>>> IT WON'T BE LONG BEFORE MGM SPRINGFIELD WILL BE OPENING, AND
AMONG THE JOBS AVAILABLE WILL BE IN THE NEW RESTAURANTS.
THE HCCMGM CULINARY ARTS INSTITUTE, LOCATED ON RACE
STREET IN HOLYOKE RECENTLY OFFERED A FREE FOUR-WEEK COURSE
TO PREPARE LINE COOKS.
CAROLEE MCGRATH SAT DOWN WITH WARREN LEIGH, THE CULINARY
INSTITUTE DEPARTMENT CHAIR, AND TWO STUDENTS WHO COMPLETED THE
COURSE.
>> IT'S IN OUR NONCREDIT AREA AND WAS SUPPORTED BY A GRANT,
THE DEVAL PATRICK AWARD AND WAS FREE TO ANYBODY THAT
PARTICIPATED, WHICH WAS ANOTHER BONUS.
WE WANTED TO CREATE A TRAINING PROGRAM THAT WOULD SHARPEN THEIR
SKILLS, HAVE THEM UNDERSTAND SAUCERS AND THINGS LIKE THAT, SO
THEY COULD BE READY TO GET A JOB AT ANOTHER POSITION, EITHER
WHEREVER THEY'RE WORKING OR AT A NEW LOCATION, AND NOT
NECESSARILY JUST MGM, BUT JUST SO HAPPENS THAT OF THE EIGHT
THAT GRADUATED, FOUR OR SIX NOW HAVE BEEN HIRED BY MGM AS WELL.
TWO ARE MOVING AROUND WHERE THEY WERE, WHICH HAS BEEN GREAT.
>> SO THIS IS FOR LINE COOKS?
>> YES.
>> JUST DESCRIBE, WHAT IS A LINE COOK?
>> A LINE COOK WOULD BE THE PERSON THAT WOULD FINISH AND
PRODUCE THE PLATE THAT IS SERVED TO THE CUSTOMER
THE CHEF AND THE SUE CHIEF ARE THERE AS MANAGERS AND SOMETIMES
HOLD THOSE SAME POSITIONS WITHIN A KITCHEN.
SO IT COULD BE SOMEBODY THAT'S RUNNING THE GRILL, OVEN, FRY
STATION, SAUTE STATION, PANTRY, DESSERTS, THINGS LIKE THAT.
>> SO TELL ME WHAT YOU WERE DOING BEFORE YOU DID THIS
PROGRAM.
>> I WAS DOING BREAKFAST COOK.
I WANTED TO FURTHER MY EXPERIENCE AND NOT JUST SAY IN
THE BREAKFAST PART OF THE FIELD.
SO WHEN I HEARD THAT THIS FOUR-WEEK LINE COOK PROGRAM WAS
STARTING, I HAD TO JOIN REAL QUICK.
>> SO WHAT WILL YOU BE DOING AT MGM?
>> I'LL BE WORKING IN THEIR PRODUCTION KITCHEN.
SO I'LL BE PRODUCING LIKE COLD STUFF, HORS D'OEUVRES, SALADS
AND PRODUCING THINGS FOR OTHER KITCHENS AS BACKUP.
>> AND WERE YOU DOING BEFORE YOU STARTED THIS?
>> I WAS A LINE COOK IN ARAMARK, I WAS DOING THE BREAKFAST AS
WELL, AND LUNCH AS WELL.
SO WHEN HOLYOKE COMMUNITY COLLEGE TOLD ME ABOUT THIS
PROGRAM, I SAID I NEED TO TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY AND JUST GO
WITH IT.
>> TELL US ABOUT THE CERTIFICATE PROGRAM THAT YOU HAVE.
YOU HAVE BOTH THE CERTIFICATE AND THE ASSOCIATES DEGREE
PROGRAM.
THE CERTIFICATE IS A SHORTER PROGRAM, BUT IT CAN LEAD TO THE
NEXT ONE, CORRECT?
>> RIGHT.
SO IT'S STACKABLE.
WE HAVE A TWO SEMESTER CERTIFICATE PROGRAM, AND THAT
WILL SET YOU UP WITH MOST OF THE FUNDAMENTALS, PRETTY MUCH WHAT
WE DID IN FOUR WEEK CRASH COURSE, AT LEAST THE FIRST
SEMESTER WILL BE LIKE THAT.
THE SECOND SEMESTER WILL BE MORE FINISHING PLATES AND SAUCES AND
COMBINING THOSE ELEMENTS TO ONE PLATE, AND THEN WHEN YOU'RE DONE
WITH THAT WE THINK YOU'LL BE IN THAT THAT PLACE TO BECOME A LINE
COOK.
