Services Cluster

About This Program

The Culinary Arts Professional Certification Program provides students with experience in the foodservice, culinary arts, and baking industries. This program simulates a live working laboratory (i.e., restaurant, commercial bake shop, professional table service and front-of-the-house management, banquet and catering services). Students become knowledgeable and proficient with industry standards, safety, and quality workmanship. Students follow Core Curriculum based on the Massachusetts Vocational Technical Educational Frameworks. See below for full course descriptions.

Culinary Arts & Hospitality Course Descriptions

Course Number	Name	Credit	Grade Level
cu101	Culinary Arts Exploratory 9	1	Grade 9
cu103	Culinary Arts 9	10	Grade 9
cu202	Baking & Pastry Arts 10	5	Grade 10
cu203	Culinary Production 10	5	Grade 10
cu204	Culinary Service Line 10	5	Grade 10
cu206	Hospitality 10	5	Grade 10
cu302	Baking & Pastry Arts 11	5	Grade 11
cu303	Culinary Production 11	5	Grade 11
cu304	Culinary Service Line 11	5	Grade 11
cu306	Hospitality 11	5	Grade 11
cu305	Culinary Arts Cooperative Education 11	12	Grade 11
cu301	Culinary Arts Theory 11	4	Grade 11
pcs301	CTAE Pathway: Services Leadership I	4	Grade 11
cu402	Baking & Pastry Arts 12	5	Grade 12
cu403	Culinary Production 12	5	Grade 12
cu404	Culinary Service Line 12	5	Grade 12
cu406	Hospitality 12	5	Grade 12
cu405	Culinary Arts Cooperative Education 12	24	Grade 12
cu401	Culinary Arts Theory 12	4	Grade 12
pcs401	CTAE Pathway: Services Leadership II	4	Grade 12

Culinary Arts Exploratory 9

Course # cu101 | Credit: 1
This five-day cycle course introduces 9th grade students to the food and beverage industry from four vantage points: kitchen, restaurant, cafeteria and bake lab. The student spends time in each area learning hands-on applications. The student is introduced to safety, sanitation, personal hygiene, table settings, order taking, baking and the science behind ingredients, and basic knife skills. Instruction utilizing demonstrations, hands-on performance assessment, and written tests and quizzes are used to help determine the student’s potential success in the food and beverage industry.

Culinary Arts 9

Course # cu103 | Credits: 10
This semester-based course will provide students with an introduction to and development of their basic knowledge and skills in the Culinary Arts program. Students will receive introductory instruction in baking and pastry, hospitality and customer service, culinary production and service line. Students will be introduced to the following: frying, salads, sandwiches, vegetable preparation, cookies, brownies, pies and cake-making, institutional preparation and cooking, weights and measurements, order taking, point-of-sale system, restaurant service, and sanitation management.

Baking & Pastry 10

Course # cu202 | Credits: 5
This quarter-based course prepares students with the knowledge and skill competency in the areas of artisan bread making, cookies, cakes, pastries, and plated desserts. This program simulates a live working laboratory as a commercial bakery that services The Maple Street Bistro, The Maple Street Bakery and The Eatery at Essex. A focus will be on helping students become more knowledgeable and proficient with industry standards, safety, and quality workmanship.

Culinary Arts Production 10

Course # cu203 | Credits: 5
This quarter-based course provides students with a deeper understanding of skills necessary to safely and properly use industrial kitchen equipment, learn basic knife skills, learn measurements, how to read a recipe, and professionalism. Major units of study include butchery, stock making, soups, salads, dressings, sandwiches, international cuisines, customer service, vegetable fabrication, inventory management, and food safety. Students will demonstrate their learning through hands-on application, demonstrations, videos, quizzes, and readings.

