• Starting each semester, I ask students to find a dish or a recipe that they have always wanted to learn how to prepare. It gives students something to look forward to. (LP)

• My students, traditionally, have had little exposure to the wide variety of foods and cooking ingredients available. Many eat “fast food” on a daily basis and few have experienced fine dining. I like to introduce fresh produce groups (fruits, vegetables, herbs and spices and salad greens) by presenting a wide variety of items and having a tasting party. Students are given a tasting chart to complete as I introduce each new produce item. They then write comments under columns for description (can illustrate and color), aroma, taste, how used. I try to select the more common herbs and spices—sage, oregano, basil, chives, bay leaves, cilantro, ginger, cloves, cinnamon sticks, etc. As students examine these and complete tasting chart, they make a herb collection to take home for their family to used in cooking. (KB)

• When I give lecture notes, I make handouts with blanks in them. I have the same handout on the overhead transparency. The students fill in blanks throughout the notes as I lecture. This way they can listen and still have to write, but not concentrate on trying to write every word I say. (LS)

• If you are looking for chef coats for your class, try calling your local uniform rental/cleaning company. When the coats are barely worn, they will sell for almost nothing and/or donate the coats to your class. (MM)

• Regarding lab evaluations: I use a form which lists the points available for labwork, attendance/prep, clean-up, proper uniforms/tools, and being on time (total 10 points for the day). The competencies I use are also listed on this form under skills tests which occur every 4 weeks in each section (for example, section 1 is sweetdough and muffins, section 2 is quickbreads, section 3 is yeast bread and section 4 is cookies for a total of 16 weeks or one semester). The competencies are graded using a scall of 1=no clear indication, 2=inconsistent evidence, 3=emerging competence, 4=clear competence. (KN)

• I developed a reading guide for my students in response to my frustration that students would not read assigned material in the text.  Each reading guide covers a chapter.  This has worked well with all levels of students.  I pull test questions from the reading guides for unit tests plus this helps me to develop a study guide.  Student grades have improved plus the reading guides are useful for me for teacher orientation. (MM)

• My teaching tip from my mother-in-law SD is…”Students don’t care what you know until they know you care.” From taking this workshop and listening to your instructors, this is a philosophy that the Florida Culinary Institute believes in as well. (KD)

• Let the students plan blind taste tests. Any products they want (pizzas, cookies, etc). Compare by price, low fat versus regular, sugar free versus regular…whatever. This allows them to guess first what the customer will choose and why, and then go through the process and learn the true results. Let them run it any way they want. They learn a lot about appearance, brand power versus taste, etc. (JF)

• When assigning a reading passage or assignment to students, have them write a question to bring to class over the reading. The question must be a higher level thinking from Coasta’s levels of questioning or Blooms Taxonomy. They must have a question to get in the door for the day. You can then have everyone read their question and pick one to discuss or I sometimes collect them and randomly pick one. I generally stay out of the discussion even if there is silence. Someone will respond. After discussion have students write a reflection; i.e., predict what might happen if you substitute cake flour for all purpose flour in yeast bread. Grading guidelines: 5 points for a good question; 15 points participation; 10 points reflection. (KA)

Preparing a rack-of-lamb dinner for two, from ACF’s 2008 Educator of the Year

By Wilfred Beriau, CEC, CCE, AAC

Center-of-the-plate proteins, including American lamb, are the focus of this lesson plan for freshman in the Associate of Applied Science degree program at Southern Maine Community College in South Portland. The course, of which this lesson is a part, addresses the basic fabrication of meat, fish and poultry; stocks; the five major sauces; derivative sauces; coulis, jus lié, and reductions. The class covers moist and dry methods of cooking that demonstrate appropriate cooking methods for a wide array of products.

A key component of this lesson plan involves the preparation and presentation of a NAMP/#204A domestic rack of lamb with accompaniments of a starch, a vegetable, jus lié and herb garnish.