Culinary Arts
Culinary Arts - AAS-T
BTC’s programs in Culinary Arts are ideal for students with a passion for food and pastry, and an interest in the fast-growing food service industry. Once you graduate with your Associate of Applied Science-Transfer degree, you can go straight to work in top jobs in the food industry, or transfer your class credits to a four-year college or university to earn your bachelor's degree.
Bellingham Technical College’s Culinary Arts program offers the highest quality culinary education available. You’ll receive training from an award-winning faculty in state-of-the-art facilities and learn the culinary skills you need to function as a professional in the fast-paced restaurant and food-service industry. You can put your training to work in a wide range of restaurants, bakeries, pastry shops, hotels, schools and universities, hospitals, and catering companies.
The Culinary Arts Program is accredited by the Accrediting Commission of the American Culinary Federation Foundation.
Employment Information
Data are provided on a program (not credential) level
91% BTC graduate placement rate1
$32,356 starting annual wage2
$38,313 average annual wage2
$46,907 potential annual wage2
Estimated Program Costs
Entry Information
When Can I Start?
The program typically starts in Fall Quarter on a space available basis.
A cumulative GPA of 2.0 or greater and a grade of C- will be the minimum passing grade for all Culinary program courses and a minimum grade of C for all General Education courses.
What are the Minimum Entry Requirements?
Admissions application and assessment testing in Reading, Math and Writing is required. Your score on the test and/or your previous transcripts will determine where you begin your course sequence. Contact Admissions at 360.752.8345 or at admissions@btc.edu for assistance with academic planning.
What are My Next Steps?
Classes
Total Program Credits: 108
Quarter 1
CUL 110 Sanitation & Safety 2 CR CUL 112 Introduction to Hospitality 2 CR CUL 114 Culinary Skill Development I 6 CR CUL 142 Nutrition 2 CR CUL 118 Commercial Kitchen Equipment 2 CR Quarter 2
CUL 122 Culinary Skill Development II 6 CR CUL 126 Pastry Skill Development I 6 CR MATH& 107 Math in Society 5 CR OR Higher Quarter 3
CUL 144 American Regional a' la carte Cookery 7 CR CUL 146 Pastry Skill Development II 7 CR ENGL& 101 English Composition I 5 CR OR ENGL& 102 English Composition II 5 CR Quarter 4
CUL 150 Field-Based Experience 6 CR OR CUL 152 Culinary Competition Fundamentals 6 CR Quarter 5
CUL 116 Meat Identification and Fabrication 4 CR CUL 218 Garde Manger 6 CR CUL 222 Supervisor Development 3 CR CMST& 210 Interpersonal Communications 5 CR OR PSYC& 100 General Psychology 5 CR OR SOC& 101 Introduction to Sociology 5 CR Quarter 6
CUL 220 Restaurant Management 5 CR CUL 224 Food and Beverage Service 3 CR CUL 226 International Cuisine 6 CR CUL 228 Banquet and Catering Management 3 CR Quarter 7
CUL 230 Northwest a' la carte Cookery 8 CR CUL 232 Food and Beverage Service Lab 2 CR CUL 236 Wine Appreciation 2 CR Choose 5 Credits of Humanities, Social Science or Natural Science from Approved Transfer Course List. 5 CR
Online Asynchronous
Online Synchronous
Hybrid Synchronous
Face-to-Face
Self-SupportProgram Outcomes
After successfully completing this program, students will be able to:
- Conform and comply with health standards based on US Food and Drug Administration, Washington State, and local health department sanitation and hygiene codes and laws.
- Apply fundamentals and advanced skills in sustainable design and purchasing, butchery, Garde Manger, classical sauce, soups and stocks, food and beverage service, farinaceous foods, classical cookery techniques in international cuisine, American regional cuisines, and define product specifications.
- Plan, prepare, and cook foods ala carte and buffet style consistently in a visually appealing manner while maintaining taste, nutritive value, flavor, and texture in classical and contemporary cooking methods.
- Correctly prepare a variety of classical breads, artisan breads, classical pastry items, and desserts with the ability to correctly evaluate finished products for proper texture, color, palatability, shape, and doneness.
- Plan, develop and analyze the dining room layout, facility design, menu design, cost analysis, marketing plan, and projected profit and loss statements.
- Describe the fundamental nutrients in the human diet, identify a variety of contemporary dietary needs and demonstrate the ability to create and cook modified menus to meet those needs.
Employment Outlook
Culinary Arts program graduates prepare for careers as sous chefs, line, pantry and prep cooks, bakers, deli workers, food managers, and caterers. The employment outlook for culinary program graduates is very strong, and students can expect to earn excellent wages. Skilled workers in Culinary Arts are in high demand.
Faculty & Support
Brian McDonald
Brian has cooked professionally for over 35 years holding positions as a corporate restaurant chef, garde manger chef, banquet chef, catering chef, private chef, and butcher. He attended the Culinary Institute of America, graduating number one in his class, being awarded the Francis Roth Most Outstanding Student award. He has worked at many fine restaurants and hotels including the Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Amelia Island (Florida), Rick Bayless’ Frontera Grill, David Burke’s Park Avenue Café (Chicago), and locally at Thirteen Coins and The Herb Farm Restaurant. He taught culinary arts for eight years in Asheville, North Carolina before joining Bellingham Technical College in 2003.
Hilde Hettegger-Korsmo
Hilde Hettegger - Korsmo has been a Pastry Arts Instructor at Bellingham Technical College since 2005. She has over two decades of hands on experience in Culinary Arts/Pastry Arts/Restaurant Management and is currently certified under the American Culinary Federation as a Certified Culinarian Educator and Certified Working Pastry Chef. Over the past 20 years, Hilde has held culinary and pastry positions in Austria, Italy and the United States. In 2012, she won a bronze medal in her quest for the National Pastry Chef title and in 2011, she was awarded the Pastry Chef of the Year by the Washington State Chefs association. During the 2011-2012 year, she received the BTC Faculty Haskell Excellence Award; this allowed her to train at the Notter School of Pastry Arts, in Florida, thus enhancing her sugar arts techniques.