Culinary Arts

This course presents the principles of Culinary Arts and  Restaurant operations for culinary arts students.  This combination of hands-on and theoretical/guided practice will involve production for the public at North Montco Technical  Career Center's ( NMTCC) restaurant, enforcing practical skills with public evaluation. Additionally, students will learn the basics of sanitation, safety, and preparation/production,  various cooking skills, nutrition, applied mathematical operations, menu development, inventory controls,  communication skills, and basic supervisory techniques.  Students will also execute dining room service skills and will interact directly with retail guests.  Students will gain an understanding of the mechanics of full-production restaurant operations, from menu development to final turnout. Sanitary practices and compliance with laws and ordinances of the  Department of Health are enforced. Students are required to have a professional chef's uniform and front-of-the-house uniform to participate in class according to departmental uniform policies.  The NMTCC Culinary Arts program is accredited by the Secondary Committee of the American Culinary Federation Education Foundation Accrediting Commission. The program offers students ServeSafe coursework and certification, SP2 workplace/food safety training, and OSHA-compliant industry training.  Upon completing the program, students will be prepared to enter the workforce and be college-ready. 
 

Outcomes: 

 1.     Demonstrate knowledge of safety and sanitation 
 2.     Demonstrate front-of-the-house service 
 3.     Perform daily MEP station and closing tasks
 4.     Analyze daily costs and sales
 5.     Understand special dietary restrictions
 6.     Cook food prepared by self and others following all MCHD codes and guidelines 

 Students in Culinary Arts have the opportunity to  earn the following industry certifications: 

•  NOCTI – Culinary Arts 
• American Culinary Federation/Certified
•  Certified Fundamentals Cook (ACF) 
•   S/P2Culinary Workplace Safety 
•  ServSafe Allergens
•  ServSafe Manager Food Safety
•  OSHA 10
•  Heartsaver - First Aid and CPR  

Note: 11th-grade students must complete OSHA before the end of the third marking period.

Cooperative Education allows students to be employed during the school day while gaining meaningful instruction in a technical area, applying classroom knowledge to real-world experiences, and developing life-long career skills. Students may be allowed to go to work for a number of days determined by their teacher and the cooperative education coordinator.  

During your enrollment in the Culinary Arts program, you will be  taught and assessed on the following tasks: 
 100 Orientation and Safety Procedures 
 200 Sanitation Procedures 
 300 Knowledge of the Food Industry 
 400 Purchasing, Receiving, and Storage 
 500 Garde Manger 
 600 Care of Cutting Tools and Utensils 
 700 Mechanical Food Preparation Equipment 
 800 Standardized Recipes 
 900 Nutrition 
 1000 Breakfast Foods 
 1100 Fruits and Vegetables 
 1200 Pasta and Rice 
 1300 Cheese 
 1400 Salads, Fruits, and Dressings 
 1500 Seasonings 
 1600 Stocks, Soups, and Sauces 
 1700 Prepare and Cook Meats 
 1800 Basic Baking 
 1900 Planning and Costing Menus 
 2000 Institutional Food Procedures 
 2100 Front of House Operations and Dining Room Procedures
2200 Use of a Personal Computer 

All tools and equipment are supplied within this program throughout your NMTCC career. Students need to  purchase the following: 

•  Culinary Uniform (chef jacket or cook’s shirt, chef pants, apron, NMTCC hat or alternate NMTCC approved hair restraint, and black slip-resistant shoes). 
  Uniform can be purchased here.  Students are required to be in full uniform daily.
•  Notebook and Pen/Pencil/Permanent Marker
• Binder
• Calculator
   

 
Program Fees: 

• All students are also required to pay an activity fee of thirty-five dollars ($35) – (separate check made payable to “North Montco Technical Career Center” or payable online)
• MC Health Department - Certified Food Safety Manager - $50

Culinary Lab Uniform Policy

NMTCC will require that all students be dressed in professional attire while in the Culinary classes. This policy reflects current industry standards set forth by the American Culinary Federation, and the lack of any of the following items will be reason for the Chef Instructor to disallow certain production activities and will result in a reduction of the daily grade.

