Plant-Based Culinary Foundations I

In this course, students will be introduced to food safety and sanitation practices in order to prevent foodborne illnesses. They will also be presented with information about food allergens, levels of severity, and measures a chef can take to keep guests safe and included. Students will familiarize themselves with not only traditional culinary tools, utensils, and equipment but also those unique to the plant-based kitchen. They will practice knife safety, cutting techniques, standard measurements and conversions, and basic cooking techniques. Classify foods into their food groups to understand basic recipe structures and begin modifying traditional recipes with plant-based substitutions.

Plant-Based Culinary Foundations II

In this course, students will continue their plant-based education with the creation of stocks and soups, which will be leveraged in future plant-based dishes. Students will also prepare a variety of legumes and grains that introduce new techniques and flavors to their culinary palate.

Menu Design

This course explores different types of menus (including both food menus and beverage menus) and their applications. The course covers all aspects of menu planning and design, ranging from visual design to prices analysis to making use of available resources. The menu is both a financial tool and a communication tool, and students learn about its uses as both.

Plant-Based Culinary Foundations III

In the final foundations course, students will apply skills and knowledge gained in prior foundations to the preparation of stews. Students will also prepare a variety of plant-based proteins using the appropriate techniques for each. Finally, students will combine all their fundamental culinary skills and apply them to the theory of meal composition. They will design and prepare balanced dishes focusing on meal composition, flavor profiles, and depth of flavor.

Foundations of Plant-Based Pastry I

In this course, students will be presented with ways to create plant-based frozen desserts as well as techniques to prevent them from freezing solid or becoming gritty in the freezer. They will also prepare fruit based and raw desserts, cookies, bars, and confections using a variety of ingredients such as cream-based sauces, puddings, fillings, nuts, and seeds to name a few. Students will be introduced to techniques for replacing traditional baking ingredients with plant-based alternatives and how to build flavor in their plant-based pastry dishes.

Purchasing and Cost Control

Three out of five foodservice operations fail within five years of opening, often due to money mismanagement. This course gives students the skills to not only keep their restaurant in business but to also turn a profit. This course introduces students to purchasing, receiving, inventory management and menu pricing. In this course, students learn how to minimize costs and maintain a full range of customer services. The course progresses from the fundamentals of culinary math into an overview of storeroom operations, inventory, portion control, as purchased and edible portions, ingredient conversions, and recipe costing.

Foundations of Plant-Based Pastry II

Students will expand upon content learned in Foundations of Plant-Based Pastry I. They will continue their awareness of flavor balance as they use ingredients like fruit purees, for example, to enhance the taste and texture of their plant-based desserts. Students will prepare a variety of plant-based pastries such as cakes, breads, muffins, breakfast foods, truffles, ganache and more! They will also work with yeast allowing them an opportunity to practice folding, rolling, twisting, and cutting dough as they create classic forms that are enriched by seasonings and toppings. Finally, students will modify recipes to accommodate gluten-free diets.

Plant-Based Seasonal Cuisine

This course explores seasonal plant-based cooking using ingredients available during spring, early summer, mid-summer, late summer, fall, and winter. Students will explore ways to find and select seasonally fresh vegetables at supermarkets, farmer’s markets, and the like and how to optimally cook them for the best dining results. Students will also be introduced to the benefits of Farm to Table® cooking and the importance of sustainability practices as they relate to culinary outcomes.

Foodservice Management

This course covers the different types of commercial foodservice operations, and how to manage each using the principles of good service. Students study the hierarchy of management in foodservice, and the skill needed to succeed as a manager: training employees, motivating, them, disciplining them, and creating a safe and positive work environment. The course also explores how to act responsibly and make decisions that benefit the company.

Plant-Based Approaches to Wellness

In Plant-Based Approaches to Wellness, students will examine philosophies of wellness unique to plant-based eating such as, Whole Food Plant-Based, Raw, Ayurveda, and Macro. Students will also look at trending diets and how to prepare dishes within a plant-based culinary framework. Moreover, they will explore various ingredient substitutions to accommodate allergy restrictions.

Cultural Influences I

Students will begin their culinary journey around the world in this Cultural Influences I course. They will be exposed to the traditions, customs, and ingredients unique to specific countries such as Japan, Italy, Greece, India, France, and Vietnam. Students will apply the skills that they have cultivated throughout this program to prepare culturally authentic plant-based dishes.

Entrepreneurship

This course is a culmination course in entrepreneurship. This course covers such topics as business planning, pricing, credit management, government regulation, and legal concerns. Business ethics and the crucial role and importance of management and leadership are also covered.

Cultural Influences II

Students will continue their cultural culinary journey in Cultural Influences II. They will be exposed to the traditions, customs, and ingredients unique to specific countries such as Lebanon, Thailand, Spain, Mexico, Morocco, and the United States. Students will apply the skills that they have cultivated throughout this program to prepare culturally authentic plant-based dishes.

Externship I

This course provides opportunities for real life experiences in an operational restaurant or related business and builds on the skills and techniques covered in previous courses. In the course, students apply the skills they have learned in practical ways to real-world situations. Students gain hands-on experience in the kitchen that mirrors their future work in the industry while developing necessary career skills. Immersion in a work environment also allows students to develop industry contacts and build working relationships.