Westlake Culinary Institute

Professional Cooking Series

This course is a 24 session program specifically designed for individuals thinking of a career in the food industry as a restaurant chef, caterer, personal chef, or other food related position. It is also recommended for individuals already working in the field who would like to develop more practical knowledge and skills. Serious and passionate home cooks are also eligible to enroll.

The program is divided into three parts with each offering a combination of lectures, demonstrations and hands on instruction. Practical considerations in controlling food costs, coordinating timing and teamwork in the restaurant kitchen, creative menu planning and food presentation will be stressed as part of the course. At the end of this series, students will all get together and cook a graduation banquet or participate in a special project for the final session.

Visit our Facebook page to see photos from our last Pro Class.

Course Description

• Classes limited to 16 students per session.
• Classes are at least 5 hours in length each week.
• Students in the course are eligible to be involved in our Student Assistant Program where they get the opportunity to assist teachers and chefs, participate in our Catering operations and in Community Service functions in return for credit toward classes outside of this series. Our students have been invited to assist with major food functions such as The Academy Awards and Wolfgang Puck's annual Food and Wine Festival on the backlot of Universal Studios as well as a number of other charitable events.
• Promising students may be placed in apprenticeship positions at selected restaurant and hotel kitchens so that they will have the opportunity to experience real work situations before they finish the program.
• Students who complete all three sequences, homework assignments and participate in the preparation for and execution of the banquet or special project will receive a certificate of completion. They will be referred for restaurant and other food related job openings if qualified and interested in those positions.
• Cost is $4,750.00 for the complete 24 session series, payable with a deposit and additional installments. Call the school for more details. (818)991-3940.
• For an Application for Enrollment and/or a copy of the Enrollment and Payment Agreement see our online PDFs. You may send them by mail to Let's Get Cookin', 4643 Lakeview Canyon Road, Westlake Village, CA 91361, or FAX to (805)495-2554, or email to lgcookin@aol.com.
• To make an online deposit, please go to our Deposit Page.

Additional Information

Tim will arrange special tours of wholesale and ethnic markets, at no additional charge, except for meals. Optional dinners at fine dining and ethnic restaurants will be offered for students to help develop their palates, experience different cuisines, explore visual presentations, and to meet successful chefs during the course.

Textbooks, personalized chef’s jackets, chef's caps, professional knives and knife cases will be available for purchase at a discount in the store. Students receive an ongoing 15% discount in the store (20% on all knives) and invitations to attend several featured classes with authors and chefs outside of the course for free during their enrollment.

Instructor:

The course instructor is Tim McGrath who has been in the field of culinary arts for more than 30 years. A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in 1976, Tim apprenticed at George Blanc in Vonnas and Michel Rostang in Paris. He held positions as executive chef of restaurants in New York City, Los Angeles and San Francisco. Tim worked as a private chef for Julie Andrews and Blake Edwards and other celebrities. One of the weddings he catered was covered live on local television. For the last 16 years Tim has owned and operated the Cooks Gathering, his own full service catering company. He has catered everything from large corporate events to private weddings and dinners. During that time Tim taught cooking classes across the country to both home cooks and budding professionals. He published his first cookbook, Great Tastes For All Seasons. To enhance his knowledge of world cuisines, Tim has traveled to Thailand, Turkey, Mexico, Peru, Argentina, France, England and Italy.

Tim is a member of the International Association of Culinary Professionals. His passion for teaching and mentoring has drawn him to an organization called the Careers through Culinary Arts Program (C-CAP). This is a national organization that awards scholarships to schools such as the Culinary Institute of America, Johnson & Wales, Los Angeles Trade Tech, The Art Institute, Mission College and our own Westlake Culinary Institute. Tim helps to train both students and teachers involved in over 30 high schools in Los Angeles for this yearly culinary scholarship competition.

Course Schedule

There are two separate groups that meet once a week on Mondays or Wednesdays. Classes for the next series will begin on:

• Monday, March 12, at 6:00 pm
• Wednesday, March 14, at 9:00 am

(Note: Class sessions will continue in these time slots every week, with the exception of holidays such as Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's. Any dates missed by students may be made up in future sessions.)

The next series of classes is scheduled to begin September 2012.

Orientation Information

We will hold a free orientation class entitled Exploring a Professional Food Career on Wednesday, February 15, at 6:30 PM, for all potential students who would like to learn more about our program. Please sign up ahead.

All potential students are encouraged to fill out an application for the program and to make a deposit on the course as soon as possible. Classes are filling quickly.

Please contact Let's Get Cookin' for more information at (818) 991-3940.

Students enrolled are also required to take a knife skills class with Tim that will be scheduled for Sunday, March 11, at 10:30 AM and again at 2:30 PM. Students can attend either session. The fee for this class is included in the tuition.

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