Earlier this fall, NRC Culinary Arts students participated in two Work Based Learning Opportunities that introduced them to both the catering/events management and business end of working in NYC’s culinary industry.

On Thursday, November 20th the NRC Culinary Arts Cohort # 4 students had the opportunity to participate in a Work Based Learning Opportunity, where they were provided a business operations tour by the owner of Black Shack, Mr. Jeff.  Students learned about the intricacies of running a business and the importance of having a great sense of money management. “What was wonderful about this opportunity, was the students obtained real life experience; the information was not derived from a text book; rather, a visual experience that will surely stick with them,” said, an NRC staff member. Besides obtaining this real life experience, students were treated to one of the best burgers in town; student’s were astonished by the quality and the personal service provided by Black Shack, which will probably be one of the best memorable experiences in the program.

The Chef’s for Impact event was held, also on Thursday, November 20th, 2014, where the best chefs in New York gathered in an effort to raise funds to deliver e-Learning to rural Africa. Seven of our Culinary Arts Cohort 4 students had the privilege to serve as Chef Assistants to
some chefs in attendance, including Andrew Whitcomb, from Colonie, and Mark Henegan from Madiba. Our students were extremely hands-on during this worked based learning opportunity from decorating for the event to preparing food. The amount of networking and sharing of ideas was truly beneficial for the students; a few of which are being considered for work under chefs in attendance. “I am so proud of the effort and the professionalism our students exhibited; I cannot wait to learn about the relationships and opportunities established after this event” Fiormelissa Johnson, NRC Program Coordinator. As per the coordinator of Chef’s for Impact:

“I was completely floored after seeing their dedication, skills, generosity and incredible professionalism throughout the day. It is a testament to your program and to each of
these individuals. I would be honored to work with any of them and would not give a second thought to recommending them to chefs. I am going to put feelers out to some of our chefs and see if any are hiring or would be willing to speak with the students further.”

Overall, the event was an extreme success as our students received hands-on experience with individuals well-established in their profession.

If you’re interested in hearing more about NRC’s Culinary Arts training program, consider signing up for one of our upcoming information sessions. Fill out the short online survey on the above page and an NRC representative will provide you with all the information you need to know. You can read more about NRC programming and events but checking out our other blog posts here.