Sixth Culinary cohort completes program

“They were students when they started. Now, I’m calling them chefs.”

Pam Moss, program manager for the Culinary Apprenticeship Certificate program, gave these glowing remarks May 21 at Chef’s Table. This signature event is the ultimate showcase for the students in this one-of-a-kind program.

Students used their varied living experiences as inspiration for an “American Regional Cuisines” menu. Guests, including family, friends and staff, were treated to a five-course meal that reflected the different regions of the U.S. where the students had lived:

• Bayou: Crawfish bisque, deconstructed étouffée, and a beignet
• Northwest: Braised lamb with homemade pappardelle pasta with a mushroom ragout
• South Carolina Low Country (Seafood Sampler): Oysters Rockefeller with collard greens and a homemade hot sauce; shrimp and grits infused with bacon and smoked Gouda; and fried steamer clams with mustard sauce
• California: Beef tri-tip topped with corn salsa with a fried poblano with salsa verde
• Georgia: Peach crème anglaise with hummingbird cake topped with peach cream cheese frosting and glazed pecans

Our Culinary Apprenticeship program began in 2008. The program spans from September to May each year, and students are trained by a professional chef in the professional kitchen that serves as their classroom.

The hallmark of this program is the European model of teaching, where students work with professional chefs at sites such as Endive Catering, Park 75 at the Four Seasons Atlanta, and Firestone Wood Fired Pizza and Grill. This fall will mark the addition of a new apprenticeship site — KSU’s award-winning University Commons.

Some of this cycle’s students have already secured employment at their apprenticeship sites.

“Our students put so much work into this program,” Pam said. “To see their evolution from last September is inspiring.”