Food Science, Service & Culinary Arts
Program Summary
Chefs, cooks, and food preparation workers prepare, season, and cook a wide range of foods — from soups, snacks, and salads to entrees, side dishes, and desserts — in a variety of restaurants and other food services establishments. Chefs and cooks create recipes and prepare meals, while food preparation workers peel and cut vegetables, trim meat, prepare poultry, and perform other duties such as keeping work areas clean and monitoring temperatures of ovens and stovetops.
Larger restaurants and food services establishments tend to have varied menus and larger kitchen staffs. They often include several chefs and cooks, sometimes called assistant or line cooks, along with other lesser skilled kitchen workers, such as food preparation workers. Each chef or cook works an assigned station that is equipped with the types of stoves, grills, pans, and ingredients needed for the foods prepared at each station.
Employment Trends
- Many young people work as cooks and food preparation workers — almost 20% are between 16 and 19 years old, and more than 2 out of 5 food preparation workers were employed part time.
- Job openings are expected to be plentiful, primarily reflecting substantial replacement needs in this large occupation. Jobs in full-service restaurants and limited-service eating places are expected to increase along with the population.
- Service occupations, by far the largest occupational group, account for 66 percent of the industry’s employment.
- Hotels employ many young workers and others in part-time and seasonal jobs.
- Professional conduct is strictly required, so be prompt on interviews and wear your chef’s coat and hat.
Program Objectives
- Successful completion of each course earns a Certificate of Completion
- Skills development and preparation potentially leading to professional credentialing.
- Currently, culinary courses are designed to stand alone. Consequently, there are no fixed curricula or program requirements.
- In Fall, 2007, PGCC plans to offer coursework leading to award of a Continuing Education Certificate