Culinary Arts Certificate Program

Start with the Basics: Safety & Sanitation and Culinary Foundations I

Every good professional cook begins by learning the basics: kitchen organization, how to talk about food, handle it safely and keep work areas sanitary. As part of this cooking certificate program you’ll be taught:

• The terminology, standards and organization used in working kitchens.
• Stocks and sauces, and taste and flavor.
• How to handle food safely from acquisition to service.
• Culminating with the nationally-accredited ServSafe® Food Safety exam for certification required to work in a professional kitchen.

Explore Hands on: Culinary Foundations II

Roll up your sleeves and learn foundational techniques essential to any style of cooking:

• Slice and dice with classical knife cuts.
• Get to know measurements, formulas and following recipes.
• Create stocks, mother sauces, and soups, and cook with vegetables, grains and egg.

Go to Work: Culinary Foundations III

Turn your evolving skills to meat and seafood preparation. You can learn:

• Identification, butchery, and fabrication of meats and seafood.
• Charcuterie − including curing, smoking, forcemeats, and sausage.
• Introductory plating techniques.
• Begin to realize your own style as you get familiar with Le Cordon Bleu techniques.

Get Baking: Baking & Pastry

Become acquainted with the sweeter side of food, as you learn the way to bake, decorate and create pâtisserie. As part of this culinary arts certificate program you’ll be taught:

• The fundamentals: terminology, technology, equipment, measurement, and formula conversions.
• Production of dough, cakes, icings, cookies, tarts, breads, custards, frozen desserts, chocolates, candies, and plated desserts.
• Application of classical techniques and meeting the demands of modern-day bakeries.

Experience Global Cooking Styles: Cuisine Across Cultures

Get a taste of different cuisines and how they influence each other.

Cater to a Bigger Audience: Catering & Buffets*

Learn the art and business side of catering theme parties, weddings, holidays, and special events. Through this hands-on culinary arts certificate course, you can learn:

• Classical and contemporary garde manger techniques.
• How to prepare and serve food in a variety of settings.
• Cyclical menu development and business aspects of catering operations.
• Food service from preparation to delivery on the customer’s plate.

* This course is offered in the new 12 month certificate program currently offered at our Austin, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, Miami, Minnesota/St. Paul, Orlando, and Portland campuses.

Take it to the Real World: Externship

Put your skills into practice in an actual restaurant, hospitality establishment or business:

• Work alongside culinary professionals.
• Apply and perfect your skills.
• Gain irreplaceable immersion in the industry with 180 hours of progressive work-place experience.*
• Stay with the same site or explore somewhere new for your second externship.

* The 9 month culinary arts certificate program includes one Externship course (90 hours).

The US Department of Education requires that we report and disclose details on graduation rates, employment rates, on-time completion rates, and more for all our school programs in a clear, prominent, user-friendly, and easily understood manner. The intent of this provision is to enable students to make an informed choice about a program of study. To this end, we have developed certain documents to help ensure that all necessary data is provided. To access this information, please click the Student Disclosures button.