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The Culinary Skills program will provide you with the foundation for an exciting career in the food service industry. Sharpen your skills in classic and contemporary à la carte cuisine, baking and pastry arts, flavour and cooking methods, understanding ingredients, food service principles, and safety and sanitation, while also developing essential communication and computer application skills. You will accomplish all of this through a combination of activity-based classroom instruction and practical application in our state-of-the-art culinary and pastry labs, and Bistro ‘67, our award-winning restaurant, where you will gain practical experience serving customers from the community.
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To help students succeed in programs with remote learning requirements, Durham College’s IT Services department has identified minimum technology recommendations. While these are not program requirements, these suggestions will help ensure students have the right tools to support a quality remote learning experience.
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The Culinary Skills program is designed to prepare you for a career in a wide variety of food-service industry settings.
Areas of study include:
In addition, related business management studies and general education courses round out the program. You will learn through a combination of activity-based classroom instruction and practical application in our culinary, pastry and restaurant labs. You will also gain practical experience through our student-run, open-to-the-public restaurant and a field placement at a school-approved industry property.
Upon successful completion of this program, you may qualify for advanced standing in Year 2 of Durham College’s Culinary Management program. The Culinary Skills program is offered at the Whitby campus, home of the college’s new W. Galen Weston Centre for Food. This incredible learning centre provides access to a full-service green certified teaching restaurant and lounge; a demonstration theatre; and state-of-the-art labs, classrooms and meeting spaces, all designed to offer you the best possible learning experience.
Students in this program will benefit from working and learning in Bistro ’67, a full-service, green-certified teaching and learning restaurant operated by staff and students.
The courses listed below are for incoming students. If you are a current student, please refer to your program of study for the year you began your program. Your program of study can be found on MyDC.
Courses and course descriptions are subject to change. Please note that as a result of COVID-19 the 2023-2024 program of study may be modified to accommodate program delivery changes.
Your learning experience will be complemented by a second-semester field placement opportunity in the culinary industry. Students work at restaurants, hotels, long-term care homes, banquet and golf course facilities and more, applying their skills from the classroom on the job.
From student-focused special events, to employment in Bistro ’67, to special projects, there are countless opportunities for students to further their learning beyond the labs.
Graduates may be eligible to apply their academic credits towards further study through Durham College and partner Canadian and international colleges and universities. These include:
For more information, please visit our pathways page.
To help students have the best remote learning experience possible, Durham College’s IT Services department has identified technology recommendations for each program based on course needs and software requirements. While not required, students may want to consider these suggestions if they are purchasing a computer or laptop for the upcoming academic year.
Processor: i3 RAM: 4GB Storage: 256GB SSD Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Professional or Education x64 SP1 Internet Browser: Internet Explorer 11 or Google Chrome (newest version) or Firefox (newest version) Network Adapter: 802.11ac 2.4/5 GHz wireless adapter Camera: Webcam/built-in camera Internet connection
Questions regarding technology recommendations can be directed to the IT Service Desk or the school office.
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