Salt Lake Community College Culinary Institute Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Salt Lake Community College Culinary Institute?

For over 25 years, the Culinary Arts program at Salt Lake Community College has prepared students for careers as chefs or food and beverage supervisors in a wide range of industries.

This program prepares students for careers in culinary arts and fulfills the requirements for the National Restaurant Association (NRA) and American Culinary Federation (ACF) certifications.

Will I earn a degree?

By successfully completing SLCC's program, students earn an Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degree.  Students will become active American Culinary Federation (ACF) members and are eligible for free ACF certification as either a Certified Culinarian (CC) or a Certified Pastry Culinarian (CPC).  Courses in the program also fulfill the requirements for the National Restaurant Association certificates.

What will I learn?

In addition to learning culinary skills such as food preparation, baking and continental cuisine, students also receive thorough training in the business side of the food industry.  Courses are available in supervision and training, purchasing, catering management, menu design and marketing management.  The program combines classroom education and practice with on-the-job-training.

How long will it take?

In only five semesters (two years) you can complete the curriculum as outlined and approved by the American Culinary Federation.  These courses also fulfill requirements for the National Restaurant Association certificates. In addition to two years of related instruction, there is an on-the-job requirement of 2,000 hours.  This work must be performed in an establishment with more than 51% of the food being prepared from scratch.  The classes are held during regular day hours.

How much will it cost?

SLCC's Culinary Arts program is a fraction of the cost of the top culinary arts schools in the nation.  PLUS, our facilities are state-of-the-art and are comparable to other leading culinary schools in the country!

Tuition and fees are based on the SLCC resident/non-resident tuition schedule, plus the purchase of uniforms and tools.

Are scholarships available?

A Bea Allen Culinary Arts Scholarship is available.  You must be admitted as a matriculated student and enrolled on at least a half-time basis.  Scholarships are open to Utah Residents only and are awarded based on need for financial aid and academic achievement. 

Is SLCC Culinary Arts an accredited program?

Salt Lake Community College is the only culinary program in the state to be accredited by the American Culinary Federation.

The American Culinary Federation says programs that earn their approval "distinguish themselves from hundreds of other post-secondary culinary programs in the nation and abroad...
Graduated students have an advantage when seeking employment because certification is representative of having the knowledge and skills to be successful". 

Check out the benefits of accreditation by American Culinary Federation (ACFEFAC).

The program is also recommended by the National Restaurant Association Education Foundation's ManageFirst program.

Will I be able to participate in SkillsUSA?

All students enrolled in the Culinary Arts program are members of SkillsUSA, sponsor of the Professional Development Program (PDP).  This program is designed to promote leadership, communication, social and employable skills.  This training is included in the curriculum of the program.

What is the faculty like?

Our highly-trained and certified full-time and adjunct faculty is skilled in various areas such as safety and sanitation, supervision, nutrition, herb horticulture and food and wine preparation.

What are the facilities like?

The SLCC Culinary Institute is located in the CART building at the Larry H. Miller campus.  The Culinary Arts building is a free-standing facility which has six kitchens, multiple classrooms and a computer lab.  The beautiful facility includes more than 10,000 square feet of training space including a demonstration kitchen, gas and electric kitchens, refrigerator, dry storage space and dining room.

Weekly tours of the Culinary Arts facilities are held every Thursday at 2:00 p.m.  Meet us in the foyer of the CART building on the Miller Campus or contact Ricco Renzetti at 801-957-4643.

The Miller Campus was donated to Salt Lake Community College by the late Larry H. Miller.

What classes should I take during high school?

Educational suggestions for high school subjects include mathematics, business math, marketing and art design including three dimensional.

Where will I be able to work and how much can I make?

SLCC graduates have gone on to work in a wide range of industries including:

• Restaurants
• Hotels
• Private country clubs
• Commercial catering
• Hospitals
• Newspaper food journalist
• Commercial kitchens
• And more!

Cooks in the Kitchen!

Chefs, cooks and food preparation workers held nearly 3.1 million jobs in 2004.  Job openings for chefs, cooks and food preparation workers are expected to be plentiful through the year 2014.

Salaries will vary greatly depending on place of employment, schooling and experience.

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