Chef Track Curriculum

The Chef Track curriculum at Culinary School of the Rockies is focused and jam-packed. We take a purposeful approach, teaching a full menu each day. Other cooking schools use a block system. Here, we do not teach sauces as an isolated block. You make sauces nearly every day. The menus increase in complexity as the weeks go by. The Guest Chefs bring immeasurable insight and variety. Your skills and understanding develop quickly and build over time.

Profile of a Typical Evening

• Chef Track begins with a lecture and discussion about the menu.
• When there are Guest Instructors, they share their bios, philosophies, war stories, challenges and successes.
• You work in teams to produce the meal.
• You gain leadership skills through weekly rotating positions as kitchen manager, team chef or bread baker.
• " Dining together is an important and unique part of your culinary education. You and your classmates explain, critique and evaluate each menu item. Our Chef Instructors agree this element was missing from their own culinary school educations. It is extremely tough to learn this skill on your own.
• " The last job of the evening is thoroughly cleaning the kitchen, a critical component of any restaurant kitchen.

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Techniques and Methods
Chef Track is based on the fundamentals of culinary techniques, methods, and terminology. It is essential to hone your knife skills, develop a sauce repertoire, learn soups, stocks, butchery, product identification, and seasoning. The key is knowing how and when to braise, roast, poach and sauté. Chef Track leads to competency through repetition and practice.

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Contemporary Cuisines
Chef Track features an up-to-date, first-hand view of restaurant trends. Each Guest Chef shares the contemporary, real-world cuisine he or she creates in her/his restaurant. The Guest Chefs' palettes include Mediterranean, Regional American, Asian, and Latin American ingredients, flavors, and influences.

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Guest Instructors
During your 18 weeks in the Culinary School of the Rockies' Chef Track program, you have the distinct privilege of meeting, cooking and networking with Colorado's finest chefs. This part of the Chef Track program is flat-out radical.

Each Guest Instructor focuses on a specific culinary curriculum topic. You get to know them, hear their stories, understand their philosophies, and learn about their restaurants, businesses, and career paths. You acquire a competitive edge by learning and networking with these mentors.

Their primary message is "attitude is everything." These top chefs tell us that a positive and respectful attitude and a "can-do" approach to working are critical to achieving success in this business.

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Product Identification and Usage
Parsley and cilantro may look similar, but you need to understand the distinctions of aroma, taste, and usage. You learn primals, sub-primals, wholesale, and retail cuts of meat and how to break them down. Knowing different ingredient options and their appropriate use is key to a successfully dish. Chef Track teaches these important skills.

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Palate Development
Chef Track's focus on palate development radically distinguishes us from other culinary schools. You taste everything you make. You learn the importance of flavor in all its variations. Everything we teach — techniques, methods, menu development — begins and ends with tasting. Your future employers and customers will value this skill and recognize your competitive edge.

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Kitchen Management
Teamwork and management skills, critical components in the hospitality industry, are built into the Chef Track curriculum. Students tackle a different management or teamwork position each week. This allows you to rotate through standard kitchen stations, and experience first hand the responsibilities associated with each job.

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Culinary Vocabulary
Think of the word "sauté." This term is used everywhere from roadside diners to 3-star restaurants. The word is French for "jump," which perfectly describes what happens in the pan. You build your culinary vocabulary naturally in the daily cooking process. Your fluency in the universal language of the kitchen is pivotal to your success.

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Creativity
When approaching a dish or menu, great chefs always think through the components, tongue tastes, textures, techniques and methods before they begin. Creativity can be learned, but it is not an exact science. Once you understand how to apply our Chef Instructors' innovative system, creativity naturally follows and becomes an integral part of your culinary expression.

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Written and Practical Exams
Culinary School of the Rockies uses quizzes and written and practical exams as educational tools. The Chef Instructors give you detailed feedback on your practical exams to measure your progress. The practical exams also mirror a typical working interview for a job.

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Graduation Celebration
The program culminates with a buffet-style graduation celebration for family and friends. You are responsible for theme, menu, cooking, plate presentations, drink selections, table setting, room layout, service, and budget.

The format is buffet-style, an important distinction. You learn how to arrange and plate platters, cook quantities in advance, and style the buffet table. The Graduation Celebration allows time for you to mingle with your friends and family.

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The Dining Room
The Dining Room is a prix-fixe, multi-course, bistro-style dinner for the public. You participate in a creative and practical process, developing the theme, menu, plate presentation, wine selection, table setting, and budget. You prep, cook, bake, serve, clean, and manage the timing. This comprehensive exercise teaches you the logical steps necessary to create great meals and provide an amazing dining experience for guests. The Dining Room showcases your creativity, talents, and skills.

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