Kitchen Academy:
Culinary Arts Programs
Diploma in Professional Culinary Arts
The diploma in Professional Culinary Arts was designed to teach students the skills needed to go to work in a
professional culinary environment. Taught entirely in the kitchen environment (the school has no traditional
classrooms), the program features hands-on contact with the ingredients and tools students will see and use on the job.
The program is divided into five stages:
- Professional Culinary Arts I: Focuses on kitchen fundamentals, including knife skills, culinary terms,
stock making, and breakfast preparation.
- Professional Culinary Arts II: Students learn complete plate preparation, with an emphasis on timing,
portion control, and quality consistency. Students learn butchery, preparation of different cuts of meat,
and the preparation of fish and seafood.
- Cold Cuisine and Baking and Pastry Techniques: This stage teaches the procedures and skills used in the
cold kitchen, and in baking and pastry. Students learn to prepare appetizers, salads, breads, and desserts.
- Advanced Professional Culinary Arts: This stage puts together the knowledge and skills learned in
preceding stages into a production kitchen environment. Using a variety of menus and service styles, students
prepare complete meals that are served to students in other stages of the program, as well as staff.
- The Externship: For six weeks, students work at a professional food service facility, rotating through
the various areas of a production kitchen.