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  2. Culinary Arts

Culinary Arts

Summary

Students in Culinary Arts Program

Culinary Arts is the fastest growing industry in America today. Due to an ever-changing workplace and a newly defined global economy, the demand for highly skilled foodservice professionals is constantly increasing. Today’s customers possess sophisticated tastes and frequently connect food and business. Resorts and vacation areas are geared, year round, to meet the leisure needs of these business people. Institutional food service professionals are trained to feed the next generation from elementary schools through college.

Northeast’s Culinary Arts Program fully prepares students to make the choice of entering the workforce or continuing on to further education after high school. Each year of the Culinary Arts Program has a separate content concentration area focusing on three major components of the hospitality industry that is unique to the student’s year and grade. In the related classroom culinary students are taught the theory and science for that year’s content area.

During Shop week, students and staff manage the “James Wallace Breakheart Inn”, an on-site, full service restaurant, bakery, café open daily to the public for lunch. Career technical pathways are full of postsecondary opportunities including but not limited to articulation agreements with select colleges enabling eligible students the opportunity to earn college credits while successfully completing Northeast Culinary courses. This is a tremendous jump start to a career and/or higher education. All Northeast Culinary Arts graduates are trained by professionals to be professionals. The students in the Culinary Arts program are working with the latest state-of-the-art equipment. Through the use of federal funding, the district purchased a combination oven. This purchase provides the students with the opportunity to prepare multiple meals, simultaneously. This is the technology being utilized throughout the industry.

Opportunities

  • Baker
  • Bartender
  • Chef (Restaurant, Catering, Corporate)
  • Cook (Line, Prep)
  • Food Preparation Worker

Technical and Higher Education Majors

  • Culinary
  • Hotel and Restaurant Management

Certifications

Advancement opportunities for chefs, cooks, and food preparation workers depend on their training, work experience, and ability to perform more responsible and sophisticated tasks. Many food preparation workers, for example, may move into line cook positions. Chefs and Cooks who demonstrate an eagerness to learn new cooking skills and to accept greater responsibility may also move up and be asked to train or supervise lesser skilled kitchen staff. Others may move to larger or more prestigious kitchens and restaurants.   Some chefs and cooks go into business as caterers or personal chefs or open their own restaurant. Others become instructors in culinary training programs. A number of cooks and chefs advance to executive chef positions or food service director positions, particularly in hotels, clubs, and larger restaurants.

  • Executive Chef
  • Director of Catering
  • Head Cook
  • Food Service Manager
  • Food Service Director
  • Restaurant Manager/Owner

Connections to Work and Higher Education

Industry Affiliations:  SKILLS USA

Industry Certifications Available in High School

National Restaurant Association ServSafe Handler Certification (ServSafe)

OSHA 10 General Safety

MA State CU Articulation Agreement

  • One or more CUL courses at a MA community college

Courses

  • The exploratory program introduces students to dining room services and back of the house production including bakery production, kitchen production, sanitation and safety

  • Freshman students execute all the dining room duties while in shop. Students are exposed to all aspects of table service and use of a “Point of Sale” electronic system. Students experience weekly shifts in the kitchen and bakery to acquire the basics of back of the house production. Sanitation, safety, and basic rules and regulations of the industry are also covered

  • For the Grade 10 students addresses the front of the house with students developing basic kitchen and bakery skills. Content includes customer service, table service, cashier service protocols, using “Point of Sale” electronic system,  sanitation and safety procedures, host duties, kitchen and bakery utilities services, cold food production, basic culinary skills, cookies and roll production and basic bakery skills. Students also work towards their national ServSafe sanitation certification.

  • Grade 10 related students will learn career terminology, kitchen safety, tools and equipment, food items, cooking methods and techniques, basic nutrition and culinary related math and science. Sanitation laws and procedures, health and safety, utility and dining room service topics will be reinforced.

  • Grade 11 students will be concentrating on cooking and baking throughout the year. Topics will include cooking methods, fruits and vegetables, grains, legumes and starches, marinades, salads and dressings, thickening agents, soups and sauces, cookie production, quick breads, yeast dough, pie production, bakery scaling and basic bench working techniques.

  • Grade 11 shop themes are reinforced during the related course. Cooking methods, fruit and vegetable identification,  grains, starches, soups, stocks, salads and dressings, and baking fundamentals are emphasized. Culinary related math and science skills are developed. Related students will also begin to address their Junior/Senior project requirements.

  • Grade 12 students will be concentrating on cooking and baking as well as front of the house management techniques. Content area includes advanced cooking and baking skills, merchandising, store management, buffet presentations,  meat and seafood fabrication and dining room management. Grade 12 students maintain responsibility for food inventory, ordering, receiving and inspection procedures.

  • Students will be introduced to meat and seafood identification, meat grading and fabrication, menu planning and design, food ordering procedures, pastry and cake production, management controls and procedures, and advanced culinary related math and science. The Junior/Senior project will be completed.