Culinary Techniques Year 1 -
Introduction to Food Service and Hospitality is an introductory Career Technical Education course that combines hands-on lab work, reading, writing, math, history, and science to teach students the foundational concepts behind being a professional in the food service and hospitality industry. Students learn the language of cooking as well as the associated tools, proper physical actions, and sensory queues associated with cooking techniques commonly utilized in a commercial kitchen. Career exploration includes food handler training and learning the basic history of Hospitality; students learn the expectations of the industry and that working in food service can be a different lifestyle than many other jobs. Work ethic characteristics including safety, teamwork, a willingness to learn and improve, problem-solving under pressure, and self-motivation are expected throughout the course. Students engage in team presentations, write lab reports and journals, respond to verbal questioning during lab work, read, research, and write about findings, critique food, videos, and articles, participate in class and small group dialogue, and demonstrate professionalism throughout the course.

Culinary Year 2 -
Prerequisite: Culinary Y1
Intermediate Food Service and Hospitality is a second-year concentrator CTE course that teaches students about specific ingredients and the proper application of cooking techniques (learned in the prior course) to those ingredients. Ingredient-related issues regarding nutrition, production, sourcing, storage, seasonality, cost, menu planning, and ethics are researched through current articles and discussed in class. This course also emphasizes safety, sanitation, work ethic, culinary math, and proper knife skills. Industry trends that include local, national, and international markets, are explored in the lab and discussed. Instruction includes: reading from the textbook, examining current articles, cooking labs, direct lectures/demos, multimedia, field trips, and guest speakers. Students collaborate to further their understanding of cultural and historical impacts on food as well as knowing the physical science, microbiology, and chemistry as related to foods and cooking. Workplace skills are developed in terms of work ethic, professionalism, physical actions, and sensory abilities of a professional. Postsecondary education is explored and discussed as an avenue to further one’s knowledge, experience, and success. Evaluation includes presentations, written assessments, written assignments, and evaluation of lab products in terms of technique, taste, texture, presentation, and timeliness.

Culinary Year 3-
Prerequisite: Culinary Y2
This course is a CTE capstone class in a Food Service and Hospitality pathway focused on teaching the fundamentals of running a successful hospitality operation, exploring postsecondary options to continue their education, and local career options. Students read current articles, the textbook, and cookbooks regarding current industry trends; they read about problems the industry is currently challenged by, and research career paths taken by those who are successful in the industry in order to synthesize the information within the context of their interests to fortify their paths after graduation. Students work in a commercial kitchen environment to learn technical skills, oral communication skills, customer service skills, marketing, problem-solving, management, and business and leadership skills utilized in a professional hospitality environment. Writing a business plan and executing a food service concept at the end of the course teaches students to combine math with persuasive writing and creativity. Completion of the math curriculum prepares students for the workplace and articulates with a local community college Hospitality Management program to provide up to three units of community college credit.