Professional Cooking & Catering

This program has two modules:
•Professional Cooking
•Professional Catering

The food-service industry continues to expand with a wide variety of new restaurants opening every day. Learn the cooking and baking principles you need to begin your career in this exciting industry with our Professional Cooking course, offered by our accredited school partners. Learn the basics for planning dishes and menus, selecting quality ingredients, and preparing and presenting food in exceptional ways. This course explores professional techniques and methods for creating hundreds of recipes both traditional and contemporary. From cooking meat, poultry, and game, to preparing purely vegetarian dishes, to baking cakes, pies, and pastries, this Professional Cooking course will take you through the full spectrum of food preparation and presentation while inspiring you to create recipes of your very own.

After completing this course, you should be able to:
• Identify the common kitchen setup and equipment
• Identify the steps for creating soups, sauces, and stocks
• Identify the steps for cooking meat, poultry, and fish
• Identify methods for creating salads, dressings, dips, and hors d’oeuvres
• Identify methods for preparing breads, cakes, pies, and desserts

Our comprehensive Professional Catering course will take you through all the steps involved in operating a successful catering business. From planning an event step-by-step, to developing a full menu, to managing your clients and employees, this course offers solutions and considerations for all types of related issues that may arise. Learn the skills and techniques you need to build and grow a successful catering business today!

After completing this course, you should be able to:

• Comprehend different types of catering and their components
• Identify methods for building a client base and engaging customers
• Identify the steps involved in the catering operation
• Identify methods for controlling risk and guiding employee behavior
• Identify conflict resolution strategies and basic human resource management principles

Enroll through one of our accredited university or college partners today!

Professional Cooking Module 1
The Cooking Industry
• Food-Service Industry
• Kitchens Organization
• Sanitation
• Food Hazards
• Food Storage
• Safety
• Preventing Injury
• Tools
• Cooking Equipment
• Processing Equipment
• Basic Principles of Cooking
• Heat Management
• Food Science
• Molecular Gastronomy
• Cooking Methods
• Building Flavor

Professional Cooking Module 2
Planning and Organizing Production
• Building the Menu
• Recipes
• The Written Recipe
• Cost Management
• Food Cost Calculations
• Nutrition
• Nutrients
• The Balanced Diet
• Cooking Healthful Meals
• Preliminary Cooking and Flavoring
• Using the Knife
• Mise en Place
• Preparation for Frying
• Handling Convenience Foods

Professional Cooking Module 3
Stocks, Sauces, and Soups
• Stock Procedures
• Stock Ingredients
• Understanding Sauces
• Roux
• Thickening Agents
• Finishing Techniques
• Sauce Families
• Reductions and Glazes
• Convenience Bases
• Classification of Soups
• Service of Soups
• Clear Soups
• Vegetable Soups
• Cream Soups
• Broths
• Thick Soups
• Bisques
• Specialty Soups

Professional Cooking Module 4
Meats and Game
• Understanding Meats and Game
• Inspection and Grading
• Basic Quality Factors
• Aging
• Basic Cuts
• Selecting Meats
• Fabricating Meats
• Bone Structure
• Tenderness
• Doneness
• Game and Specialty Meats
• Storage of Meats
• Cooking Meats and Game
• Roasting
• Baking
• Braising

Professional Cooking Module 5
Poultry and Game Birds
• Composition and Structure
• Inspection and Grading
• Cutting Up Chicken
• Classification and Market Forms
• Handling and Storage
• Trussing Methods
• Roasting and Baking
• Broiling and Grilling
• Pan-Frying and Deep Frying
• Simmering and Poaching
• Braising
• Dressings and Stuffings

Professional Cooking Module 6
Fish and Shellfish
• Fin Fish
• Composition and Structure
• Cutting Fish
• Varieties and Characteristics
• Mollusks
• Cephalopods
• Crustaceans
• Baking
• Broiling and Grilling
• Deep-Frying
• Poaching and Simmering
• Steaming and Mixed Cooking Techniques
• Seafood Served Raw

Professional Cooking Module 7
Vegetables, Legumes, and Grains
• Controlling Quality Changes During Cooking
• General Rules of Vegetable Cookery
• Standards of Quality in Cooked Vegetables
• Fresh Vegetables
• Processed Vegetables
• Storage
• Boiling and Steaming
• Sauteing and Pan-Frying
• Braising
• Baking
• Cooking Potatoes
• Cooking for Vegetarian Dishes
• Menus for Vegetarian Diets

