Culinary Arts

The Culinary Arts program at Lake Tahoe Community College represents both traditional and contemporary approaches to culinary arts education. It is our goal to prepare individuals for rewarding careers in the food service profession while serving the food service industry by providing a trained and knowledgeable work force. We take a grounded approach to culinary arts as expressed our mission:

The mission of the Culinary Arts program at Lake Tahoe Community College is to be of service to students and to the community of the Lake Tahoe basin by providing an education which is both practical and vocational in nature while serving as a source of self-enrichment.

While there is a strong emphasis in preparing students for the practical realities of careers in the food service industry, our Culinary Arts program at LTCC departs from traditional, more vocationally oriented schools. Our unique program emphasizes both a serious academic approach and a spiritual, personal relationship to the Culinary Arts. The food service industry has matured to a point that requires its practitioners to have higher-order thinking skills to go along with the performance skills. Our program strives to meet this "real world" need while fostering a passion for food and cooking in our students.

The Associate degree in Culinary Arts can be accomplished through the completion of both the Foundations of Cooking and the Foundations of Baking and Pastry certificates of achievement and general education requirements plus the requisite number of electives.

Student Learning Outcomes for this major are:

• Utilize a knife to fabricate a variety of food products for the purpose of preparing the foods for cooking and consumption.
• Prepare soups, salads, meats, grains, vegetables, and potatoes.
• Practice the principles of sanitation and food safety to prevent the spread of food-borne illness.
• Identify and apply the various stages of bread-baking.

Gainful Employment Information (Culinary Arts)

• Foundations of Cooking
• Foundations of Baking/Pastry
• Global Cuisine
• Wine Studies

Related Occupations: Cooking and Related Culinary Arts, General, Chefs and Head Cooks, First-Line Supervisors/managers of Food, Cooks, All Other, Institution and Cafeteria Preparation and Serving Workers, Restaurant, Food Preparation Workers.

To protect student confidentiality no information on "On Time Completion Rates" is reported in programs where fewer than 10 certificates were awarded in a school year.