Culinary Arts

3 semester credits. This course continues the path across cooking techniques used in Italian cuisine with an in-depth analysis of cooking methods.
 The aim of the course is to broaden students knowledge on ingredient handling and cooking through a detailed survey of all types of meat, fish, and shellfish.
 Attention will be given to ingredient knowledge, their different structures and reactions to cooking, suitable cooking methods, food and flavor combinations.
 A special emphasis will be put in the understanding of signs of quality, faults, and preservation techniques. 
Students will be introduced to the aging of meat and understand the effects of aging on meat structure and flavor development as well as understand basics of meat and fish chemistry.
 The experience with different types of meat will help students understand the different reactions to cooking and the suitable cooking methods according to the specific cut and animal.
 All fish and seafood handling and cooking will be covered and students will be introduced to the basics of fish filleting and cleaning. Prerequisites: Professional Cooking I or equivalent.

6 semester credits. This course continues the path across cooking techniques used in Italian cuisine with an in-depth analysis of cooking methods.
 The aim of the course is to broaden students knowledge on ingredient handling and cooking through a detailed survey of all types of meat, fish, and shellfish.
 Attention will be given to ingredient knowledge, their different structures and reactions to cooking, suitable cooking methods, food and flavor combinations.
 A special emphasis will be put in the understanding of signs of quality, faults, and preservation techniques. 
Students will be introduced to the aging of meat and understand the effects of aging on meat structure and flavor development as well as understand basics of meat and fish chemistry.
 The experience with different types of meat will help students understand the different reactions to cooking and the suitable cooking methods according to the specific cut and animal.
 All fish and seafood handling and cooking will be covered and students will be introduced to the basics of fish filleting and cleaning. This course includes experiential learning hours with our Community Engagement Member Institutions (CEMI). Prerequisites: Professional Cooking I or equivalent.

This course is intended to give advanced students the fundamentals of kitchen organization, menu composition, plating and decoration as well as consolidate their attitudes and skills thanks to full-immersion hands-on activities that will result in effective professional and personal growth, and introduce them to the concept of team work, timing and responsibility within the kitchen environment. The course is open to all students with a good experience in kitchen basics like knife skills, vegetables, meat and egg preparation, application of classic cooking methods and knowledge of main Italian ingredients. Students will have the opportunity to practice cooking techniques and basic kitchen organization skills on a daily basis. Students will be followed by the chef instructor, who will be their mentor in this restaurant cooking experience. The course will develop students skills in dish and menu composition, as well as in building combinations of ingredients based on the legacy of Italian tradition. To do this students will analyze the role of the leading Italian chefs of the last decades and their cooking styles in order to understand their influence on the development of Italian cuisine. The course will be held in the school’s creative learning lab where students will put the learned techniques in practice for the preparation of an Italian cuisine menu. This course consists of experiential learning hours with our Community Engagement Member Institutions (CEMI). Prerequisites: Professional Cooking II: Cooking Techniques or equivalent.

6 semester credits. This course is intended to give advanced students the fundamentals of kitchen organization, menu composition, plating and decoration as well as consolidate their attitudes and skills thanks to full-immersion hands-on activities that will result in effective professional and personal growth, and introduce them to the concept of team work, timing and responsibility within the kitchen environment. The course is open to all students with a good experience in kitchen basics like knife skills, vegetables, meat and egg preparation, application of classic cooking methods and knowledge of main Italian ingredients. Students will have the opportunity to practice cooking techniques and basic kitchen organization skills on a daily basis. Students will be followed by the chef instructor, who will be their mentor in this restaurant cooking experience. The course will develop students skills in dish and menu composition, as well as in building combinations of ingredients based on the legacy of Italian tradition. To do this students will analyze the role of the leading Italian chefs of the last decades and their cooking styles in order to understand their influence on the development of Italian cuisine. The course will be held in the school’s creative learning lab where students will put the learned techniques in practice for the preparation of an Italian cuisine menu. This course includes experiential learning hours with our Community Engagement Member Institutions (CEMI). Prerequisites: Professional Cooking II: Cooking Techniques or equivalent.

