Culinary Arts: It takes more than raw talent...
— By Laura Candelaria
Flames shoot from stovetops as pans start to sizzle in a fury. Ingredients are poured into mixing bowls, spices added for the perfect touch. Plates are carefully arranged while knives slice through crisp vegetables. The kitchen is loud, crowded and hot. But when you have that passion for food that burns like a first-semester student making toast, the kitchen is the only place to be. Glendale College provides the beginner steps to becoming a master in the kitchen. If you’ve ever had a dish served to you in a restaurant and thought “I can make this” you may want to take a look at the wide array of courses available on campus: from the fundamentals of baking, foods for modern living, wine pairing and tasting, and even advanced classes for those who think they’re Food Network ready. But the truth is no one is ready. Not by a long shot. The would-be culinary artist needs to understand the basics first. Learn www.glendalecollegeinsider.com
to be a cook, and then time will tell one can play with the big kids and eventually become a chef. “You learn by doing. You don’t learn by watching TV when it comes to hands-on skills like culinary,” says Andrew Feldman, the Director of the Culinary Arts program for the college. He has an East Coast accent that lends understated authority to the kitchen. He’s calm, confident, and has an answer for everything when it comes to cooking. His students nod their heads as he walks down the hallway. “Chef,” they call him. He is the master and commander of his department. Feldman teaches the hands-on lab classes in the culinary department. “I like to teach those [classes] the most and I think you’re best at the things you like,” he says. Feldman talks passionately about why he does what he does and who will benefit from these lessons and how they can put them to use.
Spring 2012 | the insider
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