Culinary Arts Service Line 10

Course # cu204 | Credits: 5
This quarter-based course provides students with the culinary arts service line where they learn the flow of restaurant service in real time. Students prepare all the food needed for our quarterly menu and learn a variety of cooking methods and techniques required for success in the industry. The Maple Street Bistro is open to paying customers on a daily basis and students will be given an opportunity to apply skills learned throughout their tenure in the Culinary Arts program. Students will work in real-time stations, including garde manger, fry, grill, saute, sandwich, stone-fire oven, sous chef, and expediter. Through these stations, students will also reinforce necessary learning standards for the culinary arts industry, including health and safety in food service, proper sanitation knowledge, basic fundamentals of food service, fundamentals of menu planning, ordering, receiving, storage of food, product identification, basic nutrition and allergy awareness, and the fundamental cooking methods. Students will also adhere to the “Brigade System” that is used throughout the industry as well as understand how to read standardized recipes. Students will learn about the multiple forms of service, including a-la-carte, buffet, plated, and catered meals. Students will be encouraged to use their creativity and display problem solving, critical thinking, and expedited action in a collaborative team environment to be successful.

Hospitality & Customer Service 10

Course # cu205 | Credits: 5
This quarter-based course provides students with an introduction to The Maple Street Bistro, which serves as the perfect setting for them to practice the principles of hospitality and great customer service. The Maple Street Bistro is open to the public as well as to school staff each day for lunch. Students will learn various table settings such as formal, breakfast, lunch, and dinner, buffet service, and catered functions.  Students will also participate in working real time in front-of-the-house positions of server, host, expeditor, cashier, beverage attendant, and front-of-the-house supervisor, along with quick-service representatives at our working bakery that serves a selection of fresh daily pastries, breads, and take-out foods.  Students will learn the fundamentals of front-of-the-house terminology, the art of suggestive selling, safety protocols, allergy awareness, menu design, nutrition and quarterly project-based learning assignments, and reflection writings.

Baking & Pastry 11

Course # cu302 | Credits: 5
This quarter-based course will offer students further preparation in the knowledge and skill competency in the areas of artisan bread making, cookies, cakes, pastries, and plated desserts. This program simulates a live working laboratory as a commercial bake shop that services The Maple Street Bistro, The Maple Street Bakery and The Eatery at Essex. The students will become knowledgeable and proficient with industry standards, safety, and quality workmanship.

Culinary Arts Production 11

Course # cu303 | Credits: 5
This quarter-based course will help students to develop skills necessary to safely and properly use industrial kitchen equipment, learn basic knife skills, learn measurements, how to read a recipe, and professionalism to prepare them with an opportunity designed so that they can work in a food service establishment. Major units of study include butchery, stock making, soups, salads, dressings, sandwiches, international cuisines, customer service, vegetable fabrication, inventory management, and food safety. Students demonstrate their learning through hands-on application, demonstrations, videos, quizzes, and readings.

Culinary Arts Service Line 11

Course # cu304 | Credits: 5
This quarter-based course continues to provide students with the culinary arts service line experiences in a real-time restaurant. Students continue to prepare the quarterly menu and practice and refine a variety of cooking methods and techniques in The Maple Street Bistro. Students will continue participating in real-time stations work to learn more about garde manger, fry, grill, saute, sandwich, stone-fire oven, sous chef, and expediter. Students will also continue to practice in the “Brigade System” used throughout the industry and refine their work with standardized recipes. By participating in multiple forms of service: a-la-carte, buffet, plated, and catered meals, they will strengthen their creativity through problem solving, critical thinking, and expedited action in a collaborative team environment.

Hospitality & Customer Service 11

Course # cu305 | Credits: 5
This quarter-based course provides students with more experience in The Maple Street Bistro, where they can continue to practice the principles of hospitality and great customer service. Students will continue to work in the various table settings, including formal, breakfast, lunch, and dinner, buffet service, and catered functions.  Students will refine their skills by serving in front-of-the-house positions in the Bistro as well as serving at The Maple Street Bakery and the Eatery at Essex.  Students will focus on mastering skills such as front-of-the-house terminology, suggestive selling, safety protocols, allergy awareness, menu design, nutrition and quarterly project-based learning assignments, and reflection writings.

