For those students interested in going into culinary, baking & pastry arts, nutrition, hospitality, etc. they usually come to you for advice. In my opinion there are two types of culinary programs ones that will teach solely skills and ones that will give you a degree and skills. Although I personally believe in getting a bachelor’s degree, not all students are cut out for that right after graduating high school.

Questions to consider when deciding on a culinary school:

• What is the ultimate goal? What are the skills necessary for your ultimate goal?
  • To work in a restaurant or own a restaurant?
  • Are business skills needed?
• Are your strengths in academics or hands on? If you’re not the academic type are you willing to endure it to get a degree?
  • What classes do you struggle with?
  • What classes do you like the most?
  • What comes easily to you?
• Are you planning on working immediately or continue schooling for a few years?
  • Working & school can happen simultaneously
  • There is something to getting college over with while high school is still fresh
• What is your back up plan in case culinary doesn’t work out for you the way you imagine?
  • Sometimes life happens -everything from injuries that won’t permit long periods of standing to income constraints, to figuring out you’re not a big shot culinary star, to romantic notions brought to the reality of how much hard work this industry can be, to the characters you tend to have to work with in this industry, etc.
• How much can you afford?
  • A school with a four year degree attached will cost more than a two-year program from your local community college.
• Is the school well known in the location you plan on working?
  • Some schools are known around the locale of that school but others are known internationally. Depending on the ultimate goal students should chose a school that will “set them up” to work in the restaurant they desire. It is often smart to call and ask a restaurant what there requirements are for chefs they hire.
• Have you given your dream a test drive?
  • I have had several students go to culinary school and drop out the second year because they didn’t want to work in that industry any more. Always, always do an internship or job shadow of your dream career before spending money on the dream. Students need to make sure they know what they are getting into both the positives and negatives of their future occupation. Can I live with the negatives of the occupation?
• What does the school offer in terms of internships and job placements?
  • How successful is the school in placing students in jobs after they graduate?
• What does the school offer you?
  • Take a tour of the perspective schools (preferably more than one) so you have something to compare.
  • What are the classrooms/labs like? Are they up to date? Do they have enough equipment? Do they have the best technology?
  • What kinds of professors/teachers does the school employ? What is their experience?
• Where is the school located?
  • The middle of no-where might not be ideal if you’re looking for an internship or job. Are there plenty of restaurants in the area?
  • Is it close to home? Living at home can save money but it is a tradeoff.
• What is the school’s reputation?
  • Here is a test call some restaurants where you would like to work someday and ask them if they hire people from _________(the name of the culinary school). If they say no, ask why, did they have a bad experience? If they say they have never heard of it ask them if they would be willing to hire someone from that program anyway or if there were something else that they might have to demonstrate to get hired.

• Get all these questions above in a Word document: Questions to consider when deciding on a culinary school (Word)

Setting your Students up for success:

• It is often wise to have a back up plan, degree, certification, courses, etc. Examples include:
  • ServSafe Instructor
  • Dietician
  • Sales Training (selling restaurant equipment, supplies, etc)
  • Enologist
  • Health Inspector
  • Working for FDA
  • Working for USDA
  • Business Owner
  • Food Writer
  • Culinary School Recruiter
  • Teacher
  • Professor

List of Culinary Schools

• Le Cordon Bleu – Various Locations

Alabama

• Culinard – Birmingham, AL

Arizona

• Arizona Culinary Institute – Scottsdale, AZ

Arkansas

• Pulasi Technical College
  

California

• San Diego Culinary Institute – San Diego, CA
• French Culinary Institute - San Diego, CA

• San Diego Culinary Institute – La Mesa
• Institute of Technology – Citrus Heights, Clovis, Modesto

Colorado

• Johnson & Wales – Denver, CO
• The Art Institute of Colorado, Culinary Arts – Denver

Connecticut

• Lincoln College -Suffield, CT
• Manchester Community College – Manchester, CT

Florida

• Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts – Miami, Orlando
• The Art Institute of Tampa, Culinary Arts – Tampa
• The Art Institute of Jacksonville, Culinary Arts – Jacksonville
• Keiser University – Sarasota, Tallahassee
• Johnson & Wales – Miami

Georgia

Illinois

• The French Pastry School – Chicago

Massachesetts

• Cambridge School of Culinary Arts

Michigan

• The Art Institute of Michigan, Culinary Arts – Detroit

Minnesota

• The Art Institutes International, Culinary Arts
• Minneapolis Business College – Roseville

Missouri

• L’École Culinaire – Memphis & St. Louis
• Culinary Institute of St. Louis – St. Louis, MO

Nevada

New York

• Culinary Institute of America – Hyde Park, NY
• French Culinary Institute – New York, NY

North Carolina

• Johnson & Wales – Charlotte, NC

Ohio

Oregon

Washington

• Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts – Seattle
• The Art Institute of Seattle, Culinary Arts – Seattle

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Time Frame:  2.5  hours

Objective

• To inform students about where their food comes from; discuss and implement personal solutions to these shocking truths about what we eat, how it’s produced and who we have become as a nation.

