Issue link: http://www.insightdigital.biz/i/112770
insight on By Felic ia Clark Continuing EDUCATION Sizzling up a career Local culinary arts programs get cooking in New North 34 | Insight ��� M a r c h 2 013 c o u r t e s y F o x Va l l e y T e c h n i c a l C o l l e g e T hese days the culinary arts industry has become an attractive career choice: From bartenders and wait staff to chefs, culinary arts degrees have really steamed up the area. New North area educational institutions, such as Fox Valley Technical College of Appleton and Lakeshore Culinary Institute through Lakeshore Technical College, are seeing an increase in students seeking culinary arts degrees. According to several culinary leaders at both colleges, the popularity has been growing over the last decade or more with help from media coverage, such as television channels like The Food Network and even local news stations like FOX 11���s Cooking with Amy. Barb Dodge, Lakeshore Technical College���s Dean of Health and Human Services, says that television has given culinary arts a romantic appeal. ���It makes the career attractive so there���s a lot of demand for professional training,��� she says. ���The food industry is definitely not dead,��� says Chris Jossart, manager of media relations for Fox Valley Technical College. Many of Fox Valley Technical College���s more than 60 culinary arts 2012 graduates each had about four job opportunities waiting for them, Jossart said in an e-mail. He says culinary arts is one of the college���s leading degree-seeking programs. Chef Jeff Igel, who is Fox Fox Valley Technical College���s new Jones Dairy Farm Culinary Theatre allows students to see cooking demonstrations up close. Culinary arts has grown in popularity in New North technical colleges, prompting growth in programs. Valley Technical College���s Culinary Arts & Hospitality Department chair, says there are about 300 students currently enrolled in the program. Moraine Park Technical College and Northeast Wisconsin Technical College also offer culinary arts programs, and NWTC is currently seeking applications for adjunct culinary instructors. Lakeshore Technical College of Cleveland realized it needed to add a culinary arts program after watching students leaving for culinary arts at other schools. ���Our statistics demonstrated that we were losing over 30 students a year to culinary programs outside of Sheboygan and Manitowoc County,��� Dodge says. William Gottsacker, program chair and chef instructor at the Lakeshore Culinary Institute, also recognized the need for culinary arts at the college. ���What happens when students leave for pursing a culinary career, they usually don���t return to the area itself,��� Gottsacker says. This, he says, hurts local businesses. Dodge also says the hospitality and tourism industry contributes a great deal to Wisconsin���s economy, making culinary arts vital to the community. For these reasons, Lakeshore began offering a culinary arts program last May through the Lakeshore Culinary Institute. This includes a student-run, handsw w w. i n s i g h t o n b u s i n e s s . c o m