CULINARY FUNDAMENTALS DAY 28 FULL
CULINARY FUNDAMENTALS DAY 28 PROFESSIONAL

Now retired, DeWitt teaches ingredient functionality and formulation, the student’s introductory class out of culinary school. DeWitt spent 34 years in food ingredient sales. After earning a degree in food science, she spent her entire career working in other areas of the food industry. Not all members of the Culinary and Food Science staff have worked in a kitchen. Home-made guac can turn brown in a matter of minutes, but by employing a process called high-pressure pasteurization, guacamole can be kept safe, colorful, and great tasting for weeks.

One food mentioned during the event was guacamole. The last two years have taught her to appreciate the technical aspects of creating packaged ingredients and the processing that goes into it. It was easy to “turn my nose away from consumer-packaged goods,” she said. Nicole Hatfield, who’s also graduating in May, said she entered culinary school with a very farm-to-table mindset that emphasized fresh ingredients.

CULINARY FUNDAMENTALS DAY 28 FULL

The inaugural class is graduating a full year earlier than projected. But Yek approached him early on to let him know the program was in development and he and other students would be able to “roll right into the program” when they finished their associate degree, he said. Schmitt enrolled at Cincinnati State with every intention of becoming a chef. He’s said he hopes to land a job at a regional food manufacturer in the next few weeks. The 23-year-old currently works as chef for Avril-Bleh Meat Market and Deli. The program prepared Matthew Schmitt to take his passion for food to “the next level,” he said. “Whether they’re cooking a kitchen or working in a lab, our students are ready for either environment because they understand how food works at the molecular level,” Yek said.

Those insights have helped her become a better baker, Daniels said. She gave an example of the molecular differences between baking powder and baking soda. But she never knew “why” certain things behaved the way they did. Pastry chef Kiara Daniels, 27, compared baking to science and math because of the emphasis on precise measurements and knowing how ingredients work together. Yek, a classically trained chef and a chemical engineer, stressed that there’s a lot more math and chemistry that culinary school. Grace Yek, who developed the bachelor’s degree tract, described it as a “rigorous applied science program” that’s “very hands-on and industry aware.” She noted that when students complete their coursework, they’ll have a “precise yet intuitive approach to food.” The second two years of the four-year program are based mostly in the science of food.

CULINARY FUNDAMENTALS DAY 28 PROFESSIONAL

Upper-level coursework includes food ingredient functionality, food product design and development, sensory evaluation and testing, food microbiology, and other preparation for professional careers. They use equipment such as PH meters and a viscometer to best understand properties of food such as acidity and consistency. They work out of the state-of-the-art culinary and baking laboratories at the highly regarded Midwest Culinary Institute on Cincinnati State’s Clifton campus.

Students focus on fundamentals of culinary arts for their first two years. “This program gave me a chance to develop a career in this industry that allows me to balance life at work and home while still being able to express my love for food,” Tafoya added. She also didn’t know if working long hours in someone else’s kitchen was the professional path she wanted to take. The Cincinnati native joked about being intimidated by the prospect of opening her own eatery. But I’ve learned I can do something amazing, have fun doing something new with every day even if I’m not always cooking,” she said. “I thought I had to own my own businesses to do something in the food business. Tafoya is starting a full-time job with Perfetti Van Melle - a Dutch-Italian multinational company of confectionery and gum - after graduation. (Spectrum News 1/Casey Weldon)įor some students, the courses just taught them the chemistry needed to unlock the flavors in ingredients and make them a better chef. Mayra Tafoya (second from right) is one of 10 members of the first cohort to graduate from Cincinnati State's Culinary and Food Science program.

Culinary fundamentals day 28