Culinary Arts: Hands On!
Hands-on learning plays a significant role in most areas of education, and that is certainly true for training in culinary arts. Mastering basic skills in a kitchen environment provides first-time chefs with the experience needed to move forward with their education and careers. In addition, having the latest equipment and technology available to students enables new chefs to become well versed in the modern cooking trends of today while preparing them for their future success in the culinary world. Given that there are many aspects in perfecting the art of preparing food, the College of Culinary Arts at Johnson & Wales University in Providence, R.I., combines hands-on culinary training with a foundation in the liberal arts, business classes, social responsibility and relevant work experience.
A Recipe for Success
At the culinary school of Johnson & Wales, balancing lecture and hands-on learning is an instrumental part in teaching students the core fundamentals of culinary arts. In the first two years of school, students are expected to learn the “how” of the craft, which includes everything from identifying ingredients to learning the functions of commercial food equipment.
“Most first-year students don’t fully understand what certain equipment is designed to do or the amount of capabilities they offer,” said Karl Guggenmos, University Dean of Culinary Education for Johnson & Wales. “By first understanding the basics of cooking, students can learn how to apply all of the capabilities that today’s innovative equipment can offer to produce the best-tasting dish. Just like a pilot wouldn’t attempt to fly an airplane without studying aerodynamics, aspiring chefs cannot expect to work in a kitchen without having a basic skill set of equipment operation, cooking methods and cutlery work.”
As students reach a more senior level, they’re expected to offer guidelines, master cooking methods and develop menus. Johnson & Wales prides itself on its skill-driven curriculum that requires students to be immediately hands-on in the kitchen classroom. Students participate in various lab sessions where they are expected to learn basic techniques before moving forward. Cooking fundamentals serve as the building blocks for developing more advanced meals or dishes that incorporate the latest food trends.
“We have a very progressive type of approach to teaching, and our program is driven by outcomes,” said Guggenmos. “Students must be able to master the meal before moving forward, and each class has a very specific goal set that they must meet with precision in order to learn the next set of skills. Some students may even be required to redo meals to ensure they achieve the results expected.”
Supportive Equipment
New chefs must master the ability to produce best-tasting results without any help from modern technology or ideal conditions. Basic skills are essential to a chef’s culinary success; however, so is being well versed in commercial kitchen equipment. Students at culinary arts schools learn how to use foodservice equipment to their advantage. One important function of equipment is to make life easier for the chef. Benefits can include added efficiency in cooking time, reduced labor costs and managing waste. Culinary schools such as Johnson & Wales are constantly analyzing
equipment to ensure the units provide students with the most up-to-date technology.
While there is no substitute for hands-on learning in the kitchen, Guggenmos says that he expects that the future will bring more efficient foodservice equipment.
“Equipment will soon take care of intermodal tasks and let the chef take a more in-depth artistic approach to cooking,” said Guggenmos. “This will allow chefs to spend more time on the creative side of cooking, which is ultimately where time should be invested. At the end of the day, young culinary students will learn to take the quality and efficiency of the equipment into consideration as well as how long it takes to clean and if it made their job easier.”
Evolving Education
As the culinary scene spearheads new trends and practices, education must evolve with it. For example, as more and more studies show obesity becoming an overarching problem, Johnson & Wales eliminated the use of transfats in its lab sessions. And with sustainability efforts being implemented all across the food industry, Johnson & Wales has incorporated a green approach to teaching.
“It is important to be a good citizen of the global community,” said Guggenmos. “This includes being considerate of things like energy efficiency and food safety.”
At Johnson & Wales, students are taught to ask questions such as where do their ingredients grow. Students are taught to understand the product source. Other considerations include learning about the quality of the soil and the environment in which a certain product is grown. Students are also asked to consider how livestock is raised.
Additionally, students must gain the ability to differentiate between fads and trends.
“One should always respect the integrity of the ingredient they’re using,” said Guggenmos. “You can modernize it, but stick to the integrity of the dish. After all, basics never change. Only the applications do.”
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