Course Descriptions
Culinary (CUL) Courses
CUL 100 Culinary Fundamentals (3-0) 3 credits
This lecture course is the foundation course for the culinary arts curriculum. The course focuses on developing students’ understanding of the history of the culinary industry as well as examining proper identification, preparation, and evaluation of basic culinary ingredients. Students will learn the principles of cooking as well as proper cooking methods for different products. Basic math skills necessary for recipe conversions will be introduced as well as writing standard recipes. Co-requisite: CUL 105. View Course Syllabus
CUL 105 Culinary Fundamentals Lab (0-4) 1 credit
This lab class is offered concurrently with the CUL 100 lecture class. In this course, students will put into practice concepts and knowledge discussed in the lecture class. Students will learn basic cooking methods and techniques as well as basic kitchen safety, knife safety, and sanitation principles. Students will also learn plating and presentation techniques. Co-requisite: CUL 100. View Course Syllabus
CUL 110 Intermediate Culinary Applications (3-0) 3 credits
This is the second lecture course in the culinary arts program. This first segment of this course will explore the basic procurement, preparation, and cooking of “center of the plate” protein items and successfully pairing these items with sauces, vegetables, and starches to create complete plated products. Family style and buffet plating techniques will also be covered. The second segment of the course will be focused on introductory techniques in the bakeshop. Prerequisite: CUL 100. Co-requisite CUL 115. View Course Syllabus
CUL 115 Intermediate Culinary Application Lab (0-4) 1 credit
This lab class is offered concurrently with the CUL 110 lecture class. In this course, students will put into practice concepts and knowledge discussed in the lecture class. In the first segment, students will learn proper handling and fabrication of center of the plate protein items. Students will also learn proper cooking techniques for various proteins including moist heat, dry heat, and combination cooking methods. Appropriate plating and presentation methods will also be addressed. In the second segment, students will learn basic techniques to successfully produce high quality baked goods including ingredient identification, proper measurement, and adherence to recipes. Prerequisites: CUL 100, CUL 105; Co-requisite CUL 110. View Course Syllabus
CUL 120 Foodservice Sanitation (1-0) 1 credit
This course will examine the critical role of proper safety and sanitation in today's professional foodservice environment. Students will learn industry standards in use today via the National Restaurant Association's Servsafe Manager certification course. Students will learn about protecting customers from biological, chemical, and physical hazards as food moves through the operation. Successful completion of this course will result in the student passing the Servsafe Manager certification exam, a highly recommended certification for food service operators in New York State. View Course Syllabus
CUL 125 Regional American Cuisine (0-2) 1 credit
This course is the practical application of American Regional Cuisines. This course will explore the differences in spices, cooking techniques and flavors from around the United States. This course may be repeated more than once. View Course Syllabus
CUL 135 Meat and Seafood Cutting and Identification (0-2) 1 credit
This course will allow students to understand the USDA grading system for quality and yield, further enhance knife skills and practice different fabrication skills. Students will prepare sausage, ground beef, stew meat, and fabricate ducks, chickens, and both flat and round fish. Students will also learn various techniques for preparing these items. View Course Syllabus
CUL 140 Beverage Fundamentals (3-0) 3 credits
Students will examine the world of beers, wines, and spirits in the context of the foodservice industry. Students will learn relevant terminology as well as the fundamentals of production for each beverage group. Students will examine how differences in food and culture have led to similar offerings throughout the world. Responsible beverage service as well as pairing products with food will be covered as well as the significant availability of local products. View Course Syllabus
CUL 145 International Cuisine (0-2) 1 credit
Explore the most influential cultures and flavor profiles from around the globe. Learn to identify the distinctly different and common ingredients that identify each major cuisine, while practicing traditional and modern techniques to produce contemporary restaurant quality menu items. This course may be repeated more than once. View Course Syllabus
CUL 165 Special Topics in Culinary Arts (0-2) 1 credit
This lab course will allow students to explore different areas of culinary specialty. The course would involve hands on instruction in varied areas in the discipline, sometimes with FLCC instructors, and sometimes with guest instructors depending on the topic selected for the term.
CUL 190 Food and Beverage Cost Controls (3-0) 3 credits
Students will examine the various factors that are responsible for cost fluctuations in a foodservice operation with regard to the areas of food, beverage, and labor. The class will focus on the following concepts: accurate cost assessment, interpretation of financial statements, tools and methods used for cost analysis as well as cost adjustments/control through operations, policy, purchasing, and human resources. Various types of fraud and ethics in operation will also be discussed. View Course Syllabus
CUL 200 Garde Manger and International Cuisine (3-0) 3 credits
This is the third and final course in the culinary technical program. This course will explore the garde manger and charcuterie disciplines as well as other traditional preservation methods. The course will also address the pastry discipline and discuss the role of the modern pastry chef in today’s foodservice industry. This course will examine the revival of local foods and artisanal products and students will develop tastings menus to feature these ingredients. Prerequisite: CUL 100. Co-requisite: CUL 205. View Course Syllabus
CUL 205 Garde Manger Lab (0-4) 1 credit
This course is the practical application of Advanced Culinary Applications. This course teaches garde manger techniques as well as exploring the discipline of charcuterie. Students will learn more advanced food preparations as well as the basics of preserving foods for later use. Students will also learn to make complex plated dessert offerings. Significant emphasis will be placed on local food sourcing and executing tasting menu that feature and highlight local offerings. Prerequisite: CUL 105. Co-requisite CUL 200. View Course Syllabus
CUL 215 Sous Vide Cooking (0-2) 1 credit
A revolution in cooking Sous vide is the culinary innovation that has everyone in the food world talking. This course will cover the basics of how sous vide works, buying the right equipment, how to season sous vide foods, and how to cook sous vide safely while achieving optimum results. This course may be repeated more than once. View Course Syllabus
CUL 220 Culinary Professional Work Experience (0-2) 2 credits
This is an experiential learning course of study in kitchen operations. Students will be required to complete a minimum of 180 work hours at a culinary institution based on their career goals. Students may choose to participate in a kitchen in the health care industry, restaurants, hotel banquet facilities, etc. Students will be required to enter into an internship contract. Elements of this class are taught in other classes as it is a summer experience. Prerequisite: Completion of the 100 level culinary core courses. Graded on a satisfactory/unsatisfactory basis. View Course Syllabus
CUL 225 Baking and Pastry (0-2) 1 credit
This course is designed to give students an understanding of the terminology and procedures involved in the successful operation of the bakeshop. Emphasis will be placed on the importance of developing the skills of proper production as well as ingredient identification, recipe conversions, accurate measurements, and the chemical changes associated with successful baked products. This course may be repeated more than once. View Course Syllabus
CUL 255 Culinary Restaurant Practicum (5-0) 5 credits
This course will deliver real time experience in restaurant operations. Students will have the opportunity to work rotations through the various stations at Julia, a Friday evening restaurant at FLCC. The students will learn how to successfully operate a prix fixe menu using the Café kitchen and stage 14 as a dining room. The students will get “real life” practical experience while continuing to develop skills essential to a career in culinary arts. Students will learn about customer service and front of the house operations as well as culinary applications in the back of the house. Prerequisite: CUL 100, CUL 105. View Course Syllabus
CUL 270 Hospitality Management Seminar (3-0) 3 credits
Students will learn food service supervisory management as well as human resources in the culinary field. This course will emphasize entrepreneurship in food service industry as the final project students will create a handbook for employee training and HR policies. Students will also hear from guest speakers that have opened various types of businesses and learn about both the challenges and rewards of starting a business. Prerequisite: CUL 100, CUL 105. View Course Syllabus