Take a 50-pound bag of carrots and peel and chop 40 pounds of them. What percentage is that? The following 25 questions not only indicate math areas where students might be weak, but also teach basic culinary and management skills.

By Adam Weiner, CFSE

At the June, 2011 CAFÉ Leadership Conference in Providence, one of the hot topics during roundtable discussions at the best-practices seminars and social meetings was the problem of students of all levels (high school, vocational and college) not knowing basic math skills. Surprisingly, the most consistent comment was that new culinary students cannot read an analog clock.

I had the honor of leading a roundtable discussion, and one of the questions posed was: “How do you assess culinary math skills?” In my vocational program, I give the students the test below, and then we go over each answer in detail. If most of the students missed a particular problem or problems, I create extra examples using the same type of math skills. It takes more than one class to do this, but I find it is time well spent.

By Adam Weiner, CFSE

Chef Weiner suggests five steps to help students overcome their reticence toward baking.

Teaching baking in 50 minutes has some unique challenges. But it is more challenging to realize that we are teaching a generation who have not only grown up without seeing their parents bake from scratch, but have also grown up not seeing their grandparents bake from scratch. With Betty Crocker's first cake mix coming out in 1943, baking from scratch at home has become a lost art.

Fortunately, baking at home and in restaurants is making a comeback. However, we have to help our students overcome their shyness of baking. Here is a proposed 5-Step Program:

1. Start Simple and without Explanation. Divide your students into groups, give each group the same chocolate-chip-cookie recipe, and have them go at it. Stand back and don't get involved. Each group will produce a very different-looking and tasting cookie.

By L. Adam Weiner, CFSE

Mind the chef, don’t steal and watch food costs. Students should live by these and eight other essential dos and don’ts to remain employed in that job for which you’ve trained him or her.

Last issue I addressed how to help your students get jobs. This issue will be about how to make sure they keep their jobs. Here are 11 key points to cut out and give to your students:

1. Be on Time. Depending on which survey you read, 90% to 97% of firings occur because of failing to arrive on time, not showing up at all and/or leaving early. Timeliness and attendance are so important because the schedule of the kitchen is based on everyone being there, and everyone being on time. If you come in 15 minutes late in the morning, the kitchen will be behind all day.

By Adam Weiner, CFSE

What will a potential employer see if he or she looks up your student on Facebook? This and six other points will help you help your grads find meaningful employment.

With the end of the school year approaching, a number of your students will be out in the job market looking to turn all of their culinary skills (that you taught them) into gainful employment. Now for some painful reality: Unless you teach them how to get and keep a job, all of the technical skills that you have taught are in vain. You might feel that you don’t have time to teach these skills or that they aren’t part of your curriculum. Yet, you must remember that even if your student is potentially the next Bobby Flay, it is useless if he/she can’t get a job and keep that job.

This article will be about how to teach your students to get a job, and the next article will regard teaching how to keep the job.

By Adam Weiner

Chef Weiner completes his valuable student-handout series on purchasing and properly handling and caring for knives.

The articles for the last three months were written in a handout format for your students on how to buy knives/how knives are made, how to hone and sharpen knives and an introduction on how to use knives. This month’s article, again in a form to give out to your students, is about knife safety and care.