SLCC Culinary Arts inspires future food professionals

It takes more than the ability to create good food to earn a culinary arts degree. For more than 25 years, the culinary arts program at Salt Lake Community College has taught chefs and hospitality experts how to blend creativity, science, flavors, experience and traditions.

Drawing inspiration from global cuisines, incorporating techniques that reflect cultural heritage and introducing courses that teach hospitality, sustainability, and business management, SLCC’s culinary arts program covers it all, and interest in the program has grown over the last few years.

“We see people with a greater desire to follow their passion and they know they need to get started somewhere,” said Jeffrey Coker, executive chef and interim dean at the Gail Miller School of Business. “At the community college, we have a great program, great faculty and great staff. We're a very family-oriented program.”

Coker knows the industry. He spent 16 years at Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Los Angeles, working his way up from chef instructor to executive chef and director of education at the school. 

He helps each student craft a course of study to help them reach their goals. Whether they want to become a baker, a food writer, a restaurant manager or own a catering business, the SLCC program provides the necessary foundational skills for students to be successful. 

“We have smaller class sizes,” Coker said. “We really get to know our students. Our faculty and our staff are focused on creating unique experiences for those students and getting to know them as they prepare them for careers in industry.”

At about $15,000 for an associate of applied science degree (including tuition, lab fees and uniform costs), the culinary arts program is an affordable option for students. Plus, scholarships, grants and other funding options to help reduce that cost, including concurrent enrollment for high school students. 

Located at the Miller Campus in Sandy (9750 S. 300 West), the school provides a kitchen with modern equipment, 10,000 square feet of training space and a dining room to practice presentation and service. This year, they added a greenhouse to the campus, donated by a graduate of the program. 

There are also 30,000 honeybees on site. Students harvest 40-50 pounds of honey during the season and work in the on-site garden for a complete farm-to-table experience.

“Every year, the garden looks a little bit different. The students are involved from the planning, the preparation, the plotting, the harvesting of seed, to the transplanting of seed and maintaining the watering schedule,” Coker said. “Not only are we promoting and building on the foundational skills that students need to be successful, but we’re giving them the relevant topics that are taking place in industry today.”

But a food career isn’t just about creating delicious dishes, it’s creating an experience where guests feel included. Learning professional techniques and practices of hospitality provides a deeper connection with guests and helps develop a valuable reputation in the food world. 

“People are not customers. They are our guests,” Coker said. “This is the cornerstone of everything we believe. It is something that I’ve maintained as one of my steadfast principles in my 30-plus years being in culinary arts and hospitality, and it’s something that I pass along to our faculty and our students. They need to learn to embrace the concepts of hospitality. 

For more information about the program, visit slcc.edu/culinaryarts.