Culinary Arts Curriculum

Culinary Arts' curriculum is in-depth and comprehensive. We take a purposeful approach, teaching a full menu each day. Other cooking schools use a block system. At Culinary School of the Rockies you make sauces every day. We do not teach sauces as an isolated block. Our daily menus typically include bread, appetizer, soup or salad, a main course including vegetable and starches, and dessert. The menus increase in complexity as the weeks go by. Your culinary skills and understanding develop quickly and build over time.

Profile of a Typical Day

• Culinary Arts begins each day with a lecture and discussion about the menu.
• 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 education. You, your classmates, and your Chef Instructors explain, critique and evaluate each menu item. Our Chef Instructors agree this element was missing from their own culinary school educations. It is difficult to learn this skill on your own.
• Afternoons may include an additional lecture or wine tasting.
• The last job of the day is thoroughly cleaning the kitchen, a critical component of running any professional kitchen.

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Techniques and Methods
You explore the concepts, skills, terminology, and methods involved in classic professional cooking techniques. A successful chef knows when to apply the right technique for the best result. The Culinary Arts curriculum requires you to hone your knife skills, develop a sauce repertoire, and learn the art and science of perfect seasoning. Knowing this will set you apart from others who lack professional culinary training. Culinary Arts leads to competency through repetition and practice.

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An Innovative Colorado Farm To Table Externship
Culinary School of the Rockies is the only cooking school to incorporate an experiential, off-site, month-long externship. In the Culinary Arts Program, you will experience the passion and commitment family farmers and artisan producers have for sustainable farming practices as you immerse yourself in Colorado farms at the source.

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Pastry and Baking
Three weeks of the Culinary Arts curriculum are devoted exclusively to pastry and baking. You also practice these skills as part of daily menus. Culinary Arts students learn basic pastry and baking concepts and formulas, which can be applied to both savory and sweet preparations, rather than rely solely on recipes. You learn all the essentials including:

• Basic pastry and laminated dough
• Breads
• Cakes, fruit tarts and decorative piping
• Ice cream and sorbets
• Chocolates
• Plating and presentation

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Regional and International Cuisines
The study of regional and international cuisines broadens your cooking knowledge. You explore global ingredients, dishes, pastries and wines from such countries as Mexico, Italy, Thailand, India, Morocco, and Spain.

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American Farm to Table Chefs
A unique opportunity study some of today most recognized farm to table chefs. From Slow Food pioneer Alice Waters to Top Chef Master winner Rick Bayless. You will get to recreate some of these chefs' most well known dishes from Thomas Keller's famous fried chicken to John Beshe's New Orleans crawfish boil.

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Palate Development
Culinary Arts' focus on palate development radically distinguishes us from other culinary programs. You taste everything you make. You learn the importance of flavor, its subtleties, harmonies, and contrasts. 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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Wine Tasting and Appreciation
Taste and evaluate regional wines of the United States, Europe and the New World. You learn about grape varietals, climate, geology, wine and food paring and wine service.

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Product Identification and Usage
You explore the principles of product identification, and purchasing food and supplies, with a primary focus on quality. The Culinary Arts curriculum stresses purchasing and using seasonal ingredients from farmers and local producers and distributors. You participate in receiving, storing, and issuing products, developing your senses to identify the highest quality vegetables, fruits, dairy products, herbs, spices, meats, fish, poultry, groceries and dry goods.

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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 cooking. Creativity is not about waiting for the thunder bolt. Creativity flourishes through discipline, developing skills, establishing habits, and harnessing memories and experiences. Once you understand how to apply CSR's innovative system, creativity naturally follows and becomes an integral part of your culinary expression.

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Culinary History and Cultural References
"Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you who you are," Brillat-Savarin. You can learn any country's culture over time by understanding their food history. The foods that grow in a particular region, the cooking methods typically used, the seasonings and the manner of eating are all part of a community's shared behavior and culture. Culinary School of the Rockies incorporates these references and ideas into each day's curriculum.

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Kitchen Management
Teamwork and management skills, critical key components of the hospitality industry, are built into the Culinary Arts curriculum. Students tackle a different management or teamwork position each week. You rotate weekly through standard kitchen stations and experience first-hand the responsibilities associated with each role.

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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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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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The Harvest Dinner
The Harvest Dinner is a prix-fixe, five-course, high-end dinner for the community featuring local and seasonal ingredients. You participate in a multi-dimensional event management process, developing the theme, menu, plate presentation, wine selection, and table setting. You work within a budget creating a production list and prep, cook, bake, serve, clean, and manage timing. This comprehensive exercise teaches you the logical steps necessary to create great menus and how to provide an amazing dining experience for guests. The Harvest Dinner showcases your creativity, talents, and skills.

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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, audience, and budget.

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