Culinary Arts Theory 11 

Course #  cu301 | Credits:  4
This full-year, classroom-based course offers students an opportunity to explore cooking methods, food-type identification, and baking fundamentals.  Students will also be trained in ServSafe, a nationally recognized program, so that students can obtain a five-year certificate in sanitation that is accepted everywhere in the country.  Food safety topics include purchasing, receiving, and storing food properly to help students understand the day-to-day importance of food safety.

Culinary Arts Cooperative Education 11

Course # cu305 | Credits : 12
This semester-based course provides qualified students with a career technical employment opportunity.  The program is designed to allow students on-the-job training by involving them in work that is directly related to their technical area of study.  Cooperating employers provide additional training, pays students, and reports their performance to the school for every cycle.  Please note that juniors are eligible for Cooperative Education during third and fourth quarters only. 

Baking & Pastry 12

Course # cu402 | Credits: 5
The quarter-based course will offer students a final opportunity to refine their skills in baking and pastry work.  Students will focus on practicing and improving upon their acquired knowledge and skills in artisan bread making, cookies, cakes, pastries and plated desserts. Through student work in the school’s  commercial bakery that services The Maple Street Bistro, The Maple Street Bakery and The Eatery at Essex, students will finalize their proficiency with industry standards, safety, and quality workmanship.

Culinary Arts Production 12

Course # cu403 | Credits: 5
This quarter-based course will help students to refine their skills in industrial kitchen equipment, knife techniques, measurements, recipes, and professionalism in preparation for serving in a food service establishment. Students will continue to learn about butchery, stock making, soups, salads, dressings, sandwiches, international cuisines, customer service, vegetable fabrication, inventory management, and food safety.  Students will continue to demonstrate their learning through hands-on application, demonstrations, videos, quizzes, and readings.

Culinary Arts Service Line 12

Course # cu404 | Credits: 5
This quarter-based course will offer students their final culinary arts service line experiences in The Maple Street Bistrot. Students will continue to prepare the quarterly menu and refine their skills in a variety of cooking methods and techniques. Students will continue participating in stations: garde manger, fry, grill, saute, sandwich, stone-fire oven, sous chef, and expediter. Students will also be given one final opportunity to serve in the “Brigade System” as they prepare a-la-carte, buffet, plated, and catered meals, as they work to strengthen their problem solving, critical thinking, and expedited action in a collaborative team environment.

Hospitality & Customer Service 12

Course # cu405 | Credits: 5
This quarter-based course provides students with their final experience in The Maple Street Bistro, where they will be given a final opportunity to practice the principles of hospitality and great customer service that they have learned over the past four years. Students will continue to work in the various table settings, including formal, breakfast, lunch, and dinner, buffet service, and catered functions.  Students will continue to refine their skills by serving in front-of-the-house positions in the Bistro as well as serving at The Maple Street Bakery and the Eatery at Essex.  Students will focus on mastering skills such as front-of-the-house terminology, suggestive selling, safety protocols, allergy awareness, menu design, nutrition and quarterly project-based learning assignments, and reflection writings.

Culinary Arts Theory 12 

Course #  cu401 | Credits:  4
This full-year, classroom-based course offers students an opportunity to deepen their understanding of entrepreneurship. Students will do so by creating a business plan to run a food service business with marketing concepts, recipe cost analysis, and a floor plan design. Students will also learn more about the science of baking and nutrition and the ingredients used in baking can be substituted to meet dietary restrictions.

Culinary Arts Cooperative Education 12

Course # cu405 | Credits : 24
This full-year course provides qualified students with a career technical employment opportunity.  The program is designed to allow students on-the-job training by involving them in work that is directly related to their technical area of study.  Cooperating employers provide additional training, pays students, and reports their performance to the school for every cycle.