Culinary Instructors Teach More than Cooking Skills

By Adam Weiner, JD, CFSE

Students learn skills in culinary classes that teach them to be successful no matter their life’s final direction.

In many parts of the country, culinary classes in high schools, vocational schools, trade schools and colleges are under siege. Budgets for vocational programs are continuously being cut. Enrollments are mostly down because the present economy with its demand for labor is such that anyone—even without training or experience—can get a starting job in the culinary field without prior training.

As culinary teachers and directors, we need to demonstrate to students, their parents, and administrators that what we teach is more than professional and personal cooking skills. We teach transferable skills that will greatly benefit students for the rest of their lives. Teaching these long-lasting skills are imperative for the long-term success of our students and programs.

Teachers of all subjects tend to develop tunnel vision. They think the only thing they need to teach is the assigned subject and the only thing students need to learn is the subject’s core curriculum. This is far from the truth.

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