Feasibility Report on Culinary Arts Team Project by Jeremy Witt, Daryn Purcell, Kenneth Moses, Sheryl Sanders, and Lisa Dain C135-English Summer class of 2015

Background A group of people are thinking about starting community college in a small town and are trying to determine if it would be feasible to add a culinary arts program to a local community college curriculum. The team was split up into different areas of research and collaborated with each other to come up with the information provided.

What do the people of Smithfield VA want? A large number of people in the US eat out at restaurants. In fact about 20.5% of Americans eat out a few times a week. With such a high percent of Americans eating out it raises the question, where do the people of Smithfield, VA eat? The most popular places to eat are local businesses; specifically the hometown donut shop and Smithfield Inn. Smithfield has a fairly large selection of food spots compared to the population(8,089 - 2010 census). Within the town there are 27 local restaurants, nine local fast food joints, 13 chain fast food spots, and 1 local food truck. With so many fast food places to choose from it was impressive to see that they didn’t even make the list until number 12. Based on the research, there seemed to be a direct correlation between customer satisfaction and the quality of food, considering the number of local actual restaurants over fast food places.

Culinary Arts Degree VS Culinary Arts Degree VS. On-the-Job Training/Experience Degree – Nicoda Miskel graduated from Johnson and Wales and had this to say about culinary school. Likes Dislikes Provides individual with a vast amount of knowledge that is relevant to the culinary field. School will teach at a slower pace but is much more in depth and can help everyone succeed. Individuals with a degree often get opportunities opened up to them otherwise not available to someone with only on-the-job training, such as working on private jets or in 4 star hotels. The drawback to a degree is the fact it costs so much and most entry level chef jobs do not pay a large amount. The restaurants that do pay well may not always be in the area you currently live and may require a move.

Culinary Arts Degree VS. On-the-Job Training/Experience Cont Culinary Arts Degree VS. On-the-Job Training/Experience Cont. On-the-Job Training/Experience - Daniel Crofts worked 11 years in the food industry and has had a more personal relationship with food. Likes Dislikes Getting one-on-one training with the chef Can learn the flow of a specific place and the reasons that place runs the way it does Working in a restaurant first is a good idea because you can see if it is really what you want to do. One of the biggest downsides to learning on the job is the pace at which you have to learn. You can really only learn what is on that specific menu and aren’t really able to branch out much. Even though someone went to school doesn’t mean they go straight to cooking; they still have to work their way up, which often affects their attitudes.

Current options for schooling Accredited schools in area Programs offered Arts Institute of Virginia Beach Culinary Institute of Virginia, School of Culinary Arts of ECPI University Stanford University AA in Culinary Arts, Baking and Pastry Diploma, BS in Culinary Arts Management, and Culinary Arts Diploma BS in Food Services Management, AAS Culinary Arts, AAS Culinary Arts and Applied Nutrition, Backing and Pastry Arts Diploma Advanced Culinary Arts Diploma, AAS Advanced Culinary Arts, AAS Baking and Pastry Arts, BA Culinary Management

Current options for schooling Cont. Community College and Leisure Cooking Classes Courses Offered Tidewater Community College Leisure Cooking Classes AAS Culinary Arts, Catering, Classical Cooking, Kitchen Management, Principles of Culinary Arts I & II, Applied Nutrition for Food Service, and many more. Date Night Cuban, Food for Thought, Cookbook Series – Culina Mediterranea, Cooking Fundamentals, Sauce Up Your Dishes with Mother Sauces

Time frame to Complete Project Obtain architectural blueprints/permits/licenses/etc. Install equipment Put team in place Timeframe to be operational is approximately 2 years Tangible Equipment Needed Soft Skills Needed for Teamwork Large equipment Dining room service Cleaning equipment Accessories Detailed breakdown: http://www.azed.gov/career- technical- education/files/2013/07/equipment- list-culinary-arts-12050000.pdf Team oriented Positive/professional interaction with all Ability to effective communicate Ability to multi-task Sincere desire to share culinary skills

Synopsis of our school Based on the results of our research we have found that there is a direct correlation between the quality of Food and the customers satisfaction. The use of local chefs and cooks who have on-the-job training as instructors in our school would be extremely effective and provide a strong balance. The graduate chefs would be best suited to teach the fine arts of cooking while the experienced cooks can give their knowledge of local cuisine. Both can provide technique tips. A dedicated Culinary Arts school’s tuition would be to costly for the local students in comparison to the other programs offered in the area. In closing we have found strong evidence supporting the feasibility of opening a Culinary arts program at a local Community College.

Resources For a list of our resources, please right click and open the Bibliography hyperlink below. Feasibility Report for Culinary Arts Bibliography