Hudson County Community College adds new opportunities for Hospitality Management studies

Beginning this fall, Hudson County Community College (HCCC) in Jersey City, N.J., is expanding its Hospitality Management associate's degree offerings to include three new, specialized courses of study: Hotel and Restaurant Management, Entrepreneurship, and Travel and Tourism. Classes will be offered in day and evening sessions, on weekdays and on Saturdays and Sundays, to accommodate students’ work and personal schedules.

All three program degree options build upon the college's acclaimed Hospitality Management studies, and include 21 credits of general education courses plus 300 hours of practicum (on-site training in some of the area's finest hotels, restaurants and conference centers) and 300 hours in an externship (supervised working and learning in an industry environment). Classes such as Introduction to the Hospitality Industry, Principles of Accounting, Principles of Management, and Hospitality and Travel Law are at the core of all three program degree options.

"The structure of our Hospitality and Culinary Arts courses provides our students with a real advantage for finding work after they complete their studies, in that they have received instruction from industry professionals coupled with hands-on, in-the-field experience," HCCC president Dr. Glen Gabert said in a press release.

The Hotel and Restaurant Management Course provides instruction in: Culinary for Hospitality; Front-Office Operations; Fundamentals of Food and Wine; Restaurant Operations Management; and Food, Beverage and Labor Cost Control.

The Entrepreneurship Program also includes classes in: Culinary for Hospitality; Principles of Macroeconomics; Innovation, Creativity and Market Research; Franchising; Introduction to Entrepreneurship; and The Urban Entrepreneur.

The Travel and Tourism Program includes classes in: Principles of Macroeconomics; Event Planning in Travel and Tourism; Information Systems in Hospitality and Tourism; Culture and Geography; and Tour Marketing, Sales and Promotion.

For more information, visit www.hccc.edu.

ACF and Clemson's free nutrition resource focuses on healthful cooking

Most Americans consume 10 times more salt than needed each day, and less than 10 percent of the U.S. population meets the United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) suggested nine to 12 servings of daily fruits and vegetables. Learn more about healthful cooking techniques and easy ways to cut back on the amount of fat and salt used in your dishes in this month's issue of "Culinary Nutrition News," provided by the American Culinary Federation (ACF) Chef & Child Foundation and Clemson University at www.acfchefs.org/CNN.

Also included in this month's article is a list of suggested fat substitutions, such as replacing sour cream with plain low-fat yogurt or vegetable oil with applesauce. In addition, authors describe how to "cook by color" and how to make nutritious meals appeal to children.

The American Culinary Federation's Chef & Child Foundation and Clemson University have partnered to offer a series of monthly "Culinary Nutrition News" articles. Written by experts, articles will bridge the nutrition gap for chefs by providing up-to-date research information. Articles are free, and are posted on ACF's Web site, www.acfchefs.org/CNN, the first Monday of each month.

AACC hospitality program earns accreditation

Anne Arundel Community College's Hospitality, Culinary Arts and Tourism (HCAT) Institute received accreditation for its Hospitality Business Management program from the Accreditation Commission for Programs in Hospitality Administration. The commission awarded a seven-year initial accreditation to the college's new Hotel/Restaurant Management (HRM) associate of applied science degree option in Hospitality Business Management.

This accreditation is in addition to the American Culinary Federation's Exemplary Program accreditation award in 2008 for the HRM Culinary Arts Operations degree program. Only 14 postsecondary schools in the country have earned both accreditations. For more information on the HCAT programs at Anne Arundel Community College, visit www.aacc.edu/hcat.

Tasting and cookbook signing with chef Joho at CHIC

For Chicagoans in the mood for a small taste of Paris, chef/restaurateur Jean Joho will appear at the Le Cordon Bleu School's Cooking and Hospitality Institute of Chicago (CHIC) on Sept. 17 for an intimate tasting and book signing for his newest cookbook, The Eiffel Tower Cookbook--Capturing the Magic of Paris. Joho is responsible for Chicago's Everest and Brasserie Jo restaurants as well as Eiffel Tower Restaurant, which sits atop the Eiffel Tower replica at the Paris Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.

Chef Jean Joho of Everest and Brasserie Jo in Chicago and Eiffel Tower Restaurant in Las Vegas

Attendees will have the opportunity to meet the chef and sample some of the modern French recipes found in The Eiffel Tower Cookbook. The event takes place from 2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. outside the bookstore of CHIC's main campus. For more information, visit www.chefs.edu.

Washburne brunch to benefit Women Chefs & Restaurateurs

To support the education and advancement of women in culinary fields, Women Chefs & Restaurateurs (WCR) will host At the Table Chicago, a multicourse brunch on Oct. 4 at the Washburne Culinary Institute at Kennedy King College in Chicago. The event will showcase the talent of local women chefs including Kocoa Scott-Winbush, chef/owner of Kocoa's Kitchen in Chicago. Students will assist the chefs in preparing the dishes. The brunch also will include a selection of wines from wine sponsor Five Rivers Wines in Hopland, Calif.

The event will benefit WCR's scholarship and internship programs. For more information or to reserve a table, visit www.womenchefs.org or send an e-mail to admin@womenchefs.org.

International Culinary Tourism Association announces resources for Certified Culinary Tourism Professional program

Students of the International Culinary Tourism Association's Certified Culinary Tourism Professional Program are now able to listen to recorded interviews from industry professionals who are able to give them first hand information about the ins and outs of the culinary tourism industry. Included in these interviews are such culinary tourism professionals as:

• Tommy Klauber, chef/owner, Polo Bar and Grill and Fête Catering, Lakewood Ranch, Fla. - Dine Category
• Pamela Sheldon Johns, owner, Food Artisans, Italy - Culinary Education Category
  
• Sean Doucet, executive chef, Delta Halifax and Delta Barrington, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada - Culinary Lodging Category
• Renee Areng, executive vice president of sales & marketing, Baton Rouge Convention and Visitors Bureau, Baton Rouge, La. - Destinations Category
• Robert O'Keefe, executive producer and partnership marketing executive, Vegas Uncork'd, Las Vegas - Culinary Events Category

For more information on the CCTP program, visit www.culinarytourism.org.

USA Rice introduces teaching tool for chef educators

The USA Rice Federation has introduced "U.S. Rice in the Culinary Classroom: A Complete Guide for Food Educators and Professionals," a rice curriculum for culinary educators. The tool includes all the essential information for teaching culinary students how rice is grown; its role in foodservice operations and international cuisine; and how to properly select, cook and handle rice.

The learning tool is divided into four modules that include objectives, lesson plans, activities, topic content and review and quiz questions. Educators can use each module individually to complement their own syllabus or together to form a complete curriculum. The tool also includes PowerPoint presentations on with video clips from cooking demonstrations.

"U.S. Rice in the Culinary Classroom" and the accompanying PowerPoints can be downloaded from www.menurice.com/teachingtool.