceremonies at The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) at Greystone last month.

Richard Reddington addresses graduates of the AOS degree program at The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone. (Photo Credit: Charles Gesell/CIA)

 "Enjoy this education," said Reddington. "You are lucky to have been here. Work hard, stay focused, and good things will come your way."

Reddington has been named a "rising star" by the San Francisco Chronicle, was included on the "Chefs to Watch" list for Esquire magazine, and was nominated as Best Chef Pacific 2008 by the James Beard Foundation. Under his leadership, Redd has received a Michelin star in the most recent San Francisco edition of the guide, and the restaurant has been acclaimed by critics and customers alike since it opened in 2005.

"As you go forward, it's good to find mentors," Reddington advised. "Ask a lot of questions and listen to the advice."

Reddington credits his own success to his mentors, including Wolfgang Puck and Daniel Boulud. Working in the kitchens of high-profile restaurants such as Pâtisserie François, Postrio, Park Avenue Café, Rubicon, Spago Beverly Hills, Jardinière, and Auberge du Soleil gave him the opportunity to meet powerful mentors who helped him reach his career goals.

Chicago's Susan Goss Celebrity Guest Chef at Lexington College 'Taste of Lexington' Event

Lexington College will host its Taste of Lexington event March 24, 2011 from 5 – 7pm at Chicago's West Loop campus. The evening’s event raises scholarship funds for the next generation of women leaders in the hospitality industry.

This year’s theme, "Passport to Hospitality" focuses on varied aspects of Lexington’s rich academic program and expertise in the art of hospitality. The College welcomes guests that include community leaders, hospitality industry professionals, educators, prospective students, and executives of hospitality related businesses in the Chicagoland area.

The event provides an opportunity to meet students, faculty and staff, tour the campus, and enjoy appetizers, and food and internship demonstrations by students. Learn about degree specializations in hospitality management and the personalized education that makes Lexington a singular institution.

Susan Goss, chef, Chicagoland restaurateur, and cookbook author will make a special guest appearance and sign her recent cookbook, entitled West Town Tavern: Contemporary Comfort Food.

For sponsorship opportunities, to register for the event, or for more information, please contact Megan Goggin at 312.226.6294 x228 or pr@lexingtoncollege.edu.

CIA Launches Course to Improve Food Quality in Healthcare Facilities

The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) has launched a first-of-its-kind course to raise the quality of food served at hospitals and other health care facilities nationwide. Foodservice Management in Health Care (MGMT 411) is an elective business management course for second-semester CIA seniors. It is believed no other college course of this nature is being offered at this time.

With the aging American population, people are spending more time in hospitals, rehab centers, nursing homes, and assisted living facilities. Foodservice plays an important role in both the health and quality of life of patients and residents. At the same time, managing budgets is also important. The new CIA course introduces students to the challenges of running a health care foodservice operation and prepares them for management positions in that field.

 CIA graduate Anthony Fischetti '78 (in baseball cap), executive chef at Vassar Brothers Medical Center, shows the kitchen of the Poughkeepsie, NY hospital to CIA students and instructor Lynne Eddy.

Foodservice Management in Health Care provides an overview of this type of culinary career, and covers topics ranging from kitchen operations, nutrition principles, and menu planning to procurement and purchasing, patient confidentiality, and even the effect of new health care reform laws. These subjects will be taught through in-class lectures; guest speakers, such as CEOs and foodservice directors of regional health care facilities; and visits to hospitals, including New York City's Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.

For one of the first class sessions, students visited Vassar Brothers Medical Center in Poughkeepsie, NY and received an orientation to the hospital's extensive foodservice operation. For the capstone project of this course, students will integrate what they learn with their previous three-plus years of CIA studies in both food and management to develop recommendations for improving health care foodservice. They will present their recommendations to the executive leadership of three Hudson Valley hospitals in March.

For more information, visit www.ciachef.edu.

CIA expands San Antonio campus

The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) has opened its newly expanded third campus in San Antonio, Texas, as part of the school's El Sueño initiative to promote Latino diversity in the foodservice industry.

CIA--San Antonio managing director David Kellaway, CIA president Dr. Tim Ryan and Texas philanthropist Kit Goldsbury at the grand opening event for the college's expanded Texas campus*

The campus expansion includes three new teaching kitchens, two skills kitchens and a special Latin kitchen to support the college's 30-week culinary arts certificate program currently offered in San Antonio. The CIA's San Antonio campus was created in 2007 through a private gift from philanthropist Kit Goldsbury. For more information about the expanded campus, visit www.ciaelsueno.com.

