Culinary Arts

Student Profile:

This course appeals not only to students who love to cook but also to those who are “people oriented”. For the student who loves to cook, food is a creative outlet with endless possibilities. Working with your hands and meeting the challenging demands of customer expectations will keep you alert.

While experimenting with new dishes or putting a new spin on old favorites may awaken the food scientist in some students others may find the art of fine dining more to their liking in the front of the house. This is an exciting, constantly moving, always thinking-one-step-ahead type of industry.

Career Options:

About the Program:

The program helps students to focus their interests and skills to make them more competitive. A major part of the program is their daily participation or production activities. This shows the instructor, prospective employers and college representatives that the student is clear about their career choice. Students who successfully complete the course are equipped to enter into the workforce immediately or continue their studies in a two or four-year college degree program.

Students will participate in production planning, menu design, and front of the house service to expose them to all facets of the industry. As they participate in each area of the restaurant kitchen and dining room, they may choose to specialize in culinary arts, baking & pastry or front-of-the-house management.

Food for Thought:

• The restaurant industry employs an estimated 12.8 million people, making it the nation’s largest employer outside of government.
• The restaurant industry provides work for more than 9 percent of those employed in the United States.
• The restaurant industry is expected to add 2 million jobs over the next decade, for total employment of 14.8 million in 2017.
• Nearly half of all adults have worked in the restaurant industry at some time during their lives and 32 percent of adults got their first job experience in a restaurant.
• Women and minorities represent three of five owners of eating and drinking establishments
• One-quarter of eating and drinking place firms are owned by women
• The number of foodservice managers is projected to increase 11 % from 2007 to 2017.
• Roughly, three out of five foodservice managers have annual household incomes of $50,000 or more.
• More than seven out of ten eating-and-drinking places are single-unit (independent) operations.

In other words, the industry is growing…rapidly. There are endless job opportunities, all over the world, for a focused, well-trained individual. This is an exciting, creative, upwardly mobile industry… join us for the adventure!

Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action It is the policy of the Hunterdon County Polytech School District not to discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, sex, ancestry, national origin, social or economic status, or disability in its educational programs or activities, vocational opportunities, and employment policies as is required by Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972 and N.J.A.C. 6:4-1.1 et. seq.. Inquiries regarding compliance may be directed to our Affirmative Action Officer, Ana Washington, 908-284-1444 or our 504 Compliance Officer, Kelly Suchowiecki, at 908-284-1444.

District Office: Hunterdon County Polytech - 8 Bartles Corner Road - Suite #2 - Flemington, NJ 08822.Contact Us: hcpolytech@hcpolytech.org