3 semester credits. The course offers the unique opportunity of being trained by acclaimed professional chefs in order to compete at an international culinary expo. For culinary professionals, culinary expos and competitions are not only an opportunity to network, exchange ideas, and discover trends and products, but also an exchange of professional caliber and challenge with colleagues from the industry. The course will focus on food styling and plating techniques based on international rating standards for culinary competitions. Students will learn the importance of plating proportions, how to properly preserve colors, classic and contemporary decoration techniques, as well as team management. During the course, students will be constantly supervised by the course instructors for menu concept, testing, and development in order to gain a solid knowledge of the techniques applied to the presented dishes. The final objective of the course is to prepare students for participation with the award-winning Apicius Team at the Tirreno C.T. - The International Italian Culinary Expo food competition organized by WACS (World Association of Chefs Societies) and FIC (Federation of Italian Chefs). Prerequisites: Advanced-level pastry and culinary students, candidate profiles are reviewed by the chef faculty for the selection process.

3 semester credits. This course is designed to provide culinary student with the opportunity to design, organize, implement, serve, and evaluate culinary events. Emphasis will be placed on training the student for effective production management, market-related menu planning, mise en place, à la carte cooking, and service techniques in the context of a special event. Customer needs, case studies, and weekly events will allow students to experience the balance required to effectively achieve proper planning and customer satisfaction. This class includes experiential learning hours. Prerequisites: 3 culinary or pastry lab courses, or equivalent.

3 semester credits. Starting from the previously acquired knowledge of macro and micro nutrients, this course will provide students with the tools to analyze and develop a wide variety of nutritionally balanced meals on a seasonal basis.
Students will learn the fundamentals of metabolism and digestion and apply previously acquired cooking methods in order to preserve nutrients, and the possible applications of a wide variety of ingredients to create satisfying dishes while still respecting nutritional concepts.
Emphasis will be placed on the analysis of special dietary requirements either depending on dietary special needs or ethical choices. Raw foodism, vegetarian and vegan diet as well as the possible alternatives to guarantee a balanced nutrient intake will be thoroughly covered. The course will give students the tools to design meals on a seasonal basis following the principles of healthy cooking. This course consists of experiential learning hours with our Community Engagement Member Institutions (CEMI). Prerequisites: Three semesters of culinary arts or dietetics/nutrition coursework and Cooking Light: Contemporary Techniques for Health Living, or equivalent.

3 semester credits. The course is divided into three phases and explores stimulating applications of contemporary cuisine. Precision cooking and texture development apply the latest scientific discoveries to food production and may require special instruments for the achievement of specific results. This course focuses on techniques that can be available in a professional environment and allow chefs to development their creativity in order to reach new and sometimes unexpected results. This course consists of experiential learning hours with our Community Engagement Member Institutions (CEMI). Prerequisites: Culinary Arts Majors only. The Science of Cooking: An Introduction to Molecular Cuisine, or equivalent.

3 semester credits. Italian regional cuisine is the result of a complex sedimentation of culinary habits and stands out from the many others because of the variety of cultures that influenced Italy throughout the centuries. Although characterized by unique and distinctive features, Italian cuisine is still perceived as the result of many different regional culinary traditions that, although merged and diluted over centuries, still maintain their particular flavors and distinct ingredients.
 Knowing Italian cuisine means knowing also the history of this country in order to better understand the origin and changes of dishes and preparations. 
The role of Italian cuisine in the international panorama makes this course of paramount importance for all those that want to take on Italian cooking, and this course will provide students with the knowledge of Italian cultural background as the basis of the way Italians eat.
Emphasis will be placed on how food relates to lifestyle and culture of different Italian macro areas. Local economy and resources will be analyzed and compared. Students will be introduced to the various local savory and sweet creations through hands-on production and tastings. During this course students will understand the meaning of food for Italians: pleasure, conviviality and celebration.

This project is a mandatory component of the Italian Regional Pastry and Cuisine course.

3 semester credits. Italian culinary tradition is the result of a long and complex historical, social and cultural process that can be fully understood through a careful analysis of the many aspects of Italian cultural heritage. In the past, food was characterized by the use of locally available ingredients and alimentary habits slowly became established and codified along with the specialization and the improvement of regionally different production methods. Nevertheless, nutrition and cooking underwent substantial changes and profound transformations through the centuries, often resulting from historical and political events that affected the economy, the production, and the distribution of goods. This course introduces students to Italian gastronomical traditions through the analysis of the main ingredients and the traditional preparations that have contributed to make Italian cuisine the most popular and imitated. Students will be introduced to the world of Italian quality ingredients thanks to a survey of DOP, IGP, and Slow Food Presidia quality certifications. The fundamental traditional cooking methods, techniques, and preparations utilized in Italian cuisine will be thoroughly covered and sampled in class. Course topics will be analyzed through a focus on cultural background, origins, production processes, technical features and application in Italian cuisine. These experiences will prepare students continuing on to the advanced section of this course.

