Program Description
The Institutional and Commercial Cooking Credit Certificate program is designed to prepare students with the specialized skills needed to excel in high-volume food service operations, such as hospitals, schools, corporate dining, and nonprofit food service organizations. The program provides didactic and hands-on training in food safety, nutrition, food production and distribution, and kitchen management within a community-based setting. This real-world training will reinforce technical skills while emphasizing efficiency, nutrition, and food sustainability—all crucial aspects of institutional culinary operations.
Program Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this certificate, students will be able to:
- Apply food safety and sanitation principles to ensure compliance with ServSafe and HACCP guidelines, and OSHA regulations
- Demonstrate proficiency in large-scale food preparation techniques for institutional settings such as hospitals, schools, senior care facilities, corporate cafeterias, and catering operations.
- Effectively manage bulk food production using industrial kitchen equipment and workflow best practices.
- Plan and prepare nutritionally balanced meals tailored to institutional food service needs.
- Apply principles of catering and bulk meal distribution to large-scale food service operations.
- Demonstrate teamwork skills in an institutional kitchen setting.
This program will be distinct in the region, ensuring that RACC is not in direct competition with other local culinary programs, which primarily emphasize restaurant operations. By specializing in institutional and commercial cooking, RACC will serve an underrepresented sector of the culinary industry, filling a workforce gap and providing students with a clear career pathway in non-traditional food service roles.
A key strength of this program is its collaborative partnership with Helping Harvest, which will supply the experiential learning component.
Rationale
Effective menu planning is essential in institutional food service, where meals must meet the dietary needs of large and diverse populations while remaining cost-effective and logistically feasible. Understanding nutritional guidelines, portion control, and cost management ensures that students are well-prepared to design and execute large-scale meal programs in healthcare facilities, educational institutions, corporate cafeterias, and senior living communities. Emphasizing food safety and sanitation procedures also ensures that students meet industry compliance standards, making them more competitive for careers in institutional food service management and culinary operations.
Program Advisory Board Members:
- Jay Worrall | President, Helping Harvest
- Chef Amanda Richards | Director of Culinary Operations, Helping Harvest
- Jim Boscov | CEO, Boscov's
- Chef John Taylor | Executive Chef, RACC