Culinary Science Courses for Professional Chefs

Hyde Park, NY (USA) – 28 January 2012 – As part of the college’s mission to provide cutting-edge education and to advance new understanding of food and flavor, The Culinary Institute of America has launched a series of four new courses. These additions to the CIA Continuing Education curriculum, designed for the professional chef, will explore the science underlying new techniques, culinary traditions, and food safety.

Through a combination of lectures, discussions, and extensive hands-on kitchen—and guided by award-winning members of the CIA faculty and guest faculty from industry and academia—professional chefs will gain a better understanding of culinary science principles that can foster efficiency and innovation in the modern food service industry. These classes are now offered at the CIA’s main campus in Hyde Park, NY, and at the Greystone campus in St. Helena, CA. All programs are designed for professional chefs with advanced culinary skills.

“A sound foundation in the principles of science underlying our techniques and traditions is ‘Mise En Place 2.0’ for the modern chef,” said Dr. Chris Loss, PhD, director of the Department of Menu R&D. “The culinary industry is becoming increasingly technical and cross-disciplinary. Chefs eager to keep pace in the competitive food industry should be familiar with the fundamentals of culinary science that have already captured the attention of the culinary world.”

The CIA Culinary Science courses have been designed by chefs, a microbiologist, a sensory scientist, and a food chemist, as well as consulting experts from the recent book by Nathan Myhrvold, Modernist Cuisine. This cross-disciplinary faculty team reflects the fascinating integration of the art and science of cooking that drives major food industry trends.

To find out more about the faculty designing and teaching this course, please visit us online.

‘A sound foundation in the principles of science underlying our techniques and traditions is ‘Mise En Place 2.0′ for the modern chef’ said Dr. Chris Loss, ’94, who helped design the CIA Culinary Science: Principles and Applications course. (Photo credit: CIA/Keith Ferris)The four Continuing Education classes that open this new series include: Culinary Science: Principles and Applications in Modern Cuisine; Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) Writing; Introduction to Precision Temperature Cooking Techniques and Processes; and Menu Development—Commissary/Contract Feeders.

Culinary Science: Principles and Applications in Modern Cuisine allows students to review the principles of culinary science and their applications in modern foodservice industry careers through lectures, discussions, and extensive hands-on kitchen work. By comparing traditional and “modernist” techniques, this course introduces chefs to the mechanisms underlying the physical and chemical changes that occur during food preparation and cooking—and how to control them. The five-day class will be offered August 13–17 at Hyde Park. Tuition is $1,795 per person.

HACCP Writing offers an overview of how the education, health care, military, contract foodservice, commissary, and restaurant segments of the industry must be brought into compliance with current Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) regulations, according to state codes. In this non-cooking class, students apply the process of creating a HACCP program specific to their foodservice establishments, and study the science, microbiology, and safety elements of precision temperature cooking. The four-day class will be taught at St. Helena, February 21–24, 2012. Tuition is $1,300 per person.

Introduction to Precision Temperature Cooking Techniques and Processes offers a foundation for foodservice managers, chefs, decision makers, and researchers seeking to understand the techniques and benefits of precision temperature cooking processes. The course is designed to demonstrate the interconnectivity, techniques, and benefits of complete end-to-end systems centered on precision temperature cooking systems. The four-day class will be taught at St. Helena, April 9–12, 2012. Tuition is $1,300 per person.

Menu Development—Commissary/Contract Feeders allows food production facilities to improve menu items and products for receiver kitchens, in segments such as health care, education, military, institutions, and business and industry properties. Students analyze their site facilities and create operational changes that promote economic savings, through efficient food production techniques, green initiatives, and carbon savings and operational cost reductions. The four-day class will be taught at St. Helena, March 19–22 and May 14–17, 2012. Tuition is $1,300 per person.