PROBABLY WOULD START AS A PREP COOK AND THEY'LL SEE WHAT YOU
CAN DO.
YOU HAVE TO BE WILLING TO LEARN, COACHABLE, IN OUR INDUSTRY, WELL
ANY INDUSTRY BUT FOURS PARTICULAR.
>> YES.
>> AND HAVING A PASSION FOR WANTING TO DO THIS AND HAVING
THE HOSPITALITY HEART MAKES A DIFFERENCE.
THEN THE FIRST TWO SEMESTERS WILL ALLOW YOU TO LEAD INTO AN
ASSOCIATES DEGREE.
THEN THAT WOULD BRING YOU TO THE SEMESTER THREE, AND THOSE TWO
SEMESTERS WILL INCLUDE CAP STONES LIKE RUNNING A RESTAURANT
ONCE A WEEK, AND DOING PLATED VENTS IN THE EVENING AND THINGS
LIKE THAT.
>> SO WHEN YOU'RE THINKING ABOUT A CAREER IN THE CULINARY ARTS,
RUNNING A STRAWJT, YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT ACCOUNTING,
MARKETING, ALL THE DIFFERENT THINGS THAT GO INTO IT.
DO YOU THINK WHEN PEOPLE SIGN UP FOR A FOUR WEEK COURSE THAT YOU
REALIZE WHAT IT TAKES TO PUT THAT PLATE ON THE TABLE AND MAKE
THE CUSTOMER HAPPY?
>> I THINK WE GOT THERE.
WE STARTED OUT WITH A LOT OF THE FUNDAMENTALS IN THIS CRASH
COURSE, BUT IT WAS EVERY MORNING AT 8:30 FOR AT LEAST FOUR HOURS
IN THE KITCHEN AND THEN WEDNESDAY UNTIL 3:00.
SO WE DID A LITTLE LUNCH EVERY WEDNESDAY SO WE HAD A FEELING OF
WHAT IT WAS LIKE TO HAVE CUSTOMERS IN THE DINING ROOM AND
GET A LITTLE PRESSURE ON THE STUDENTS THE LAST FEW WEEKS.
>> IT'S HARD, YOU WORK CRAZY HOURS.
BUT DO YOU HAVE THAT SORT OF HOSPITALITY HEART THAT HE WAS
TALKING ABOUT?
>> I FEEL LIKE I DO.
I'VE BEEN COOKING WITH MY MOM IN THE KITCHEN SINCE I WAS ABOUT 3
YEARS OLD.
COOKING IS SOMETHING THAT I'VE ALWAYS LOVED.
AND NOW THAT I'M ACTUALLY, MY SKILLS ACTUALLY SHARPENED AND I
KNOW MORE ABOUT THE INDUSTRY, I FEEL GOOD.
I FEEL LIKE I CAN BE THAT PERSON TO PLEASE THE CUSTOMER.
>> SO YOU HAVE ANOTHER SESSION COMING UP.
>> JULY 23rd.
WE FOUND THE FIRST ROUND, TOOK A COUPLE STUDENTS THAT PROBABLY
SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN IN IT, BECAUSE THEY JUST WEREN'T READY
FOR IT BECAUSE WE'RE TRYING TO GET PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN OUT
THERE FOR TWO OR THREE YEARS AS COOKS SOMEWHERE.
SO THOSE THAT WERE, LIKE AXEL AND NAQUAN, WERE SUCCESSFUL AND
COMPLETED THE PROGRAM.
SO WE'RE DOING A BETTER JOB OF MAKING SURE WE'RE BRINGING THAT
KIND OF STUDENT IN.
BUT THE BENEFIT OF THIS IS THAT IT'S FREE, AS A CHEF AND OWNER,
I HAD A NUMBER OF RESTAURANTS BACK IN THE DAY, WE DON'T ALWAYS
TAKE THE TIME TO DO THE TRAINING.
WE'RE WILLING TO DO IT FOR YOU.
SO IF THE RESTAURANT OPERATORS AND OWNERS CAN SAY, YOU KNOW
WHAT, AXEL, I'M GIVING YOU THE TIME OFF SO YOU CAN TAKE
ADVANTAGE OF THIS TRAINING, AND LET THEM COME WORK THIS THE
WEEKENDS AND EVENINGS SO THEY CAN PRACTICE THOSE SKILLS, IT'S
A WIN-WIN FOR EVERYBODY.