Cooking and Catering

Stratford's Cooking and Catering course has all the ingredients you need to get started toward learning important fundamentals that could help you start an exciting, new career. This course begins with a general introduction to food service, then focuses primarily on food preparation, general cooking techniques and baking, then ends with a section entirely on professional catering.

Whether you are thinking about starting a catering business of your own or just want to learn more about how to cook, Stratford's cooking and catering course can help.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the median annual salary for cooks is $22,850. The number of jobs is projected to increase by 4% through 2024.*

A cooking and catering salary can vary depending on the place of employment, educational attainment, and the specific duties performed.

An Introduction to Cooking and Catering
• A Brief History of Cooking and the Culinary Arts
• Food Service Concepts Today
• Menu Planning and Development
• Standardization Practices, Sanitation, and Safety
• Restaurant Tools and Equipment
• Types of Restaurants
• Introduction to Food Service Work Stations and Areas
• Dining Room Organization

Cooking Principles and Procedures
• Influences on modern cuisine
• Kitchen organization
• Standards of professionalism
• The safe workplace and injury prevention
• Sanitation
• Tools and equipment
• Basic cooking methods
• Mise en place
• Herbs, spices, and seasonings
• The recipe
• Stocks, sauces, and soups

Cooking Meats, Fish and Poultry
• Choosing Quality Beef, Veal and Pork
• Methods of Cooking Beef and Veal
• Methods of Cooking Pork
• Choosing Quality Fish
• Methods of Cooking Fish
• Choosing Quality Poultry
• Methods of Cooking Poultry
• Specialty Seafood and Meats

Cooking Vegetables, Grains and Sides
• Cooking with Vegetables
• Cooking with Potatoes
• Rice and Grains
• Pasta
• Salads and Dressings
• Eggs
• Breakfast Foods and Beverages
• Sandwiches
• Dairy Products

Fundamentals of Baking Science

• Measures and Temperature
• Methods of Heat Transfer
• Sensory Properties of Food
• Grains, Flours, and Gluten
• Sugar and Other Sweeteners
• Fats, Oils, and Emulsifiers
• Eggs and Leavening Agents
• Thickening and Gelling Agents
• Milk, Nuts, and Seeds
• Cocoa and Chocolate Products
• Fruit and Fruit Products
• Natural and Artificial Flavorings
• Baking for Health and Wellness

Professional Catering
• Types of Catering
• Choosing Your Client
• Social Media Marketing
• The Seven Functions of Catering
• Planning--The Basic Catering Management Function
• Operations--Execution of Tasks
• Organizing the Event
• Catering Equipment
• Implementing
• Controlling
• Understanding Risk Management, Insurance and Legal Issues
• Beverage Management
• Conflict Resolution
• Sustainable Catering: One Ecological Step at a Time
• Human Resource Management

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This educational program is an introductory course designed to help students gain knowledge necessary for the vocational application of this subject.

We take great pride in providing you with the most up-to-date textbooks and equipment. One or more of the above-mentioned subjects may, therefore, change if updating becomes necessary during the course of your studies. The order in which the course material is presented may vary.

*Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2016-17 Edition