Culinary Arts

No matter who or where they are, people will always eat.

Yet the places and the ways in which their food is produced are rapidly evolving, driven by changes in the physical landscape, increased consumer demand to know the sources of their food and beverages, and concerns regarding environmental sustainability and enhanced nutrition. As a result, the need for well-trained professionals whose technical and soft skills translate to a fast-paced, dynamic food landscape is more pressing than ever.

At Cobleskill Ag & Tech, culinary arts students acquire such skills through a carefully designed course sequence that includes cooking and baking, sanitation, and service and management components. Their capabilities are steadily refined in both classroom and laboratory settings, then put to work in real-world restaurant and catering environments where creativity and critical thinking are key.

What’s more, as the only campus in New York State with a contiguous working farm, we are unique in terms of food assets. Our culinary students have a rare opportunity to see and participate in the food system from start to finish, while taking such courses as plant science/horticulture, animal science and meat processing along the way.

As a result, Culinary Arts students graduate from Cobleskill Ag & Tech with a range of knowledge and experience extending far beyond the kitchen. And these skills have consistently opened doors for them to businesses throughout the global food system, including restaurants, hotels, and food-serving institutions, as well as food brokerage firms, food retailers and food processors.

Culinary arts students develop technical skills through a well-designed course sequence that includes cooking and baking, sanitation, service and management components. These skills are then put to work in real-world restaurant and catering environments where creativity and critical thinking are key. All culinary courses are hands-on with extensive laboratory or work components.

Sample courses include:

Career opportunities in the culinary arena will only continue to expand as food systems change in response to increased consumer demand for novel food attributes, higher consumer spending worldwide, and growing global concerns over resource usage and sustainability.

For that reason, we make sure that our Culinary Arts graduates are prepared to work anywhere in today's complex food system, be it in food production, distribution, brokerage, retail or food product development, or in-service settings ranging from restaurants and hospitality to schools and hospitals.

By clear design, our Culinary Arts programs create professionals who can think creatively and critically about how to use their considerable skills to meet ever-changing needs, tastes, challenges and possibilities.

Where Culinary Arts Alumni are working now:

Rolling Hills Bistro - A full service ala carte restaurant seating 40 people. Used as a real life learning experience for students who cook, serve and manage the operation during several of their culinary arts courses.

USDA Meat Lab - The only SUNY-operated USDA meat processing facility. Culinary students have an opportunity to learn how to select, butcher and prepare proteins in a fully operational butchering facility. The students process items such as beef, chicken, pork, lamb and fish, most of which are raised on campus.

Champlin Culinary Labs - Students work with faculty in three state-of-the-art lab kitchens to develop culinary and baking skills in small groups with an American Culinary Federation certified instructor.

Other learning labs include:

• Commercial bakery
• Dairy processing facility
• Food retail facility
• Warm and cold water fish hatcheries
• Diversified working farm

We offer annual study abroad trips with members of our Culinary Arts faculty. Our most recent trips have been to Italy, France and Mexico.

The BBA degree requires a 480-hour internship that is custom-designed based on the student's career plans, which provides a capstone learning experience. Annual internships are offered at restaurants, hotels and resorts across the United States.

Recent internship sites have included:

• American Academy of Chefs - American Culinary Federation Scholarships
• James Beard Foundation Scholarship Programs
• National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation Scholarships
• SUNY Cobleskill Ag & Tech Scholarships

Jo Anne Cloughly is an American Culinary Federation Certified Executive Pastry Chef and Certified Chef de Cuisine. She currently serves as SkillsUSA Chairperson for the Regional and State level Commercial Baking competitions and received the Outstanding Service Award from SkillsUSA in 2009. Chef Cloughly was selected as the 2011 Women Chefs and Restaurateurs Educator of the Year and was inducted into the prestigious Les Dames d'Escoffier in 2013. She has an AOS in Culinary Arts, a BPS in Food Service Management, and a Master of Food Studies from Empire State College. Chef Cloughly teaches the Baking and Pastry classes, acts as Advisor to the Student Pastry Arts Club and serves as Department Chair for Agriculture Business and Food Management.

 

David Campbell, an American Culinary Federation member, has earned several distinctions with the ACF including Certified Culinary Educator, Certified Chef de Cuisine and Approved Certification Evaluator. He was selected as the 2013 ACF Northeast Region Chef Educator of the Year. He is an active member of the Capital District Chefs Association, and the Bailliage d’ Albany of the Chain des Rotisseurs. He has an AOS in Culinary Arts and a BS in Food Service Management from Johnson & Wales University, a Master of Hospitality Management from the University of Houston and a Master of Science from SUNY Albany. He has taught many classes, but his particular areas of interest include: American Regional cuisine, BBQ, Garde Manger, Molecular Gastronomy, beer and wine.