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Professional Culinary Arts & Hospitality

Have you ever dreamed of owning a restaurant? Do you enjoy cooking? FMTC is cooking up a great future for students interested in the culinary arts! Create and present delicious, gourmet culinary masterpieces while working with knives, fire, and ice. Cook alongside a certified professional chef preparing appetizers, soups, salads, entrees, and desserts to everyone’s delight. Operate a fast-paced, casual, or upscale restaurant to create international cuisine in a unique dining experience. Students are prepared to earn the National Serv-Safe certification while enrolled in this program.

If you’re adventurous with food, cool under pressure, and skilled at adding your own flair to things, this may be your dream career. Chefs are professional cooks usually in charge of kitchen staffs that work together to make tasty, timely and nutritious food.

Chefs are trained to create many meals at once without any loss of quality or flavor. (This is harder than it sounds and requires intricate planning and preparation.) They consider whether dishes served together have complementary flavors and textures; they also consider how long each dish takes to cook so different dishes are ready to serve at the same time. A great chef is a terrific leader and craftsperson who manages people and projects to deliver fine food consistently.

The Professional Culinary Arts & Hospitality program prepares students for entry-level jobs in the commercial foods and culinary arts fields. Training includes identification, selection, preparation, presentation, serving, and storage of a wide variety of foods; communication and leadership skills; mathematical skills; human relations and employability skills; and safe and efficient work practices.

The following table illustrates the program structure:

Food Preparation
Course #:HMV0100
OCP: A
Hours: 300

Cook, Restaurant
Course #:HMV0170
OCP: B
Hours: 300

Chef/Head Cook
Course #:HMV0171
OCP: C
Hours: 300

Food Service Managment
Course #:HMV0126
OCP: D
Hours: 300

TOTAL HOURS 1200

Hours

1,200 hours. Approximately 11 months
Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.

Employment Opportunities

Students who complete this course can expect to earn a starting salary of $14.00+ per hour in the following industries (Actual wages vary according to education, experience, and certifications.)

  • Prep Cook
  • Line Cook
  • Catering
  • Sous Chef
  • Expediter
  • Short Order Cook
  • Broiler Cook
  • Banquet Cook
  • Pantry Station
  • Fry Cook

What You’ll Learn

  • Fruit and Vegetable Preparation
  • Meat and Poultry Preparation
  • Soup, Stock, and Sauce Preparation
  • Use of Hand Tools
  • Use of Small and Large Equipment
  • Dairy, Egg, and Starchy Preparation
  • Food Storage
  • Principles of Commercial Cooking
  • Bakery Goods and Desserts

Steps to Enroll

  • Attend an Information Session
  • Take the CASAS test, if applicable
  • Obtain official transcripts, if applicable (high school, GED, college, etc.)
  • Apply for financial aid (official transcripts required)
  • Provide appropriate residency documents
  • Complete application packet
  • Pay application fee

Industry Certifications

  • ServSafe® Certification
    • Certified Professional Food Service Handler
    • Certified Food Protection Manager

Career Ready Skills

  • Act as a responsible and contributing citizen and employee.
  • Apply appropriate academic and technical skills.
  • Attend to personal health and financial well-being.
  • Communicate clearly, effectively and with reason.
  • Consider the environmental, social and economic impacts of decisions.
  • Demonstrate creativity and innovation.
  • Employ valid and reliable research strategies.
  • Utilize critical thinking to make sense of problems and persevere in solving them.
  • Model integrity, ethical leadership and effective management.
  • Plan education and career path aligned to personal goals.
  • Use technology to enhance productivity.
  • Work productively in teams while using cultural/global competence.

Instructors

FMTC:

Southwest Florida Public Service Academy: