Walla Walla Community College (WWCC) in Washington is offering a culinary-agriculture curriculum to help students to understand the values of farm-to-fork in a new way. The classes allow students to gain expertise and real-world experience in agriculture, handling livestock, and culinary arts.
The program allows students to “apply [their knowledge] and take it out of the hypothetical realm,” Tyler Cox, Animal Science Professor at WWCC, tells Food Tank. “It’s like: Put your coat on, we’re going to go look at this right now.”
Utilizing the land right next to campus, the program manages 80 head of Red Angus cattle owned by a WWCC professor. Students gain experience in the livestock breeding process while also learning how to grow and tend to crops.
“Our region is our big advantage and the fact that we have these incredibly fertile soils and already a really strong agriculture community,” Robin Leventhal, the Culinary Arts Instructor at the Wine Country Culinary Institute (WCCI), tells Food Tank.
WWCC also offers a Culinary Arts degree, in which students are enrolled at WCCI, accredited by the American Culinary Federation. WCCI operates on the WWCC main campus in a state-of-the-art kitchen as well as a satellite commercial kitchen placed at the Center for Enology & Viticulture.
As agriculture students help grow food and handle livestock, culinary students have the chance to learn the costs and origins of the food they are cooking.
“Students are incredibly invested in what’s happening in production of food that they’re preparing and serving,” says Cox.
As a student-centered program, WCCI is designed to prepare students for the foodservice and hospitality industry. Professors aim to support the development of well-rounded and trained culinary professionals to enter the workforce with the necessary skills to be successful.
Beyond the classroom, internship opportunities help students further their careers, allowing them to gain new skills.
“This program offers another level or layer of the food industry that you wouldn’t get in a conventional culinary arts program and at a time where innovation is essential,” Leventhal tells Food Tank.
Hands-on training and internship opportunities in food production and culinary service and management help students further their careers, allowing them to gain new skills.
“This curriculum is so much more than teaching future chefs,” Leventhal tells Food Tank. “They learn where food comes from, the cost of waste, and how to be responsible stewards of the land.”
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Photo courtesy of Alan James Raeder and Robin Leventhal