Set

• Is the food that we eat safe?
• How many of you know where your hamburger comes from?
• Who buys produce at our local grocery store? Do you know where it comes from?
• Is where your food comes from important?
• What are the risks involved with producing mass quantities of food?

Activities

• Watch Food Inc. (DVD) 91 minutes

• Class discussion using either the discussion guide or participant book listed below.

Attachments

• For a free discussion guide to use in your classroom created by The Center of Ecoliteracy,  download here (PDF).
• Food Inc.: A Participant Guide: How Industrial Food is Making Us Sicker, Fatter, and Poorer-And What You Can Do About It

Websites

• Food Inc.

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Lesson Plans

• Foodborne Bacteria (Word)
• Analyze Meals & Snacks by Food Guide (Word)
• Chemical Leavening 101-Baking Powder Reaction
• Dish Washing with Sanitizers (PDF)
• Do More with Maple Lesson (PDF)
• Handwashing Lesson (PDF)

PowerPoints

• JWU Plate Presentation (PPT)
• Managing the Family Dollar (PPT)
• Nutrients Jazz (PPT)
• The Safe Foodhandler (PPT)
• Welcome to Foods I (PPT)

Worksheets

• Chicken Broth(Word)
• Cooking at Home (Word)
• Digestive System Notes (Word)
• Hand washing Review (Word)
• Hand washing Rubric (Word)
• Lunch bag Safety (PDF)
• Kitchen Equipment Index (Excel)
• Management of the Family Project Directions (Word)
• Management of the Family Project (Word)
• Management Project (Excel)
• Mini Refrigerator Poster on Sanitation (Word)
• My Pyramid Computer (Word)
• Nutrients Transparency (Word)
• Nutrients Worksheet (Word)
• Nutrients Overview (Word)
• Nutrition E-Tour (Word)
• Nutrition Game (Word)
• Nutrition Game Answers (Word)
• Recipe Chart (Word)
• Sub Sandwich Safety (PDF)
• Yeast Breads for Traditional Block Schedules (PDF)

Extra Credit

• Culinary Extra Credit Paper (Word)

Quizzes

• Food Safety Quiz (PDF)

• Germ Survival Quiz Bowl (PDF)

Links

• Ice cream in a baggie
  

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If you’re like most schools you have to order supplies through companies that take Purchase Orders. It can be so frustrating ordering through catalogs when you can get supplies cheaper locally, nonetheless here are some catalogs that provide FACS supplies.

• Nasco: sells baking pans, cooking equipment, parenting stimulator dolls, fashion DVD’s, Ez-Decorator, interior design DVD’s.
• Sane: sells cake decorating supplies, fabric, notions, rotary cutting supplies, cooking tools, utility carts.
• Learning Seed: educational DVD’s on consumerism, fashion, cooking, child care, design & housing, etc.
• Calico Industries: restaurant and food service equipment.
• Fresh FACS Publishing: A Family Consumer Science publishing company that publishes lesson plans, booklets, and even adorable vintage looking FACS note cards, calendars, recipe cards, etc.
• Meridian Education: DVD, VHS, & Video on Demand Family & Consumer Science Catalog.
• Prevention Resources: Nutrition curriculum, posters, books, games, charts, kits.
• Enjoy Birth & Parenting Education: Printed Guides, DVD’s, PowerPoint Presentations.
• Insight Media: Nutrition, child development, interior design, history of fashion, fashion merchandising, fashion & society, basic design, fashion designers, and textile DVD’s and Powerpoints.

Text Book Publishers

• Delmar Cengage Learning: Offers text books on culinary, food service management, hobbies, home cooking, home cooking & entertaining, hospitality, and travel & tourism. Teachers can request a complimentary copies.
• McGraw Hill: Offers text books on child care, child development & parenting, clothing & fashion, life skills, consumer education & financial literacy, culinary arts, housing & interior design, foods & nutrition, and family living.
• Wiley: Offers text books on culinary, catering, food & writing, hotel  management, food service, gaming industry, conventions, restaurant management, etc. Teachers can request a complimentary copies.

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