Courses Offered at
Lake County Campus
Woodland Campus
Certificates & Degrees
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Apply and get ready for our next term:
- Fall 2025 — Classes start Aug 11
About the Culinary Arts Discipline
Certificates in Culinary Arts
This certificate will provide students with the skills and abilities necessary to obtain employment in the bakery, restaurant, and hospitality industry. Students that earn the certificate will be able to secure employment from restaurants, hotels, casinos, bakeries, and other foodservice establishments. The students will learn food safety and handling, recipe conversions, equipment selections, French techniques for pastry and dessert components, and a variety of modern baking methods and techniques. The Baking & Pastry certificate prepares students with the skills to be the future Baking and Pastry Chefs, Bakery Managers, and Pastry Shop Business Owners in the foodservice industry. This program gives students the complete culinary skillset to be successful and the industry advantage of an accredited culinary degree.
Program maps suggest courses to take by semester and include career and transfer information when available.
Required Courses for this major (16.5–17.5 Units)
Required Courses (14.5 Units)
- CUL6 – Food and Beverage Service Management (2 Units)
- CUL10 – Principles of Professional Food Preparation (3 Units)
- CUL20 – Principles of Baking (3 Units)
- CUL21 – Advanced Baking & Pastry (3 Units)
- CUL32 – Culinary Internship (1 Unit)
- CUL54 – ServSafe Manager (0.5 Unit)
- CUL56 – Catering & Event Management (2 Units)
Electives: choose 1 course (2–3 Units)
- CUL51 – Garde Manger (3 Units)
- CUL55 – Culinary Nutrition (2 Units)
- Lake County Campus
This certificate will provide students with the skills and abilities necessary to obtain employment in the restaurant and hospitality industry. The industry includes restaurants, hotels, casinos, bakeries, and many other foodservice establishments. Students will learn food safety and handling, recipe conversions, equipment selections, and a variety of modern culinary cooking methods and techniques in one of our culinary facilities. The Culinary Arts Certificate of Achievement prepares students with the skills to enter the culinary industry as line cooks, prep cooks, and lead cooks. This gives students the basic culinary skillset to be successful to enter the industry with an accredited culinary certificate.
Program maps suggest courses to take by semester and include career and transfer information when available.
Required Courses for this major (27–28 Units)
Required Courses (22 Units)
- CUL6 Food and Beverage Service Management (2 Units)
- CUL10 Principles of Professional Food Preparation (3 Units)
- CUL11 Art of Professional Cooking (4 Units)
- CUL20 Principles of Baking (3 Units)
- CUL32 Culinary Internship (1 Unit)
- CUL52 Menu and Recipe Management (2.5 Units)
- CUL53 The Professional Chef (4 Units)
- CUL54 ServSafe Manager (0.5 Unit)
- CUL56 Catering & Event Management (2 Units)
Electives: Choose 2 courses (5–6 Units)
- CUL50 American Regional and Global Cuisines (3 Units)
- CUL51 Garde Manger (3 Units)
- CUL55 Culinary Nutrition (2 Units)
- Lake County Campus
Associate Degrees in Culinary Arts
This degree will provide students with the skills and abilities necessary to obtain employment in the bakery, restaurant, and hospitality industry. The industry includes restaurants, hotels, casinos, bakeries, and many other food service establishments. Students will learn food safety and handling, recipe conversions, equipment selections, French techniques for pastry and dessert components, and a variety of modern cooking methods and techniques in one of our culinary facilities. The Culinary Arts Associate of Arts prepares students with the skills to be the future Line Cooks, Lead Cooks, Sous/Executive Chefs, Restaurant Managers, and Foodservice Business Owners in the foodservice industry. This program gives students the complete culinary skillset to be successful to enter the industry with an accredited culinary degree.
Program maps suggest courses to take by semester and include career and transfer information when available.
