Natural Chef Culinary Program

Full Program: 18 weeks; 28 hours/week, total of 504 hours

Section II: 18 weeks, 16 hours/week
The Natural Chef:
1:00 pm - 4:00 pm: M, T, W, Th, and F (4 hours)

Nutrition/Therapeutic Cooking:

Students will learn about macronutrients and micronutrients, which help to address the vitamin, mineral, protein, fat, carbohydrate, and fluid needs of a healthy eating system. The Therapeutic Cooking class partners with the Nutrition class. Menu planning and culinary food preparation for a variety of health challenges are a vital part of the program. Therapeutic herbs, spices, foods that heal, and the avoidance of harmful foods lead students to discover the major benefits of conscience eating and healthful cooking for a range of health issues, such as blood sugar regulation, digestive problems, allergies, cancer, HIV/AIDS, and heart disease. Students will learn that disease prevention, health promotion, and recovery lead naturally to longevity.

Food Science:

This course details the science of food applications, how ingredients react with each other, and how heat, cold, and time change the processes of cooking. Students will learn fundamentals in class and hone their awareness of this essential study during laboratory.

Farm to Fork/Preserving/Organic/Seasonal/Slow Food:

This course will emphasize the benefits of raw foods and the art of preserving with dehydration, freezing, canning, and fermenting. Because the Natural Chef program focuses on fresh whole, seasonal, and organic foods, it will align with the college's already existing Sustainable Agriculture program.

The Slow Food movement supports local food awareness and consumption. The Movement also supports local growers, in order to preserve food traditions and to promote local sustainable programs. Partnering with local farmers and healthy food education are shared goals of the Slow Food movement and the Natural Chef program.

In addition, this course includes the politics of food and corporate food production's impact on food consumption as it affects the principles of this program. This class will include field trips to sustainable farms in central North Carolina.

International and US Regional Cooking:

In this course, students will study several ethnic traditions conducive to the Natural Chef program, utilizing exotic herbs, spices, and foods and will concentrate on the healing properties of these culinary traditions. Students will also take culinary journeys to India, the Orient, Thailand, Latin America, and the Mediterranean. Several regions of the United States are studied with the same plant-based, whole foods emphasis.

Culinary Business Management:

This course includes the following components: how to write a business plan; pros and cons of business ownership; corporation, partnership, and other legal entities; obligations to federal and state governments; tax information; local resources to help in the establishment of a culinary business; how to hire help; the kind of "help" a small culinary business needs; and employer/employee relationships. In addition, how to develop a successful, culinary business will be included. (Catering and personal chef businesses will be emphasized).

Restaurant Class:

All students are required to participate in this class. Students will plan, prepare, and serve lunch to the public in the school dining room every Friday. This class is a 4 hour class.

Lunch is served from Noon to 1:30 pm. Class hours, including preparation and clean-up, are from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm.