Culinologist Curriculum

The Research Chefs Association has mandated that education and certification are two strategic goals for the future and has created a new category of food professional - the "Culinologist [TM]."

The culinologist curriculum will combine food technology and culinary arts courses, allowing students to pursue a four-year college degree. Presently, both Rutgers University, New Brunswick, N.J., and Metropolitan College, Omaha, offer RCA-initiated short courses in food science for chefs.

What do they teach you?

In the planning stage is a one-week basic professional cooking course, sponsored by the RCA and the Culinary Institute of America. Its titled "Culinary Workshop for Food Technologists,".

Culinary Arts Resources

Many programs are now being offered at local culinary arts schools, including both short courses and full-term classes. You can get a list of schools at the site http://www.best-cooking-school-culinary-arts-schools-classes.com.

Recommended Culinary Books:

1. On Cooking by Labensky and Hause (Prentice Hall).

2. Professional Cooking by Wayne Gisslen (John Wiley).

3. The New Professional Chef, The Culinary Institute of America (Von Nostrand-Rheinhold).

Basic outline of courses taught in culinary arts courses:

• Culinary arts in modern food service.
• Culinary terms.
• Utensils, modern kitchen equipment, knives, and techniques of their usage.
• Basic cooking principles (dry and moist cooking and alternative methods).
• Five basic ("leading") sauces, secondary sauces ("small"), manufacture of stocks, soups.
• Seasoning and chefs flavoring.
• Classes in meat, poultry and seafood butchering and preparation.
• Ethnic cuisine, essential baking, starch and potato cookery, and vegetable cooking.
• Salads and "garde manger," breakfast service, sandwich making.
• Recipes and menu design.