Professional Cooking Module 8
Salads, Sandwiches, and Hors d’Oeuvres
• Salad Dressings
• Oil and Vinegar Salad Dressings
• Emulsified Dressings
• Types of Salads
• Sandwich Bread
• Spreads
• Fillings
• Types of Sandwiches
• Making Sandwiches
• Serving Hors d’Oeuvres
• Canapes
• Cocktails
• Relishes
• Dips

Professional Cooking Module 9
Breakfast, Cured Foods, and Cold Foods
• Understanding Eggs
• Pancakes and Waffles
• French Toast
• Breakfast Meats
• Dairy Products
• Coffee and Tea
• Sausages
• Curing and Smoking
• Pates
• Terrines
• Handling and Service of Cold Dishes
• Aspic and Chaud-Froid
• Foie Gras
• Rillettes

Professional Cooking Module 10
Baking Breads
• Principles of Baking
• Formulas and Measurement
• Baking Process
• Scaling
• Flours, Meals, and Starches
• Fats
• Liquids
• Salt, Flavorings, and Spices
• Sugars
• Leavening Agents
• Understanding Yeast Products
• Mixing Methods
• Bread and Roll Formulas
• Quick Breads
• Mixing and Production Methods

Professional Cooking Module 11
Desserts
• Understanding Cake Making
• Cake Formula Types
• Baking and Cooling
• Creaming Method
• Assembling and Icing Cakes
• Cookie Characteristics and Their Causes
• Cookie Types and Makeup Methods
• Pies and Pastries
• Pie Doughs
• Fillings
• Meringues
• Fruit Desserts
• Puff Pastry
• Custards
• Pudding
• Dessert Sauces

Professional Catering Module 1
Introduction to Catering
• Types of Catering
• Catering Management
• Catering Segments
• On/Off-Premise Catering
• The Caterer and the Client
• Taking an Event
• Safeguards
• Corporate Catering
• Cost and Profit Relationship
• The Catering Market
• Mission Statement
• Growing the Business

Professional Catering Module 2
Getting Started
• Choosing Your Client
• Creating a Customer Base
• Needs, Wants, Demands
• Prospecting Strategies
• Social Media Marketing
• Types of Social Media
• Engaging Customers
• Standard Catering Website
• The Seven Functions of Catering
• Planning
• Operations
• Implementing

Professional Catering Module 3
The Catering Operation
• Planning
• The Menu
• Barriers to Planning
• Successful Business Plan
• Operational Tasks
• Recipes
• Convenience Foods
• Branded Menu Items
• Organizing the Event
• Catering Management Tasks
• Purchasing
• Ordering and Receiving

Professional Catering Module 4
Catering Equipment
• Equipment and Design Considerations
• Utilities
• Workstations
• Procuring Catering Equipment
• Professional Equipment Supplier
• Consultants and Architects
• Rental Services
• Implementing
• Employee-Supportive Culture
• Service Styles
• Uniforms
• Room Arrangement

Professional Catering Module 5
Control & Legalities
• Controlling
• Standard Operating Procedures
• Guiding Employee Behavior
• Cash Flow
• Risk Management
• Insurance
• Legal Issues
• Safety Committees
• Beverage Management
• Forming the Beverage Plan
• Site Inspection
• Beverage Packages

Professional Catering Module 6
Management
• Conflict Resolution
• Dimensions of Conflict
• Principled Negotiation
• People Skills
• Sustainable Catering
• Sustainable Business Practices
• Sustainable Green Zones
• Human Resources Management
• Federal Employment Laws
• Recruiting
• Gathering Information and Interviewing
• Collective Bargaining

All required reference materials are provided with this program. Technical requirements:

Internet Connection
• Broadband or High-Speed (DSL, Cable, Wireless)
Hardware Requirements
• Processor - 2GHz Processor or Higher
• Memory - 1 GB RAM Minimum Recommended

Software Requirements
• Operating Systems - Windows 7, 8 or 10; Mac OS x 10 or higher
• Microsoft Office 2007, 2010 or 2013 or a Word Processing application to save and open Microsoft Office formats (.doc, .docx, .xls, .xlsx, .ppt, .pptx)
• Internet Browsers - Google Chrome is highly recommended
• Cookies MUST be enabled
• Pop-ups MUST be allowed (Pop-up Blocker disabled)
• Adobe PDF Reader

Upon successful completion of our Professional Catering course, students will be prepared for an entry-level position in the field and to sit for the NCCB national certification exam to become a Certified Catering Associate (CCA). Each state may have additional licensing requirements, be sure to research your states requirements for employment by visiting your states occupation board.

This course provides students with qualified support professionals to guide them through their learning experience. The student support team is available to answer any questions a learner may have including questions on course content, course material, certifications, and registration or enrollment questions. Support advisers also monitor the progress of learners to ensure training retention and program advancement.