Culinary Arts

.5 credit                   Grades 9, 10, 11, 12             S1, S2

Prerequisite: None

Graduation Requirement Area: additional credits only

Culinary Arts 1 is an introductory course for students to experience working in a professional kitchen environment, using professional smallwares and equipment, while learning the principles of baking and pastry. Emphasis is placed on technique and technology used in the food industry. Students will learn safety and sanitation competencies, quantity food preparation and conversions, food storage requirements, and weights and measurements. Students’ objectives will focus on practical application of skills and competencies while daily preparing a wide range of baked goods. Products prepared include: cookies, bar cookies, biscuits and scones, quick breads, pour-batters, tortillas and flatbreads, phyllo dough and French puff pastry, pastas, pizza and calzones, cinnamon rolls and assorted yeast doughs, cakes and cupcakes, cheesecakes and crumb crusts, pies, tarts and quiche.

.5 credit                   Grades 9, 10, 11, 12             S1, S2

Prerequisite: Culinary Arts 1

Graduation Requirement Area: additional credits only

As an extension of the Culinary Arts 1 course, students enrolled in Culinary Arts 2 will continue to follow and apply the food preparation skills as they relate to the standards set by the food service industry. Students will explore the foods and cultures of a variety of international and regional American areas as well. Students will use technology to aid them in this query. Each week, students will develop a menu resulting from that inquiry and build on their production skills and competencies through practical application. Students will prepare a full range menu, from appetizers and hors d’oeuvres to soups, salads, entrees, and desserts. The skills emphasized will be equipment identification and usage, preparation of menu items, and safety and sanitation. Students will continue to apply and demonstrate their knowledge and expertise through class production and school-based catered events.

ADVANCED CULINARY ARTS

1.0 credit                 Grades 10, 11, 12                 Full-Year

Prerequisite: Culinary Arts 2 or course instructor’s recommendation

Graduation Requirement Area: Open STEAM

The objective of this course is to continue to build on skills emphasized in both the Culinary Arts 1 and 2 classes and introduce business and management concepts, as well as recipe and menu development skills. Lab work revolves around recipe development and menu production with extra emphasis on knife skills and production efficiency, utilizing seasonal ingredients and ingredients unfamiliar to the students’ palates, as well as strategizing production leadership and creative initiative. Students will take a much more in-depth approach to the study of ingredients, recipes and menus, as well as career exploration of the foods and hospitality industries. Students will continue to use technology to aid them in this inquiry. Students will also continue to cater school-based events, as well as off-campus events and community outreach meals. 

.5 credit                   Grades 11, 12                      S1, S2

Prerequisite: English 10

Graduation Requirement Area: additional credits only

Note: Enrollment in this course is limited, and a lottery will be used to select students. If selected, students must commit to taking the course and may only drop or change if there is a conflict with a different course and with administrative approval. Students must register for both Food in Literature (Culinary) and Food in Literature (English) in the same semester.

Food writing is about putting food in context through experimentation with cooking and a variety of writing styles. This co-taught, double-period course (with English) enables rigorous analysis and practice in reading and writing high-quality, challenging material, while also experimenting in the test kitchen, given students’ areas of study. Students will express their writers’ voices through creating and maintaining a digital portfolio inspired by their experiences in the test kitchen. Through the study of mentor texts, students will study and create recipes, write research-based feature articles, craft personal essays and memoirs, conduct interviews, engage in menu writing and the creation of food and restaurant reviews, and learn how to incorporate photography and videos into their writing. Students will have the opportunity to develop and perfect their recipes and menus using the course’s test kitchen. It will be through students’ experiences in the kitchen that they will be able to authentically adapt, develop, and hone their food writing abilities to effectively communicate with their audience.