Feasibility Report on Culinary Arts

Team Project by

Jeremy Witt, Daryn Purcell, Kenneth Moses, Sheryl Sanders, and Lisa Dain

C135-EnglishSummer class of

2015

Background

A group of people are thinking about starting community college in a small town and are trying to determine if it would be feasible to add a culinary arts program to a local community college curriculum.

The team was split up into different areas of research and collaborated with each other to come up with the information provided.

What do the people of Smithfield VA want?

A large number of people in the US eat out at restaurants. In fact about 20.5% of Americans eat out a few times a week. With such a high percent of Americans eating out it raises the question, where do the people of Smithfield, VA eat? The most popular places to eat are local businesses; specifically the hometown donut shop and Smithfield Inn.

Smithfield has a fairly large selection of food spots compared to the population(8,089 - 2010 census). Within the town there are 27 local restaurants, nine local fast food joints, 13 chain fast food spots, and 1 local food truck. With so many fast food places to choose from it was impressive to see that they didn’t even make the list until number 12.

Based on the research, there seemed to be a direct correlation between customer satisfaction and the quality of food, considering the number of local actual restaurants over fast food places.

Culinary Arts Degree VS. On-the-Job Training/Experience

Degree – Nicoda Miskel graduated from Johnson and Wales and had this to say about culinary school.

Likes Provides individual with a vast

amount of knowledge that is relevant to the culinary field.

School will teach at a slower pace but is much more in depth and can help everyone succeed.

Individuals with a degree often get opportunities opened up to them otherwise not available to someone with only on-the-job training, such as working on private jets or in 4 star hotels.

Dislikes The drawback to a degree is the

fact it costs so much and most entry level chef jobs do not pay a large amount.

The restaurants that do pay well may not always be in the area you currently live and may require a move.

Culinary Arts Degree VS. On-the-Job Training/Experience Cont.

On-the-Job Training/Experience - Daniel Crofts worked 11 years in the food industry

and has had a more personal relationship with food.

Likes Getting one-on-one training

with the chef

Can learn the flow of a specific place and the reasons that place runs the way it does

Working in a restaurant first is a good idea because you can see if it is really what you want to do.

Dislikes One of the biggest downsides to

learning on the job is the pace at which you have to learn.

You can really only learn what is on that specific menu and aren’t really able to branch out much.

Even though someone went to school doesn’t mean they go straight to cooking; they still have to work their way up, which often affects their attitudes.

Current options for schooling

Accredited schools in area

Arts Institute of Virginia Beach

Culinary Institute of Virginia, School of Culinary Arts of ECPI University

Stanford University

Programs offered AA in Culinary Arts, Baking and

Pastry Diploma, BS in Culinary Arts Management, and Culinary Arts Diploma

BS in Food Services Management, AAS Culinary Arts, AAS Culinary Arts and Applied Nutrition, Backing and Pastry Arts Diploma

Advanced Culinary Arts Diploma, AAS Advanced Culinary Arts, AAS Baking and Pastry Arts, BA Culinary Management

Current options for schooling Cont.

Community College and Leisure Cooking Classes

Tidewater Community College

Leisure Cooking Classes

Courses Offered

AAS Culinary Arts, Catering, Classical Cooking, Kitchen Management, Principles of Culinary Arts I & II, Applied Nutrition for Food Service, and many more.

Date Night Cuban, Food for Thought, Cookbook Series – Culina Mediterranea, Cooking Fundamentals, Sauce Up Your Dishes with Mother Sauces

Time frame to Complete Project

Tangible Equipment Needed

Large equipment

Dining room service

Cleaning equipment

Accessories

Detailed breakdown: http://www.azed.gov/career-technical-education/files/2013/07/equipment-list-culinary-arts-12050000.pdf

Soft Skills Needed for Teamwork

Team oriented

Positive/professional interaction with all

Ability to effective communicate

Ability to multi-task

Sincere desire to share culinary skills

1. Obtain architectural blueprints/permits/licenses/etc.2. Install equipment3. Put team in place4. Timeframe to be operational is approximately 2 years

Synopsis of our school

Based on the results of our research we have found that there is a direct correlation between the quality of Food and the customers satisfaction.

The use of local chefs and cooks who have on-the-job training as instructors in our school would be extremely effective and provide a strong balance. The graduate chefs would be best suited to teach the fine arts of cooking while the experienced cooks can give their knowledge of local cuisine. Both can provide technique tips.

A dedicated Culinary Arts school’s tuition would be to costly for the local students in comparison to the other programs offered in the area.

In closing we have found strong evidence supporting the feasibility of opening a Culinary arts program at a local Community College.

Resources

For a list of our resources, please right click and open the

Bibliography hyperlink below.

Feasibility Report for Culinary Arts Bibliography