• White chef's jacket or cook’s shirt. Must be fully buttoned at all times while on the NMTCC campus. Jackets must be cleaned, unwrinkled, and spot-free.
• Chef pants, straight leg, and hemmed to the top of the shoe. Pants must be clean and wrinkle-free.
• Appropriate hair restraint, as determined by the instructor,is worn properly on the head with all hair tucked inside.
• Clean, wrinkle-free white bib apron(optional but suggested) and white side towels (clean and sanitary).
• Appropriate clothing underneath the chef's jacket -shirt decals or any inappropriate content should not be visible through the jacket.
• Black slip-resistant shoes worn with socks. Shoes with a high heel, canvas athletic shoes, or any open-toed type shoes will not be permitted.
• For men, any facial hair will be groomed and neatly trimmed with beard guards when deemed appropriate by the culinary instructor.
• No enamel-based nail polish, gels, and/or imitation nails may be worn. Nails should be clean, neat, and trimmed.
• Extensions, long braids, or other hairstyles must be fully restrained, if necessary, with a commercial, extra-large hairnet.
• All students with hair worn below the collar must keep their hair tied up under the chef hat or wear a hair net in addition to their chef hat. A limited supply of hairnets will be supplied; otherwise, they are the responsibility of the student.
• No watches or any other type of jewelry is permitted in the lab. Visible facial jewelry or large earrings of any sort must be removed before entering the lab; this includes tongue and ear piercings.
• Observe standards of personal hygiene:  clean hair appropriately tied up, no jewelry, no perfume, and clean fingernails. Bathe regularly and use deodorant. It is part of the sanitation standards of the business.
• Take pride in your appearance as a chef and student at NMTCC.
  
  Dining Room Attire and Hygiene
  Students may do prep/set-up without the dress shirt, but remain presentable. The attire is as follows:
• Uniforms will be provided
• Black slacks
• Black flat-bottom shoes. Clogs are acceptable. No open-toe shoes or Crocs.

Full uniform compliance is required during any food production activity or when representing anything relating to NMTCC. If, for any reason, a student's uniform does not meet the prescribed standards as set forth in this policy, the student may be assigned alternate duties by the Culinary Instructor. Failure on the part of the student to adhere to the above-mentioned uniform guidelines will also result in a reduction of the daily work ethic grade.

Textbooks / Learning Management System / Communication

Textbooks utilized in the program include:
ACF Culinary Fundamentals
ServSafe Manager Course book –edition 8
Essential Knife Techniques

Assignments will be accessed through our Canvas/ Online textbook.  

NMTCC provides students with a Google Account and a Canvas account. To access these accounts, see below for links, username, and password format:

Google account: https://www.gmail.com

Canvas account: https://nmtcc.instructure.com/login/canvas

Username: (first initial) (last name) (2 digit Graduation yr)@students.nmtcc.org

Password: 9-digit student ID number (found on back of ID card)

Example:  username: jdoe24@students.nmtcc.org 

   password: 000012345

Students have the opportunity to enroll in the Honors level course of their CTE program. The Honors course is for 12th-grade  students who have demonstrated a high level of interest and achievement in their program and who aspire to an advanced level of learning. Students in the Honors course will be exposed to individualized industry-related advanced work, rigorous study of CTE subject matter with embedded academic content, and practical application of knowledge and skills to work-based situations. Students must meet the required prerequisites and submit a completed Academic Teacher Recommendation form during their 11th-grade year to be considered for the Honors level course. 
 In addition, students will have the opportunity to complete the  ACF bundle for ACF certification advancement. 

 Prerequisites: 
 100% of POS Tasks 
 GPA of >90% in CTE program 
 GPA of >80% in academic courses 
 Recommendation Form completed by an academic teacher 

Parents are asked to review and acknowledge the program information by either:

• Visiting the Parent Portal using this link, or

• Signing the program syllabus distributed in class and returning it to the program teacher.