Culinary Arts (Certificate)

BCC Culinary Arts students

Culinary Arts (Certificate) Overview

A quick but thorough apprenticeship program preparing students for careers in culinary arts. Successful graduates will be job-ready for a wide range of food service employment opportunities, from school cafeterias to hospital kitchens, from private households to restaurants.

The Culinary Arts apprenticeship program blends hands-on, practical training with systematic accompanying education, it combines instruction in classroom and teaching kitchen with professional work in the field. After seven weeks of foundational coursework, focusing on core culinary skills and knowledge, students will apply their knowledge and receive further practical training while already working professionally with BCC's educational partners.

Successful program graduates will also be awarded the industry-recognized ServSafe Food Handler Certificate.

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Visit the 2024-2025 College Catalog for course details

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admissions@berkshirecc.edu
413-499-4660

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  • Expected Outcomes

    Upon successful completion of the program students should be able to:

    • Demonstrate professional knife skills.
    • Assume responsibility for their stations working within a team.
    • Correctly choose and use kitchen equipment and hand tools.
    • Maintain food safety and kitchen sanitation requirements.
    • Understand basic preparation techniques for a variety of foods.
    • Adjust recipes for larger or smaller quantities.
    • Convert weights and measures to/from metric to imperial standards.
    • Manage production of simple baked goods.
    • Exhibit professionalism in the workplace.
    • Participate in a fast paced professional kitchen environment.
    • Be job-ready for entry-level occupations in the local food service industry.
  • Graduation Requirements

    To earn a certificate in this program, a student must complete all program credits, plus the following Additional Requirements.

    Program Courses

    Course # Course Title

    # of Credits
    CUL-101 Culinary Foundations

    3
    CUL-104 Fundamentals of Baking

    3
    CUL-108 Safe Food Handling & Sanitation

    1
    EXL-225 Experiential Learning I

    1-6
    EXL-250 Experiential Learning II

    1-6
    Total Credit Hours: 16