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Food Preparation and Culinary Arts
Over the past few years, Mercy Vocational High School’s Culinary Arts program has to grown to accommodate both the needs of the students as well as the expectations of future employers. In September 2000, an additional chef was added to the culinary arts department to enhance the curriculum, giving the students more individual attention and helping to increase their skill base. With the additional instructor, greater emphasis is placed on theory and shop-related math. The students in this program learn about food/cost ratio formulations, menu planning, inventory control, and safety and sanitation instruction. Culinary Arts students have the opportunity to earn a Serv Safe Certification and then the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation acts as a tool to helps students gain easier employment because of sanitation expertise. Students in this program also participate in shop-related field trips which help them to appreciate the diverse aspects of the food and hospitality industries.
Culinary arts students prepare lunch daily for approximately 65 faculty and staff, reinforcing skills learned in the theory classroom as well as in the kitchen. On occasion, students also utilize their skills by providing in house catering for meetings, or other gatherings, as well as outside catering.
The Culinary Arts curriculum is designed to prepare students to pursue post-secondary education in Culinary Arts and/or to enter the hospitality industry at an above entry-level position.
For the 2007-2008 school year, 35 students are enrolled in the Culinary Arts Program (11 Seniors, 11 Juniors and 13 Sophomores).
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