Culinary Arts
The restaurant industry is booming. Food preparation skills are in high demand. The Career Center’s Culinary Arts program prepares students for success in a number of different food service settings.
Students will learn the skills and action steps needed to manage real kitchen challenges. With the use of institutional kitchen equipment in the Changing Scenes Restaurant, students will prepare food from scratch and serve it in a casual dining setting. The restaurant often serves lunch throughout the school year, and caters for various JCISD events.
Students learn about safety, recipe costing, food processing, purchasing, and the science behind food preparation. This class will also prepare students for several certifications, including Foundations of Restaurant Management, National ProStart, and ServSafe. These nationally recognized certifications articulate to most culinary colleges. Some students in the class may train to enter a fine culinary arts school, or study hotel/restaurant operation.
Culinary students will have the opportunity to compete in the American Culinary Federation, USA Skills, and ProStart high school cooking competitions, all of which have a wide range of different categories to compete in. There are often field trips to restaurants to observe cooking demonstrations from professional chefs and other industry leaders, as well as field trips to post-secondary culinary schools.
Not sure if you are a good fit for this program? Each program has a list of recommendations to follow when placing students in classes called "SUCCESS INDICATORS". Students do best when their characteristics align with these recommendations.
Potential Jobs
- Sous chef
- Pastry chef
- Restaurant staff
- Kitchen manager
- Line cook
Career Credentials & Certifications
- National ProStart I & II
- ServSafe Manager
- Food Allergens