3 semester credits. The survey of the most representative Italian preparations and ingredients continues as well as a deep analysis and application of Italian cuisine. 
Traditional preparations, characterizing ingredients and culinary movements will be fully covered during this course.
The aim of this course is also to give students a complete overview of Italian cuisine evolution through the knowledge of XIX and XX century cultural influences such as futurism, nouvelle cuisine and present day innovations. 
This course is meant to help students understand the current Italian culinary trends as a continuous evolution of the different regional cooking traditions. The course will include an overview of the major Italian cuisine chefs styles and how they contributed to the mentioned evolution thanks to creativity and knowledge. 
Students will learn how to compose a menu in order to express a cooking philosophy and will also experience Italian fine dining standards through the practical application of learned concepts. This course consists of experiential learning hours with our Community Engagement Member Institutions (CEMI). Prerequisites: Tradition of Italian Food I or equivalent.

3 semester credits. The last 40 years of food service have been characterized by a slow yet constant development of nutritional awareness and a more informed approach to food. The aim of the course is not only to offer students techniques for a healthier approach to cooking: this course will focus on cooking techniques that can be applied in order to reduce fat consumption and at same time become the emblems of contemporary cuisine. Flavor-extraction methods, flavoring methods, pressure cooking and sous vide cooking, marinades and brines and the use of alternative fats are nowadays the base of contemporary Chefs’ creations: students will learn how these techniques can be used to develop a fine dining cuisine that can be healthier yet not necessarily health-fanatic. This course consists of experiential learning hours with our Community Engagement Member Institutions (CEMI). Prerequisites: Two semesters of Culinary Arts course work or equivalent.

3 semester credits. This course focuses on important foreign cuisines outside the mediterranean area and is meant to teach students how the influence of local cultures affected food preparation techniques and dishes in important geographic macro areas. This course allows students to examine the influence of geography and climate on the people, the features of the land, the production of agriculture, the available natural resources, and the main industries in many different areas. Special emphasis will be put on the relationship of attitudes and practices of food preferences and on how foods of a country show a relationship to the social and cultural development of an area. Students will experience food preparation from several cuisines based on the customs and heritage of these cultures. The ingredients used in the preparation of the dishes, along with their origin and diffusion, will be the highlights of the course, whose aim is to show how the environment, as well as the external cultural influences, is responsible for the characterization of local cuisines. Student will also adapt to various deviations in cooking strategies, develop an understanding of food sources and the availability of these ingredients. During the course students will benefit from practical application of international cooking in a collaborative kitchen environment. This course consists of experiential learning hours with our Community Engagement Member Institutions (CEMI). Prerequisites: Culinary Arts majors only.

3 semester credits. Through this special project course, students are involved in back of the house operations and projects related to Ganzo, the school restaurant, and Fedora, the school pastry shop and bistro. Under the supervision of a Chef instructor who manages the operations of the kitchen, culinary arts experiential learning students are involved in projects focused on the daily operations of the restaurant industry. The experiential learning project will offer the opportunity to gain confidence with cooking techniques, basic equipment maintenance skills, HACCP, the concept of mise en place and timing, and the importance of standards and consistency. The project will also provide an insight on the importance of the kitchen hierarchy and division of the duties, helping students understand the concept of “brigade” and team work as fundamental for a correct management of kitchen environments. EL hours may be distributed from Monday through Friday. This placement may require PM shifts and shifts that take place on weekends and holidays, or ongoing research-based activities for remote placements. 
This special project course features experiential learning hours with our Community Engagement Member Institutions (CEMI). Main tasks: Market/industry research, customer feedback analysis, ingredient research, study of sustainable food production process, recipe analysis, provide kitchen management options and analyze the different impact on service, final portfolio. Additional materials/Dress code: Chef uniform (hat, jacket, pants, hard-toe safety shoes, apron) required. Not applicable to remote option.
 Prerequisites: Cover letter, CV, and material pertinent to the chosen area, interview. Open to culinary arts and baking & pastry majors or students who have taken previous coursework in the above fields. HAACP food safety and sanitation certification (Not applicable to remote option).

Cross-listed from Food and Culture

Cross-listed from Food and Culture

Cross-listed from Food and Culture

Cross-listed from Internships