You will need to follow the general enrollment process for GTCC.  During the advising process you will have the opportunity to indicate your desire to study within this curriculum. Your advisor will help you sign up for the specific courses you need.

• Linda Beitz, CHE, Associate Professor, 33 years in the industry
• Keith Gardiner, CEC, CCE, CCA, AAC, Professor, 40 years in the industry
• Thomas Lantz, CCE, Assistant Professor, 30 years in the industry
• Michele Prairie, CHE, Instructor, 25 years in the industry
• Alan Romano, CEC, CCE, AAC, Professor, 40 years in the industry
• L.J. Rush, CEC, Program Director and Associate Professor, 35 years in the industry
• Allison Brooks, Administrative Assistant

Yes, Financial aid is available if you qualify.  Please visit the Financial Aid web page or contact the Financial Aid office at 336-334-4822 Option 3.

Yes, if you have a high school diploma. Please note that Safety and Sanitation is a requirement for many of our Lab classes, passing the National Exam and receiving your Servsafe Certification is required to continue through the program.

Kitchen Lab students will be required to purchase, and bring to all lab classes, a professionally suitable knife set, consisting of:

• French knife, paring knife, birds beak paring knife, boning knife, serrated or slicing knife
• Peeler, zester, pallet knife, #5 star tip, #5 plain tip
• Two 14” pastry bags, channel knife, sharpening steel, food service thermometer, digital scale, and classical knife cuts 3-D model set.

All classes (and GTCC-sponsored events) where food is prepared or served

• Fingernails must not be long (nails can extend no more than 1/16” past the tip of the finger), be neatly trimmed, and have no nail polish
• Hair must be a natural shade, clean and neat
• Beards or moustaches must be neatly trimmed / scruffy or “five o’clock shadow” facial hair is not acceptable
• No visible piercings
• Pants and shirt must be impeccably clean, pressed, well fitting, and in excellent condition
• Shoes must be well maintained and clean
• Perfumes, colognes, and scented lotions are not permitted
• Using chewing gum is not permitted
• No visible undergarments, other than the collar of a plain white/solid color t-shirt (no print)

Kitchen lab classes (and GTCC-sponsored food preparation events)

• Uniform consisting of white chef's coat, black checked pants, white floppy cook's hat, white bib apron, black or white socks, two (2) clean side towels and black nonslip work shoes
• Hair should be neat and fully restrained either under the cooks’ hat or by use of a hair net
• Nametag or name embroidered in black on chef’s coat is required
• No earrings and no jewelry, except for plain wedding band
• Watches are to be removed but can be attached to the uniform

Food & Beverage Service lab classes (and GTCC-sponsored food service events)

• (Order) Black Dress Pants – Available in the bookstore!
• (Order) Black dress shirt from the book store before your first class
• Black Bistro Apron
• Black long socks
• Black non-slip shoes (tennis shoes are not acceptable)
• Show your personality with your tie (no bow ties)
• one earring permissible on each ear, no larger than a nickel
• one watch and one ring are permitted

Lecture Class rooms Dress Code (all programs)

• Complete Chef’s uniform – must be button in the classroom
• GTCC Pineapple Polo Shirt Black or Green, or your Black/White Dress shirt from Service Class.  (Shirts are thin, please have on neutral under garments).
• Black or Khaki dress pants. (no leggings or tight-fitting pants)
• Closed toed Non-Slip shoes with socks are required if in the kitchen.
• Not being in the proper attire will result in a zero for the class.

We like to look at your education as you are starting your career with us. In the Hospitality and Culinary Industries, uniforms are the standard. Practicing the future today is one of our goals for you in our program. 

Most of the classes are taught in blocks of time longer than 50 minutes. Since you will receive both the lecture and the lab on the same day, classes can be more than four hours in time. If you miss just one class, you have really missed a week's worth of work. Please see below more information from our Professionalism Statement.

• Students are required to attend all classes.
• Should they miss class, students are fully responsible for getting assignments from the instructor and notes from fellow students.
• If classes are missed, students are required to make up all required competencies.
• Students who miss more than the number of hours a class meets in one week may be subject to an incomplete or failing grade for that course.
• Students are expected to be on time for each class. Students who are excessively late for class, or leave early, will be penalized on their grade. 
• Students who arrive 10 minutes past the beginning of class may be marked absent, at the discretion of the instructor.
• Students who know they will be late must call or email their instructor in advance.
• Missed quizzes or tests given during class time, must be made up on the student's own time, either prior to the beginning of the next class or immediately after that class.

The purpose of homework is for you to come to lecture and lab classes prepared for the day’s lesson and lab activities. Our goal is to prepare you to be as successful as you can be.

Yes, as you progress through the program you will not only be serving the general public, but you will also be preparing the food for them. With that being said, you will need the ability to maneuver up to 50 pounds of product from one location to another. You will be standing for extended periods of time up to four to six hours.

We have many job opportunities that are posted in the student break room and they change often. We also require students to complete two Work-Based Learning classes, which gives you the opportunities to work in the industry and receive college credits. So when you graduate, you will be able to say yes to both and education and work experience!

We highly recommend that you complete both programs, this way you will be able to learn the management and cooking sides to the industry. Many of our classes cross over both programs so you will be able to complete both programs in three years.

See our students in action and the results of their hard work.

• GTCC Culinary Arts Program
• GTCC Retiree Lunch