In Centennial College’s Culinary Skills – Chef Training program students acquire knowledge of the skills they will need to thrive in a fast-paced kitchen as taught through courses such as Kitchen and Dining Room Practices, Bakeshop Practices and Principles, and more.
Influencing policy (training slides from Fast Track Impact)
Chef training includes realistic scenarios in modern facilities
1. Chef Training Includes Realistic Scenarios in Modern Facilities
Combitherm ovens, tandoor ovens, wok lines, brick-lined pizza ovens, smokers, baker’s
ovens, induction cookers a chocolate tempering machine, stoves, grills, deep fryers, and
salamanders are among common tools for chefs. Centennial College students in the
Chef Training program have access and time to become comfortable with all of these
tools prior to graduation, which puts them at an advantage over the competition.
This culinary skills chef training is facilitated from Progress Campus, which underwent
a major renovation that resulted in the Culinary Arts Centre. The facilities within this
building include seven labs, a teaching restaurant and nine new classrooms. The labs
are naturally lit with enormous glass panels so that those passing by can see students
learning in the professional facilities and working side-by-side with instructors. The
teachers also use large-screen video equipment to document and play back instructive
lessons. The audio-visual system allows for real-time feeds as well as access to Internet
and broadcast content. There is space for up to 600 students in the labs and classrooms.
Additionally, the kitchens service a conference and banquet centre on the building’s top
floor. The facility is LEED Gold-certified with a focus on sustainable “green” practices
as they apply to the hospitality industry.
These amazing facilities serve to make Centennial College’s offering one of the most
respected chef training Toronto-based programs. In terms of curriculum, the Culinary
Arts Centre allows for inclusion of lessons that teach culinary skills and techniques so
students may comfortably work in an intensive and fast paced kitchen while carrying
out their duties in a safe and professional manner.
Within the range of courses that students attend are: Food Theory for Culinarians
(covers professionalism, culinary terminology, mise en place, seasoning, cooking
methods, stocks, soups, basic sauces, vegetables, potatoes, rice, grains, legumes, pasta,
dairy, eggs, meat, poultry, fish and seafood); Kitchen and Dining Room Practices (a
combination of food preparation and service theory reinforced by the actual practice of
the concepts learned that stresses the importance of developing strong organizational,
team building and communication skills); Bakeshop Practices and Principles
(introduces students to the fundamental ingredients, techniques and procedures used in
the Bakeshop from both a theoretical and practical perspective, including measurements
and formulas and understanding the functions of baking ingredients; as well as
production of cook’s desserts, yeast dough, quick breads, pastry dough and a variety of
cakes, pies and flans); and more.
Upon successful completion of each chef training course, students may launch careers
in a wide range of food service environments, ranging from private to commercial and
institutional, and including fine and family style restaurants, catering companies, hotels
and resorts, hospitals and retirement homes as well as food processors and
manufacturers.