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 include bread, appetizer, soup or salad, 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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Classic French Techniques and Methods
The French system of cooking techniques is the universal language of the culinary trade. We teach you to become fluent in that language through repetition and in-depth, hands-on training. All culinary schools teach these principles. Culinary School of the Rockies builds on them, and motivates you to make them your own.

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Two Innovative Externships to Choose From
Culinary School of the Rockies is the only cooking school to incorporate a mandatory month-long externship. You have a choice:

1. For January Culinary Arts Program, immerse yourself in French cuisine at the source. Taste the flavors of Provence, go behind the scenes and cook with French chefs at the historic Château de Suze la Rousse, home of l'Université du Vin. Participate in a 7-8 day stage (apprenticeship) at a French restaurant, hotel, or bakery.
2. Colorado Farm to Table for July Culinary Arts class.

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Pastry and Baking
A portion of the curriculum is devoted to pastry and baking. There are three weeks, interspersed throughout the program, devoted exclusively to pastry and baking. You also practice these skills as part of daily menus. You learn all the essentials including:

• Classic French breads and short doughs
• Choux and puff pastry
• Cakes, tarts and chocolate confiserie
• Ice cream and mousses
• Mignardise and celebration desserts
• Plating and presentation

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Regional and International Cuisines
The study of regional and international cuisines broadens the knowledge you acquire from the more formal and classical French style of cooking. You explore global ingredients, dishes, pastries and wines from such cuisines as Mexican, Italian, Thai, Indian, Moroccan, and Spanish.

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French Haute Cuisine
Based on the Michelin Guide, a 3-star rating is the highest rating that French restaurants achieve. You prepare the menus of contemporary European 3-star chefs using state-of-the-art culinary techniques. Food becomes art. Tastes and textures are perfectly balanced. Attention to detail is paramount.

Wine specialists are invited to lunch. They bring wines from around the world that are paired with specific menu courses, and explain their selection process.

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Palate Development
Culinary School of the Rockies' focus on palate development profoundly distinguishes us from other culinary schools. Everyone's palate is unique, and you need to know your own. You learn the importance of flavor, its subtleties, harmonies and contrasts. Everything we teach - techniques, methods, menu development, "System of Creation" - begins and ends with tasting. Most culinary schools ignore this critical art of palate development. Your future employers and customers will value this skill and recognize your competitive edge.

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Wine Tasting and Appreciation
Our Culinary Arts curriculum, both in Boulder and France, offers an in-depth study and tasting of the regional wines of France, Spain, and Italy. You learn about grape varietals, climate, and wine service. Wine and food pairing is one of the most valuable and applicable skills you acquire at the Culinary School of the Rockies.

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Product Identification and Usage
Parsley and cilantro. They look similar but you need to understand the distinctions of aroma, taste, and usage. A side of beef. You take it apart, analyze it, and learn the difference between the rump and the chuck. Culinary School of the Rockies takes this process seriously across all categories of ingredients. The farm element of Culinary School of the Rockies' curriculum reinforces product identification at the source.

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"System of Creation"
When approaching a dish or menu, great chefs always think through the components, variables, techniques and methods. Our Chef Instructors have taken this time-honored process, have developed their own innovative system, and teach it effectively. Culinary School of the Rockies' "System of Creation" works. You learn it, you own it, you use it, and it's yours forever.

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Guest Instructors
Visiting guest instructors enhance your learning experience in Culinary Arts. They range from experienced sommeliers, to chefs, farmers, and artisan producers.

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Student Farm Experience
Culinary Arts instills respect for ingredients and their sources - from dairy and vegetable farmers, to ranchers, cheese makers, vintners, and natural and organic producers. Culinary innovators increasingly source and support local, seasonal and artisanal products. Boulder and Culinary School of the Rockies are at the forefront of this movement. Local farmers work with you in the classroom and on the farm to impart their knowledge and spirit. Click here to read more...

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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 components of the hospitality industry, are built into the Culinary Arts curriculum. Every week, each student tackles a different management or teamwork position. This allows you to rotate through a standard kitchen brigade 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 flapjack joints to 3-star restaurants. The word is French for "jump" which perfectly describes what happens to food in the pan. At Culinary School of the Rockies, we stress the importance of building your culinary vocabulary. You understand and use this vocabulary naturally in the cooking process each day.

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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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Culinary Gala and Graduation Celebration
You participate in a multi-dimensional planning process for two public dining events, including theme, menu, cooking, plate presentations, wine selections, table setting, room layout, service, timing, audience, and budget. Using Culinary School of the Rockies' "System of Creation", you produce several iterations of each menu item and create various plate presentations. This comprehensive exercise teaches you the logical steps necessary to create great menus.

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Sample Daily Menu

• Amuse Bouche (Created daily by a student)
• Gougères au Roquefort (Savory Cheese Puffs)
• Ballottine de Poulet Farci aux Champignons Sauvages (Boned Chicken Stuffed with Wild Mushrooms)
• Sauce Beurre Vert (Fresh Herb Butter Sauce)
• Les Endives Braisées (Braised Belgian Endive)
• Les Pommes de Terres Risollées (Turned Oven-Roasted Potatoes with Rosemary)
• Tarte aux Poires (Pear and Frangipane Tart)

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Culinary Techniques and Methods for Sample Menu

• Savory choux paste
• Deboning chicken
• Butter sauces
• Braising vegetables
• Turning and roasting potatoes
• Poaching Pears
• Frangipane Paste
• Pâte sucrée
• Working with fresh herbs

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Profile of a Typical Day
Classic French Methods
Month-long Externship
Pastry and Baking
Regional & International Cuisines
French Haute Cuisine
Palate Development
Wine Tasting and Appreciation
Product Identification & Usage
"System of Creation"
Guest Instructors
Student Farm Experience
Culinary Cultural References
Kitchen Management
Culinary Vocabulary
Written & Practical Exams
Culinary Gala
Sample Daily Menu
Techniques for Sample Menu