Culinary Arts program offers real-world training
Photo by Naomi Kavka.
As anyone who grabs a bite to eat at Interurban’s Helmut Huber cafeteria knows, Camosun’s Culinary Arts program churns out some tasty grub.
And those waiting in line for food might notice the students in the program get plenty of on-the-job training. But the cafeteria work is just the start, before students hone their chops in the Fine Dining program. There, they get authentic, on-the-job training, preparing top-notch meals for a hungry clientele that goes far beyond Camosun.
Terry Seed is an instructor in the program, currently in the midst of guiding his students through the rigours of preparing the fine-dining menu.
The Classroom Restaurant in the Helmet Huber building has changed its format occasionally during its 20-year history, but right now is offering three separate full-course menus for a prefixed price. The menu is offered in late January through April, and late September to December.
“It seems to be very successful; people love the concept of it,” says Seed. “We have a mailing list of what must be about 1,500 people. We have a phenomenal amount of repeat business here. I look through the reservations, I know all the names, where people have come three or four times a semester, easily.”
The Culinary Arts students whipping up the fine-dining menu are at level two of their program. As Seed explains, the program is focused on a real-world, on-the-job method of training.
“We’re giving them an opportunity to work in a fine-dining system with direction that sometimes they may not get in other places,” explains Seed. “But when they leave us they’re ready for real-world situations.”
And Seed says those read-world situations include everything a potential employer would possibly expect out of a new hire.
“Deadlines, commitment, camaraderie, professionalism, focus—all these sorts of things are very important to us here, because we’re putting our name on them, obviously,” says Seed. “We’re all professional chefs, and my concept is ‘I’m going to train you here as if I’m going to hire you later.’”
Graham Cannon is one of the level-two students working on the fine-dining menu. He enjoys not only the challenge, but what he’s currently learning.
“Now it’s in the big leagues; it’s not just reheating and deep-frying anymore,” says Cannon. “You actually learn how to cook and do some fun stuff, and it’s giving us some pretty good tools to go on into the industry.”
Other than the fine-dining menu, a big focus is on the upcoming buffet on Friday, March 5. And it’s always extremely popular, with a waiting list of up to 300 people.
“It gives students an opportunity to work in a different format, instead of making one plate for one person,” says Seed. “We’re making a table with perhaps 20 different items on it, with three or four versions of any item. Plus the whole decorating scenario, how to set up a buffet; it’s a completely different thing for them, which is why we do it.”
Jennifer Montgomery is a level-two student who plans to get into the locally produced, organic cooking that’s popular in Victoria. She likes what she can learn from her program and from producing the buffet menu.
“It’s a different style of cooking, but if you want to do catering or anything like that, you’re going to want to know how to do everything,” says Montgomery. “There’s no point in going to school and just learning what you’re interested in doing.”
Cooking reality shows—often featuring foul-mouthed British chefs constantly belittling people in the name of quality cuisine—have become very popular, sometimes enticing students into the field.
But Seed feels the negative atmosphere in those shows is only good for entertainment value.
“I would say a lot of those so-called reality shows that are based on meanness, yelling, insults… that’s the dark ages of the kitchen; we’re trying to take students in exactly the opposite direction,” says Seed. “We’re trying to teach them respect and how to work efficiently and be respectful to each other.”
“I come from a background like in those shows; it was hard,” he says. “There’s a difference between being firm and making it known what you want and expect, and belittling people.”
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