Required Courses for this major (30–31 Units)†
Required Courses (25 Units)
- CUL6 – Food and Beverage Service Management (2 Units)
- CUL10 – Principles of Professional Food Preparation (3 Units)
- CUL11 – Art of Professional Cooking (4 Units)
- CUL20 – Principles of Baking (3 Units)
- CUL21 – Advanced Baking & Pastry (3 Units)
- CUL32 – Culinary Internship (1 Unit)
- CUL52 – Menu and Recipe Management (2.5 Units)
- CUL53 – The Professional Chef (4 Units)
- CUL54 – ServSafe Manager (0.5 Unit)
- CUL56 – Catering & Event Management (2 Units)
Electives: choose 2 courses (5–6 Units)
- CUL50 – American Regional and Global Cuisines (3 Units)
- CUL51 – Garde Manger (3 Units)
- CUL55 – Culinary Nutrition (2 Units)
- Lake County Campus
Courses in Culinary Arts
Courses in Culinary Arts
CUL6 Food and Beverage Service Management
This course provides a theoretical and technical foundation for managing the service of meals in various commercial settings. Topics include the combination of production and service delivery, guest contact relations, reservations management and point-of-sale systems. Students will examine the business aspect of the food industry and acquire a working knowledge of purchasing, cost control, menu planning, recipe development, marketing a food establishment, and legal aspects of opening and running a business.
Course Details:
- Letter Grade or Pass/No Pass
- 54 lecture hours
Transferable to CSU only
- C-ID: HOSP 130
CUL10 Principles of Professional Food Preparation
In this course students will develop foundational cooking methods and culinary techniques in the production of vegetables, salads, meats, poultry, fish, soups, stocks, sauces and eggs. Students employ standard techniques with special attention to commercial and quantity preparation while applying proper kitchen sanitation. Topics include tool and equipment use, weights and measures, physical facilities and recipe conversions.
Course Details:
- Letter Grade or Pass/No Pass
- 18 lecture hours
- 108 lab hours
Transferable to CSU only
- C-ID: HOSP 160X
CUL11 Art of Professional Cooking
This courses teachers the art of professional cooking working with eggs, sauces, vegetables, grains, meat, poultry, and seafood that will help students succeed in a professional kitchen. Emphasis on food safety and sanitation, product identification, and palate development. Students will practice classic and advanced techniques of preparation and cooking focusing on the theory, methods, and critical evaluation of each. Students will complete meals drawn from a variety of local sources, preparing, presenting, and evaluating.
Course Details:
- Letter Grade or Pass/No Pass
- 18 lecture hours
- 162 lab hours
Prerequisites:
Transferable to CSU only
CUL20 Principles of Baking
This introductory course in baking and pastry arts offers intensive hands-on laboratory training in a professional baking environment. Emphasis on production and quality control of baked goods. Laboratory classes focus on basic production techniques for yeast dough and other leavened dough, batters and mixes, cookies, pastries, pies, fillings, toppings, and presentation of these items.
Course Details:
- Letter Grade or Pass/No Pass
- 18 lecture hours
- 108 lab hours
Limitations on enrollment:
Transferable to CSU only
- C-ID: HOSP 180X
CUL21 Advanced Baking & Pastry
Students will begin to master ingredients, tools, and techniques utilized in developing sweet and savory pastry and desserts, exploring French techniques and European desserts. This course emphasizes the chemical function of ingredients and scalability of items for commercial baking. Students will practice traditional and modern techniques of preparation and decoration, working with cakes and individually plated desserts and pastries. Students will create intricate and delicious desserts that they will present and evaluate.
Course Details:
- Letter Grade or Pass/No Pass
- 18 lecture hours
- 108 lab hours
Prerequisites:
Limitations on enrollment:
Transferable to CSU only
CUL32 Culinary Internship
On-the-job, faculty-supervised experience at an approved culinary job site that is related to the student’s major. The course stresses good work habits and meeting of competencies through actual on-the-job performance. Students will work 54 hours for 1 unit of credit.
Course Details:
- Pass/No Pass Only
- 54–162 lab hours
Prerequisites:
Transferable to CSU only
CUL50 American Regional and Global Cuisines
The first half of this course provides an American outlook on foods and culture and preservation of sustainable foods from all regions of the United States. Students will learn traditional American food preparation techniques, flavors, and regional cuisines. The second half of the course focuses on foods and techniques from around the globe. Emphasis on indigenous ingredients as well as the cultural aspects of each region’s cooking style. Includes the preparation of the various regional foods.
