Orlando Culinary Academy: Culinary Arts, Schools, Education And Training

Sandy beaches, Disney World, everglades, and a hopping party scene come to mind for most when the thinking of Florida. Most don't think of Florida as a culinary mecca, yet Florida culinary schools have become a place where students can learn the vast culinary history of the region. Haitian, Bahamian, Nicaraguan, Vietnamese and other ethic groups are all studied at culinary schools all over Florida.

The Orlando Culinary Academy, the leading culinary arts school in Florida, has an association with the world renowned Le Cordon Bleu Academy. This particular school gives students access to the best in European and North American culinary arts training. The Orlando Culinary Academy focuses on hands-on education, comprehensive classes, and three different programs of study to choose from: Hospitality and Restaurant Management, Patisserie and Baking, and an Associate of Applied Science degree.

Each degree program at the Orlando Culinary Academy has professional, industry-experienced instructors. With many culinary schools and culinary education programs in Florida, the Orlando Culinary Academy competes against other hands-on programs, but it's the only culinary arts school associated with the prestigious Le Cordon Bleu Academy. The Orlando Culinary Academy offers competency-based training and combines classical European traditions with an American focus to give the best culinary education possible.

The Hospitality and Restaurant Management program at the Orlando Culinary Academy teaches students how to run the kitchen and dining room of a restaurant. The concepts addressed in the program are Theoretical and Practical Management, Professional Communication, Le Cordon Bleu Cuisine, and Hospitality and Restaurant Management.

The Patisserie and Baking program at the Orlando Culinary Academy is unlike other schools because it gives access to many different techniques and helps students develop a style that is completely their own. Along with introductory and advanced classes in patisserie, baking, cake formulas and assembly, the Orlando Culinary Academy has general education components for English, mathematics, psychology, and public speaking.

Although the Orlando Culinary Academy offers a Basic Cookery class for their Culinary Education, it is not by any means basic. The culinary arts program for Culinary Education mixes demonstration classes with hands-on courses and some general education courses. Culinary Arts Concepts, Nutrition, Hospitality Supervision and Food and Beverage Cost Control are some of the focuses of the program. An externship is also one of the requirements of this program, giving more hands-on, real world experience.

The admission requirements for the Orlando Culinary Academy are a high school diploma and completion of a personal interview with an admissions representative. The interview is a way for the admissions department to see if the applicant is a good fit for the program. The department then reviews all applicants and informs them of their acceptance status into to the program.

The rise of the celebrity chef in popular culture has caused culinary arts to become an extremely competitive field in recent years. The completion of a Le Cordon Bleu program at the Orlando Culinary Academy will instill the confidence and skills needed to succeed in the culinary arts industry.


Sources:
Florida Cuisine. About: Southern U.S. Cuisine. 2007. About, Inc. 1 Mar 2007.  http://southernfood.about.com/library/weekly/aa102 999.htm.
Florida Culinary Institute. 2000. 1 Mar 2007. http://www.floridaculinary.com/.
Le Cordon Bleu Hospitality & Restaurant Management. Le Cordon Bleu Schools North America. 2007. 5 Mar 2007.http://www.lecordonbleuschoolsusa.com/rm.asp.
Le Cordon Bleu School Culinary Arts Program at Orlando Culinary Academy. Shaw Guides. 5 Mar. 2007. http://cookingcareer.shawguides.com/OrlandoCulinar yAcademy/.