*Photo courtesy of The CIA/Darren Abate

National Restaurant Association partners with Aspen University for online restaurant management degree

Building on its range of career-building training programs, the National Restaurant Association (NRA) has partnered with Aspen University on a new undergraduate degree in foodservice operations and management. This collaboration provides undergraduate degree-seeking individuals an affordable education that focuses on restaurant business administration and front-of-house operations. The NRA is committed to developing careers for the industry's nearly 13 million employees.

"The comprehensive restaurant operations and management degree at Aspen University was developed specifically to fit the workforce characteristics of our industry," Mike McCallum, NRA's chief strategy officer, said in a press release. "The degree is flexible, entirely online, very affordable, and incorporates the association's existing educational programs, including ServSafe and ManageFirst. By obtaining this degree, students and restaurant workers can build strong foundations for their foodservice careers in our industry of opportunity."

Employees at NRA member organizations receive a 50 percent discount on tuition and pay only $90 per credit hour when seeking a bachelors of science in foodservice operations and restaurant management at Aspen University. Additionally, federal financial aid is available for students who qualify.

Aspen will donate 15 percent of all collected tuition to the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF) to support scholarships to students, professional development for teachers and mentorship.

The degree incorporates the NRA's well-established training programs and certifications--ServSafe Food Safety, ServSafe Alcohol, ManageFirst and the Foodservice Management Professional--transferred into the degree as credit, or earned as requirements of the degree program. Association member organizations with their own training programs will be able to submit their curricula to Aspen for evaluation of course credits.

Aspen University is accredited by the Accrediting Commission of the Distance Education and Training Council (DETC). The Accrediting Commission of the DETC is listed by the U.S. Department of Education as a nationally recognized accrediting agency and is a recognized member of the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. For more information, visit www.restaurant.org/careers/education/schools/aspen or www.aspen.edu.

CIA to open Singapore campus

The Culinary Institute of America (CIA), in collaboration with the Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) and Temasek Polytechnic, has announced that it will begin offering its bachelor's degree program in culinary arts management in Singapore in January 2011.

The new degree program is available exclusively to graduates of polytechnic institutions who have earned their diplomas in hospitality and tourism management, leisure and resort management, or culinary and catering management, as well as to other hospitality, tourism, and culinary diploma program graduates. Temasek Polytechnic worked with the CIA to design a new 30,000-square-foot educational facility that includes three professional teaching kitchens. The new campus building will be completed in October.


The CIA has selected chef Eve Felder (pictured, above, courtesy of The CIA/Keith Ferris) to be the managing director for The CIA, Singapore. Chef Felder is a CIA graduate who has served the college over the past 16 years in various teaching and administrative capacities, most recently as associate dean of culinary arts. Prior to returning to the faculty of her alma mater in 1994, Felder was the chef at Chez Panisse Café in Berkeley, Calif., where she worked closely with chef Alice Waters.

For more information, visit www.ciachef.edu.sg.

The Chef's Academy expands to Morrisville, N.C.

The Chef's Academy, the culinary division of Harrison College in Indianapolis, has announced its new campus location in Morrisville, N.C. The academy is scheduled to open in August 2011.

Jayson M. Boyers, who was recently named regional president (read about it here), along with a team culinary specialists and college administrators selected the Triangle location from more than 20 cities across the country. The Triangle campus will be the first Chef's Academy outside its original market in Indianapolis. The Chef's Academy is currently undergoing the process of accreditation through the state of North Carolina.

For more information, visit www.thechefsacademy.com.

AI Cincinnati culinary program accredited by ACF

The associate of applied science in culinary arts program at the International Culinary School at The Art Institute of Ohio--Cincinnati has been accredited by the American Culinary Federation Education Foundation's Accrediting Commission.

Culinary or foodservice programs that are accredited by the ACF have been reviewed against established standards. In order to receive ACF accreditation, The International Culinary School at The Art Institute of Ohio--Cincinnati underwent a self-evaluation and hosted a visit from the ACF accreditation team earlier this year.

