Culinary Arts, A.S.C.T.

Available on the Vincennes campus

As a Culinary Arts major at VU, you will be responsible for preparing menus served to various groups who either work on campus or are visiting our campus. You will also be involved in a number of off-campus projects. In past years, classes have undertaken such projects as:

Awards for Excellence - Students prepare and serve an elegant reception to state leaders in the Capitol Building.

Thursday Night Bistro - Students prepare delicious international and regional cuisine for the public.

Interns and Apprenticeships - Students have traveled to Disney World, the Glacier National Park, and even France to perfect their craft. Internships can even be found in the student's Hometown.

This curriculum combines both the practical and theoretical aspects of food preparation with emphasis on those technical skills required for occupations that include all facets of food preparation. Laboratory experience is stressed to achieve technical excellence in quantity food preparation. Although several years of work experience after graduation will be required to produce the finished chef or cook, the program will provide the fundamentals that individuals would spend years in learning without the completion of this program. Typical entry-level job positions upon graduation include first cook, second cook, chef junior assistant, sauce cook, pastry cook, and sous chef trainee.

An associate degree in culinary arts prepares you from a practical, hands-on approach. You will work in a lab kitchen environment every semester, starting with the basic cuts and sauces and finishing with a full-service dining experience where elegant meals are served in a first-class environment to actual guests.

Classes you will take include quantity food production, pastry and bake shop production, haute cuisine and specialty foods, menu planning, and supervision of the food facility.