Professional Cooking Program

Whether you want to pursue a career as a culinary professional or just cook like a pro, our professional program is for you! This is an intensive 25 week class meeting once a week on Tuesday evenings for 4.5 hours, starting at 5:00 PM. We invite serious home cooks, beginners who want to master the fine art of cooking, and those who have the desire to attend culinary school without the time or financial commitment. With their tuition payment, students receive a world class text book and supplemental materials used in professional schools throughout the country, a personalized chef's coat, and a discount on additional classes offered and store merchandise. At the end of the program, students engage in a final exam, which requires them to prepare a fully executed dinner party for invited guests. Graduating participants receive a Certificate of Completion in Cooking from our school.

Class Syllabus

  1. Introduction, Safety & Sanitation, Knife Skills
  2. Stocks and Basic Sauces
  3. Complex & Specialty Sauces
  4. Soups, Stews, Chowders & Broths
  5. Eggs, Dairy & Breakfast
  6. Salads & Salad Dressings
  7. Cold & Hot Vegetables & Fruits
  8. Starch Vegetables & Potatoes
  9. Grains & Pastas
  10. Meats & Game
  11. Poultry & Game Birds
  12. Fish & Shellfish
  13. Hot & Cold Hors d’ Oeuvres
  14. Sandwiches & Canapés
  15. Garde Manger (Pates, Terrines, etc.)
  16. France
  17. Italy
  18. Mediterranean
  19. Japan & China
  20. Vietnam & Hawaii
  21. American Regional, West & Southwest
  22. American Regional, East & South
  23. Classic Restaurant Dishes
  24. Plating, Presentation, Wine Pairing, & Review
  25. Final Exam

Professional Baking & Pastry Program

Our Professional Baking & Pastry program is based on the curriculum taught in Baking Schools in the United States and France.  This course is intended to prepare the individual looking to pursue a career in the Art of Baking & Pastry, or those who would simply love to master the skills of a professional pastry chef.  Topics range from baking to elaborate cake decorating, to making sauces & custards and everything in between. This program is 10 weeks long and meets on Monday evenings at 5:00 PM lasting approximately 4.5 hours.  With their tuition payment students will receive a world class baking text book, a chef's coat and discounts on other classes offered and store merchandise. Those who would like to receive a Certification in Baking & Pastry will also complete three intensive Sunday workshops during the program, including a field trip to a professional bakery to learn about baking for production in large quantities.

  1. Introduction to Baking: Methods, Scaling & Portioning, Equipment
  2. Pastry: Pie Dough, Tarts, Short Pastry, Roll in Doughs, Puff Pastry, Strudel & Phyllo.
  3. Yeast Doughs: Types of Yeast, Proofing, Fermentation, Starters, Sourdough, Sweet & Rich Dough
  4. Choux Paste: Eclairs, Cream Puffs, Piping Skills, Doughnuts
  5. Sauces and Custards: Crème Anglaise, Crème Brulee, Pastry Cream, Dessert Sauces, Ice Cream
  6. Quickbreads and Cookies: Muffins, Loaves, Crumbles, Cobblers, Cookies, Assembling & Decorating
  7. Cakes Part 1: Intro to cakes, Cream Cake, Devil’s Food, Angel Food, Chiffon
  8. Cakes Part 2: Basic Assembling & Decorating Techniques, Fillings & Icings
  9. Plating Desserts: Advanced Decorating, Plating & Saucing, Caramel
  10. Chocolate: Types, Handling of, Molding, Piping, Tempering, Dipping, Decorating, Ganache

Workshops

  1. Advanced Breadmaking
  2. Advanced Cake & Cupcake Decorating

 

Culinary Certification

 Both programs may be taken simultaneously or one after the other for a full Certificate of Culinary Training from our school.  Alternatively, students may choose to take only one program or the other for program specific Certification.  Space is limited in our professional classes in order to give students maximum one-on-one training with our instructors so please sign up early to reserve your space.

Students enrolled in either program are eligible to participate in our Kitchen Assistant Program. Kitchen Assistants help chefs during the course of our other recreational classes, in return for free classes at our school as well as a fun and invaluable experience.

For more information, pricing and dates, please contact us.