"Accreditation by the American Culinary Federation is a significant milestone for our culinary program," said Paul Resetar, interim academic director for AI Cincinnati's culinary program, in a statement. "Through earning this prestigious distinction, we have provided our students and graduates with a universally recognized acknowledgment of our commitment to excellence in culinary education."

Kendall School of Education adds childhood nutrition concentration

The Kendall College School of Education has added a childhood-nutrition concentration for early-childhood educators, available in fall 2010.

Kendall College is the only four-year college in Illinois and one of a select few nationwide to offer both a Bachelor of Arts in culinary arts and a Bachelor of Arts in early-childhood education, uniquely positioning the institution to merge these two programs into the childhood-nutrition concentration.

Courses will be offered online and on campus. They will include classroom lectures and practical, in-kitchen applications of nutritional theory, which online learners will engage in via a virtual kitchen experience. The concentration will explore the nutritional needs of children through adolescence, as well as application of nutritional theory with public-health initiatives. For more information, visit www.education.kendall.edu.

HCCC now offers baking and pastry certificate

Hudson County Community College's (HCCC) Culinary Arts Institute, Jersey City, N.J., has developed a 10-week, industry-certified baking and pastries certificate program to prepare students for immediate employment. Classes will begin June 15 at the Culinary Arts Institute.

Students who attain the certification will have acquired the knowledge to maintain a pastry shop, develop menus, organize production and use products in a cost-efficient manner. Students who complete the four-module course may also transfer the classes toward an associate degree at HCCC.

For more information about the new certificate program, visit www.hccc.edu and search under the "Academic Programs" tab.

Chefs Adrià and Andrés to teach culinary physics course at Harvard

This fall, chef Ferran Adrià will join chef/restaurateur José Andrés to teach a course on culinary physics at Harvard University, according to an article in The Washington Post. In the 13-week course, students will attend chef demonstrations, labs and physics lectures to learn the structure and characteristics of techniques such as emulsions and foams.

The news comes on the heels of Adrià's announcement last month that he would close his famed El Bulli restaurant in Roses, Spain. In 2014, the restaurant will become a foundation that gives culinary scholarships to avant-garde chefs. Read the full article here.

Sullivan now offering beverage management degree

Sullivan University's National Center for Hospitality Studies (NCHS) now offers an associate degree in beverage management for those interested in cocktails, fine wine and beer. Courses for the beverage management degree are administered online, and the entire curriculum can be completed in as little as 18 months. The program is directed by Albert Schmid, author of The Hospitality Manager's Guide to Wines, Beers and Spirits (Prentice Hall) and The Kentucky Bourbon Cookbook (University of Kentucky Press).

The NCHS associate degree's curriculum prepares students for such careers as beverage manager, bar manager/owner, sommelier or beverage sales representative. Courses cover subjects such as production, marketing, alcohol safety, food and beverage pairing, mixology, purchasing and storage. Students also learn how to write a business plan for a bar or restaurant.

For more information, visit www.sullivan.edu.

Lexington College offers new Event and Meeting Planning certificate

For women looking to develop their skills in event and meeting planning, Lexington College in Chicago is now offering a certificate in Event and Meeting Planning. The program includes five accredited courses completed over the course of one year. The hours can be applied to the Certified Meeting Planner (CMP) designation or toward the bachelor's degree offered at Lexington. No previous college coursework is required.

Courses include Introduction to Meeting & Event Planning, Meeting Planning, Convention and Exposition Management, Special Events and Applied Event Planning. The program is tailored toward busy professionals, as classes meet in a periodic weekend format. For more information, visit www.lexingtoncollege.edu or contact Carmen Larios.

Goodwin College adopts NRA Solutions' ManageFirst program

To better prepare its students for management careers in the restaurant and foodservice industry, Drexel University's Goodwin College has adopted the ManageFirst program offered through National Restaurant Association (NRA) Solutions. The ManageFirst program focuses on the essential topics to train students in real-world skills for management in the restaurant, foodservice and hospitality industry. NRA Solutions provides an exam for each guide topic, and students who pass each exam receive a customized certificate.

The ManageFirst Program includes 10 competency guides published by Pearson Education, exams, certificates, a new ManageFirst Professional (MFP) credential, scholarship opportunities and support activities. It also includes ServSafe Food Safety and ServSafe Alcohol certifications. For more information on the program, please visit www.prenhall.com/managefirst.