>>> 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.
