Stafford Technical Center

Culinary Arts

Culinary Arts students gain invaluable skills and knowledge, which are necessary to compete in post-secondary education or in the workforce.  Practical experience takes place in our two on-site facilities. One, the Dollhouse Restaurant, is a full service restaurant, which challenges our Chefs of the future with a changing daily menu. It is open to the public.  The second option is the Bakeshop, which offers students and staff creative meal choices during lunchtime.  The program features 80% hands on learning where students become familiar with baking techniques, different kinds of cooking methods, meat & fish preparation, meal & menu planning, cost analysis, purchasing and inventory control, and dinning room etiquette.

 Units:

• Safety and sanitation
• Cooking-food preparation, fabrication, and storage
• Baking-sweet dough, yeast dough, meringues, pies, breads and rolls
• Identification of fruits, vegetables, meats, fish, and mollusks
• Restaurant dining room skills and management
• Meal planning and cost analysis
• Heavy emphasis on knife skills

 Class Activities:

The Dollhouse Restaurant enjoys a fine reputation.  Students are part of a community, where everyone is responsible for the finished product.  The Dollhouse is open to the public.  The laboratory at STC has all traditional equipment associated with finer restaurants, and it is the beneficiary of some of the newest technology:  including flash bake ovens-cooking by infra-red and halogen light, double sided cookers, C-Vap ovens-roasting and baking with steam, electro-magnetic cooking, steam microwaves and convection microwaves.  

Sample Job Opportunities:

● Prep Cook  
● Baker/Cook   
● Caterer      
● Waitperson        
●Sous Chef

 Sample credits/schedule: (*Indicates Department of Education mandated academic embedded credit.  All other embedded credits are the recommendation of Stafford Technical Center and are granted at the discretion of the student’s sending school.)

4 Culinary
1 Math* or 1 Science (Culinary Science and Nutrition)*
1 English

 Articulation / Co-Enrollment:

Advanced students have the opportunity to be co-enrolled both at STC and New England Culinary Institute.  Students have the opportunity to take part in an on-line, 6 week course offered by NECI. Intensive live in course at NECI’s Montpellier campus is available for those that qualify.  With successful completion the student will receive a $10,000. Scholarship towards a NECI education, as well as advanced placement. 

 Certification Opportunities:

• SERV/SAFE Certification
• Heartsaver CPR
• Students completing 90% of the Core Competencies will receive a certificate from STAFFORD TECHNICAL CENTER.