Overview
White Mountains Community College is proud to offer a one-year certificate in Food Service Essentials. This program trains students in a wide range of traditional culinary and baking techniques. Students learn introductory core culinary foundational skills including the production of soups, sauces, hot food techniques, yeast bread production, and patisserie. Upon successfully mastering core foundational skills students will have the opportunity to focus further in either culinary arts or baking and pastry arts.
Students will demonstrate professionalism, kitchen safety, table service skills, and food safety. Students will also develop critical thinking and communication skills necessary for long-term career success in the foodservice industry. Graduates of the certificate program have the option to seamlessly transfer into either, or both, of our Culinary Arts and Baking and Pastry Arts Degree programs.
Students must purchase three sets of uniforms prior to the start of the semester. Information on the uniforms, as well as a list of any additional items and materials students will need to purchase, will be provided by mail. Included in the cost of tuition is a set of professional chef knives, which will be distributed on the first day of class.
First Year
| Fall Semester | Lec | Lab | Cr | |
| CULA115W | Food Theory and Meat Fabrication | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| CULA120W | Food Service Sanitation | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| CULA128W | Culinary Foundations (First 8 Weeks) | 1 | 6 | 3 |
| CULA129W | Food Preparation Techniques (Second 8 Weeks) | 0 | 6 | 2 |
| Mathematics | 4 | 0 | 4 | |
| Semester Total | 10 | 15 | 14 | |
| Spring Semester | Lec | Lab | Cr | |
| CULA121W | Baking Theory | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| CULA123W | Table Service and Mixology | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| CULA124W | Baking Fundamentals, Introduction to Cakes, and Plated Desserts | 1 | 15 | 6 |
| OR | ||||
| CULA125W | Baking Fundamentals, Breakfast Cookery, and Hot Food Plating | 1 | 15 | 6 |
| Semester Total | 8 | 15 | 12 | |
| Total Credits for Year | 26 | |||
Program Outcomes
Upon completion of this program, graduates will be prepared to:
- Utilize proper safety and sanitation procedures in a kitchen and be familiar with the laws and codes effecting the production of edible goods.
- Utilize industry standard basic baking and culinary methods and procedures in the production of foods.
- Use common kitchen equipment, bakeshop equipment, and ingredients in the production of edible goods.
- Produce the Mother Sauces, Sub sauces, compound sauces, and soups.
- Accurately utilize computations to properly adjust recipes to lend desired yields.
- Produce the individual components utilized in preparing plated meals ranging from sauces to the main offering as well as accompanying items.
- Apply design principals to present foods in multiple ways.
- Use proper dining room food service techniques.
*Students focusing on Baking and Pastry Arts will also achieve the following outcomes:
- Produce the individual components utilized in preparing plated desserts ranging from sauces to the main offering as well as accompanying items.
- Bake assorted types of cakes and produce a variety of icings used in finishing these cakes.
Travis Giles
Hospitality & CulinaryAssociate Professor of Culinary Arts/Department Chair of Hospitality and Culinary/Program Coordinator of Culinary Arts
Gregory Worthen
Hospitality & CulinaryAssociate Professor of Baking and Pastry Arts / Program Coordinator of Baking and Pastry Arts
Hospitality and Culinary42 Credits Required
of students qualify for financial aid
