Basic Techniques Certificate Programs

The ICASI Basic Techniques Certificate Programs are the first phase of a classical training program in professional cooking. These programs are based upon cooking and teaching principles that have been utilized for centuries in Europe to produce top-notch chefs and other foodservice professionals. Such programs have guided the careers of a host of chefs, both famous and unheralded, and the wisdom of the classical training approach is still recognized as the best way to train an aspiring chef. The classical approach recognizes that classroom instruction alone is not enough to produce a well-trained professional chef. The skills learned by the student must be challenged by hands-on exercises and activities that model real-world working conditions.

In the Basic Techniques Certificate Programs, the student culinary chef or pastry chef is exposed to the basic skills necessary to cook or bake proficiently. Students in the Culinary Arts Basic Techniques Certificate Program learn to identify a wide range of products, to skillfully purchase and prepare them for cooking, and ultimately to properly cook and serve them. Likewise, those in the Pastry Arts Basic Techniques Certificate Program learn the same skills as they apply in the area of professional baking. Students who have completed the Basic Techniques Certificate Programs at ICASI have excellent preparation for entry-level foodservice jobs.

Advanced Techniques Diploma Programs

While the skills learned and developed in the Basic Techniques Certificate Programs provide excellent preparation for entry-level foodservice jobs, other skills are needed to prepare for positions of greater responsibility in the professional kitchen or pastry shop. The Advanced Techniques Diploma Programs build upon the skills learned in the Basic Techniques Programs by applying them in more elaborate culinary and pastry preparations of commercial restaurant quality.

The student taking Advanced Techniques classes develops the ability to modify and adapt techniques learned in earlier classes and put them to use under professionally appropriate conditions. Specific products and cooking styles are examined in detail, and the student has the ability to demonstrate both mastery of particular skills and creative adaptation of techniques learned during class sessions.

In Lecture Series class sessions, students study the important non-cooking aspects of the professional foodservice industry. Including Sanitation, Nutrition and Foodservice Management. Mastery of the information taught in these units is necessary for modern foodservice workers seeking supervisory or management positions.

The final phase of the ICASI Advanced Techniques Diploma Programs takes place when students register for either the ICASI Student Café or the ICASI Student Bake Shop. Each of these courses leads students beyond the classroom into the real world of professional foodservice. Having mastered both Basic and Advanced Techniques and having learned the principles of Foodservice Management, students will put their skills to the test in a model restaurant or bakeshop setting. They will focus their attention on operating their model establishments under real working conditions, firmly guided by ICASI chef-instructors. Upon completing ICASI Student Café or ICASI Student Bake Shop, students are also required to complete an externship outside the school at a high quality restaurant, at a bakery, at a hotel, or with an experienced personal chef or caterer.

Although demanding, this phase of a student’s training is the crowning jewel of the ICASI educational experience. Success in this phase of the program allows the new professional chef or baker to enter the foodservice workforce with the skills necessary to seek a career in foodservice management. It is also a time that the student will remember fondly as a demanding but satisfying passage into the company of an elite group of highly trained individuals.

Flexible Scheduling Options

All ICASI programs are designed to maximize flexibility and scheduling options. Classes are held days, evenings and weekends. Most of our students work part-time or full-time jobs while attending our programs.

We also offer an Accelerated Certificate Program for Culinary Arts or Pastry Arts. Classes are held four days a week plus interning which is scheduled based on each student's availability. Students can receive their Basic Techniques Certificates in just 12 weeks!