Monday, July 14, 2014

International Culinary Management Offers Transferable Skills

Just as the business world no longer has borders, neither does culinary management. Diners are inspired by food from all over the world - not only in their own kitchens but also when they head to restaurants. We are constantly seeing openings of new restaurants featuring the cuisines of exotic places such as Thailand, Pakistan, Jamaica, Morocco, Ethiopia, and so many others. To properly manage these restaurants, professionals must have knowledge of the unique relationship between cuisine, culture and religion as well as ethnic and international cuisine.

At Centennial College, students can, in just two years of attending the Culinary Management program known as Culinary Management - International, obtain the perspective needed to begin careers either in Ontario, across Canada or globally. That's because they gain skills that are transferable across the world of culinary arts.

The program presents a number of courses that not only offer students a base in management but also looks at specific cuisines with which students need to be familiar in order to succeed in the industry. As such, students learn about sanitation, safety and hygiene; principles and practices of nutrition; bakeshop principles and practices; food theory; numeracy and computers; food, beverage and labour cost controls; sustainable food system practices and much more. Meanwhile, the specific cuisines covered in this program include: Europe, Southern Asia, the Americas, and the Mediterranean and Middle East. Each of these classes teaches students the necessary skills, techniques and elements of several cuisines of the particular area being highlighted.

They are introduced to methods of cooking applications, tools, utensils, common ingredients, seasonings, flavour builders and combinations in a lab setting. Additionally, each of these courses looks at how food shapes societies and cultural practices as well as the actual preparation, consumption, and customs of food from the area. A research project on a specific cuisine and culture is an integral part of these courses.

Centennial College's Progress Campus is equipped with labs and facilities that enhance students' experiences. For example, those in this offering complete each Culinary Management course out of either a computer lab that boasts the latest software needed to help them understand their future field or the Culinary Arts Centre, which boasts a wide range of up-to-date equipment that allows students to master the world's cuisines using combitherm ovens, a tandoor oven, a wok line, a brick lined pizza oven, a smoker, baker's ovens, induction cookers, a chocolate tempering machine, as well as traditional stoves, grills, deep fryers, and salamanders.

As with many other programs at this college, this undertaking includes an on-the-job element. During the final semester students experience hands-on exposure to the culinary industry as they observe, learn and work with experienced personnel in a real-life environment, while supporting the application and further development of their practical and theoretical skills. Meanwhile, to further enhance this aspect they process and analyze the practical experiences gained on their field placement while creating a platform for the sharing of these experiences with their classmates in a class called Field Placement Review.

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