The Professional Cooking & Catering course equips learners with the culinary techniques and business expertise needed to succeed in professional kitchens or launch a catering enterprise. Through interactive, multimedia instruction, learners master foundational cooking methods, baking, vegetarian and meat preparation, and elegant food presentation, while also building skills in menu planning, event coordination, catering operations, and business management. The program blends hands‑on culinary training with practical business insight for aspiring chefs and catering entrepreneurs.
Module 1: The Cooking Industry Foundations
Food‑service industry overview, kitchen organization, sanitation and safety, tools and equipment, cooking principles, heat management, and flavor development.
Module 2: Planning and Organizing Production
Menu building, recipes and costing, nutrition fundamentals, knife skills, mise en place, and preparation methods.
Module 3: Stocks, Sauces, and Soups
Stock production, sauce fundamentals, thickening methods, sauce families, soup classifications, and service.
Module 4: Meats and Game
Meat selection, fabrication, storage, doneness, and cooking methods including roasting, baking, and braising.
Module 5: Poultry and Game Birds
Handling, cutting, storage, trussing, and cooking techniques across dry‑ and moist‑heat methods.
Module 6: Fish and Shellfish
Seafood identification, handling, cutting, cooking methods, and raw preparations.
Module 7: Vegetables, Legumes, and Grains
Quality control, storage, cooking techniques, potatoes, and vegetarian menu planning.
Module 8: Salads, Sandwiches, and Hors d’Oeuvres
Salad dressings, salads, sandwiches, spreads, fillings, canapés, relishes, and dips.
Module 9: Breakfast, Cured Foods, and Cold Dishes
Egg cookery, breakfast items, curing and smoking, pâtés, terrines, and cold food service.
Module 10: Baking Breads
Baking principles, ingredients, yeast products, mixing methods, breads, rolls, and quick breads.
Module 11: Desserts and Pastry
Cakes, cookies, pies, pastries, custards, puddings, and dessert sauces.
Module 12: Introduction to Catering
Catering types and segments, client relations, pricing, profit, market analysis, and growth strategy.
Module 13: Getting Started in Catering
Client acquisition, marketing and social media, operational functions, and implementation.
Module 14: Catering Operations
Menu execution, purchasing, receiving, organizing events, and management tasks.
Module 15: Catering Equipment and Service Styles
Equipment planning, rentals, workstations, service styles, uniforms, and room layouts.
Module 16: Control, Legalities, and Risk Management
SOPs, cash flow, insurance, legal issues, safety, beverage planning, and site inspections.
Module 17: Catering Management and Human Resources
Conflict resolution, negotiation, sustainability practices, HR fundamentals, recruiting, and employment laws.
By completing this course, the learner will be able to:
Identify common kitchen setups, tools, and equipment used in professional food service
Prepare soups, stocks, sauces, meats, poultry, fish, vegetarian dishes, and baked goods using industry‑standard techniques
Design menus and plan production with attention to cost control, nutrition, and food safety
Apply catering concepts, including event planning, service styles, and operational workflows
Build and engage a client base through marketing and customer relationship strategies
Manage catering operations with an understanding of risk control, staffing, conflict resolution, and basic HR principles
Upon successful completion of this course, learners will be eligible to sit for the NCCB national certification exam to become a Certified Catering Associate (CCA).
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.