Course Details:
- Letter Grade or Pass/No Pass
- 36 lecture hours
- 54 lab hours
Prerequisites:
CUL51 Garde Manger
This course is an in-depth study of garde manger, the art of decorative cold food preparation and presentation, providing a detailed practical study of cold food preparation, artistic combination and display of cold foods, and production of appetizers, hors d'oeuvres, salads, and sandwiches. Emphasis on ingredient selection, flavor combinations, preparation methodologies, cost effective applications, displaying, garnishing, and plating.
Course Details:
- Letter Grade or Pass/No Pass
- 36 lecture hours
- 54 lab hours
Prerequisites:
CUL52 Menu and Recipe Management
This course offers a comprehensive foundation for creating and evaluating recipes and menus for food service operations. Students examine the fundamental elements of menu planning, include pricing, ordering, recipe conversion, and alternative types of menus and food preferences. Topics include cycle menus, cost-control, and nutrition.
Course Details:
- Letter Grade or Pass/No Pass
- 36 lecture hours
- 27 lab hours
CUL53 The Professional Chef
This course focuses on modern fine dining restaurants cooking methods and menus, including an examination of taste, cooking techniques, ingredients, flavoring techniques, and artistic plating. This course will also cover advanced principles of meat cookery, advanced meat & seafood fabrication. Mise en place practices, advanced knife skills and menu engineering.
Course Details:
- Letter Grade or Pass/No Pass
- 18 lecture hours
- 162 lab hours
Prerequisites:
CUL54 ServSafe Manager
Students will become proficient in the foodservice safety standards set forth by the National Restaurant Association. They will study food and restaurant safety, foodborne illnesses, and food safety management. Students in this course will prepare for and take the official examination, and upon passing, will receive a 5-year ServSafe® certification.Industry professionals seeking recertification who do not need college credit may take CUL554, the noncredit version of this course.
Course Details:
- Letter Grade or Pass/No Pass
- 9 lecture hours
CUL55 Culinary Nutrition
This course introduces concepts of nutrition as applied in culinary arts by exploring basic nutrients, diet modifications, and recipe substitutions. Students create menus focusing on food allergies, intolerances, preferences, and restrictions and practice techniques to reduce sodium, cook without oil or salt, and use healthy ingredients.
Course Details:
- Letter Grade or Pass/No Pass
- 18 lecture hours
- 54 lab hours
Prerequisites:
CUL56 Catering & Event Management
This course focuses on the application of culinary techniques through planning and preparation of menu items for catered events. Topics cover event preparation and planning, including menu choices for planning, production and service of buffets, banquets, teas and receptions. Students experience artistic production and participate in community catered events.
Course Details:
- Letter Grade or Pass/No Pass
- 18 lecture hours
- 54 lab hours
Limitations on enrollment:
CUL550 Culinary Math
Students learn and apply basic mathematics in a working situation using recipe conversions, costing standardized recipes, following production sheets, using portion control, and limiting the percentage of food waste, estimations, food costs, recipe costing, yield analysis.
Course Details:
- Satisfactory Progress (Noncredit)
- 9 lecture hours
CUL554 Servsafe Manager
Students will become proficient in the foodservice safety standards set forth by the National Restaurant Association. They will study food and restaurant safety, foodborne illnesses, and food safety management. Students in this course will prepare for and take the official examination, and upon passing, will receive a 5-year ServSafe® certification.This is a non-credit course, designed for working professionals seeking recertification. Students that require credit for a degree or certificate should take the credit version (CUL54).
Course Details:
- Satisfactory Progress (Noncredit)
- 9 lecture hours
Learn more about Culinary Arts
Aromas Restaurant & Café at Lake County Campus
A student-run restaurant simulating a real restaurant environment that is open to the public offering quick grab’n’go sandwiches, salads, and treats along with espresso coffee drinks and fruit smoothies. Aromas also offers dine-in lunch service for the full restaurant experience offering farm-to-fork culinary creations. Follow Aromas on Facebook or join our mailing list for menu information and upcoming events.
Students are encouraged to join the Culinary Club to stay connected. For more information, email aromascafe@yccd.edu or call 707.995.7310.
Ready to get started?
Registration is now open to all students for Summer & Fall 2022
Summer Semester starts: June 13
Fall Semester starts: August 15
Full-Time Faculty
Paschell Wilson
Robert Cabreros
Part-Time Faculty
Ann-Marie Pleskaczewski
Christine DePasquale
Jennifer Malinowski
Kate Sutherland
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Business, Hospitality & Entrepreneurship
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