Professional Cooking

The Culinary Academy of Long Island offers this unique program that emphasizes "learning by doing" with special attention given to the practical side of professional food preparation. You are prepared for a career in restaurants, bakeries, food service departments of corporations and health-related institutions, as well as in the rapidly expanding fields of catering and "food to go."  More than just a cooking school, graduates of this program are fully prepared to fulfill many entry-level food service roles, including sous chef, garde manger, baker, pantry person, short-order cook and line cook.

Classes are Monday through Friday

Morning  8:30 am to 1:30 pm 
Afternoon  1:30 pm to 6:30 pm

Classes Starting Soon

An introduction to professional cooking covering all the basics from measuring and knife skills to menu planning and cooking techniques.  Hands-on experience without the pressure of kitchen deadlines!

This course covers basic operational aspects of restaurants including recipe selection, menu planning, pricing, cost controls, inventory and labor management. Food purchasing and receiving are covered in detail including classification, grading and storage.  Safety and sanitation principles are taught through the ServSafe curriculum developed by the National Restaurant Association and students will be given the opportunity to sit for the ServSafe examination upon completion of the course. (Prerequisite: Skills Development)

The ABC’s of the commercial kitchen, including equipment and procedures used in professional food establishments.  Mastering-by-doing the skills of food selection, handling and cooking.  Displaying and serving of prepared foods in an attractive and appetizing manner. (Prerequisite: Skills Development)

Baking breads, rolls, cakes, pies and pastries in quantity.  Developing the art of decorating cakes with borders, lettering, flowers, designs and figures.  Using color and form effectively to create a professional quality product. (Prerequisite: Skills Development)

Planning an attractive presentation for catered affairs.  Preparing, garnishing and serving hot and cold food for occasions such as parties, receptions and business conferences.  Techniques of cooking and packaging gourmet “food to go.”
(Prerequisite: Skills Development)

Planning, cooking for and serving large numbers of people while controlling food quality and quantity.  Learning to work as a team in a busy commercial kitchen.  This subject includes “real life” experience operating our in-house simulated restaurant. (Prerequisite: Skills Development)