Minds and appetites were satisfied at
the College of Continuing and Professional Education at Kennesaw
State University when culinary students showed off their skills Jan.
17. The College hosts a Career Training Expo biannually, and the
Culinary Apprenticeship Certificate Program is one of more than 45
professional certificate programs offered.
As part of the expo, culinary students
Josh Spearing, Alyssa Carlin, Robert Lewis, Heather Schwab, Jennifer
Simon-Jones, Larry Widi and Adrianna Alvarez made dishes for the
hundreds of expo attendees to enjoy. The crowd enjoyed pan-seared
chicken salad with red onions, carrots, red grapes; bacon-wrapped
dates with almonds and soy sauce; and caramelized apple crostinis,
toasted with tarragon-infused oil and topped with bleu cheese.
At the information session, program
manager Pam Moss gave the attendees – close to 20! – the
logistics of the program, including length, cost and requirements.
Spearing and Lewis were also on hand to speak about experiences at
their apprenticeship sites such Four Seasons, Parsley’s and
Gabriel’s.
Moss told the crowd, “We thought,
‘What can we do to offer a good culinary program that takes a
different approach?’ Our program offers you exposure to different
venues.”
Lewis said, “The chefs don’t treat
you with disrespect. They will reassure you.”
Spearing said, “I didn’t think I
had the skills to match (The Four Seasons), but (Moss) told me to
give it a shot.” He went on to say the staff there is encouraging,
and he has learned so many new skills.
In the future, Moss said they hope to
add industrial suppliers to the apprenticeship sites to reflect
different options for employment in the culinary industry. The next
culinary certificate program will begin in September. For more
information, visit ksuculinary.com or call (770) 423-6765.