Agrifood, Brewing, Culinary

Code Number Trackers and Food Labels

Trace Produce Use Product Lot Identification Number to find where produce came from

HarvestMark   Type in Harvest Mark Code from produce labeling

Barcode Decoding First three digits of barcodes on food containers are country codes of origin (where the food was manufactured, not necessarily on where food originated).

Food Label Understanding  Food label info from the Food and Drug Administration 

Food Ingredients

Behind The Brands  Assesses agricultural sourcing policies of world's 10 largest food/beverage companies

Food Composition  USDA Nutrient Info

Food Research Info USDA guide

IFT Global Food Traceability Center

Meat and Meat Products Traceability page Info from Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) United Nations

What's in My Food? Nutrient profiles for foods eaten in the US

Restaurants: Go to restaurant website to see if they list food sources. For example:

McDonalds  - Look around for links about their Food

Prepackaged Products: Explore the website of the manufacturer.  For example:

Nature Valley Granola Bar  at the General Mills website  

- From dropdown menu across the top, mouse over the responsibility tab, and select ‘Responsibility Report

 -Once the report has been downloaded, go to the section on ‘Sourcing’. 

(Current as of January 2017)

CUL 100 Food Safety Essentials
2-2-0 (Lecture/Discussion)/Online/Blended Contact Hours: 2 This course will provide students with an introduction to principles of sanitation, characteristics and causes of food borne illness and measures to prevent unsanitary conditions that cause food borne illness, including safe food handling, chemical use and storage, and management training tools. On farms, GAP/GHP (good agricultural practices/good handling practices) must include a food safety plan. This course will address employee practices, risk associated with illness, proper attire, first aid, field and packing house policies, record keeping and equipment and tool sanitation - the basic requirements for writing a GAP manual and being ready for an audit. The course will conclude with the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation SERVSAFE Manager certification examination. Minimum benchmarks will be enforced.

CUL 106 The Science of Food
3-2.5-1.5 (Lecture/Standard Lab) Contact Hours: 4 This course will employ lectures, lab activities and demonstrations to help students develop the scientific understanding required for a successful career as a culinary professional or in the food industry. Principles of food production and preparation are explored in the context of scientific concepts and scientific thinking. Topics including the chemical and physical properties of food, influence of environmental factors on food quality and the science of cooking and other methods of food preparation will be explored. The science of molecular gastronomy will be introduced. Minimum benchmarks will be enforced.

CUL 110 Culinary Foundations
4-0-12 (Standard Lab) Contact Hours: 12 This course will introduce skills in fundamental food preparation skills. This is a "hands-on" laboratory course designed to develop applied knowledge and skills in product identification, knife use, cooking methods, sanitation practices, professionalism, food safety, sustainability, and equipment usage. The preparation of stocks, sauces, soups, starches, vegetables, and proteins will be practiced. Preparation of meat, fish, poultry, game, and alternative proteins is included. Recipes using ingredients from all food categories will be prepared and sampled. Minimum benchmarks will be enforced.

CUL 130 Purchasing Practices
2-2-0 (Lecture/Discussion)/Online/Blended Contact Hours: 2 This course emphasizes purchasing and receiving practices in the food industry in relationship to control and cost. Students will increase their understanding of products by sampling a diversity of seafood, meats, poultry, dairy, and fresh/canned products. Product quality will be emphasized and principles and practices of sustainable food supply/inventory will be reinforced. Minimum benchmarks will be enforced.

CUL 170 Food Preservation
2-1-2 (Lecture/Standard Lab) Contact Hours: 3 This course will provide students with an overview and direct experience related to techniques for the preservation of food. Topics such as the history, underlying science, and fundamental processes of extending the seasons will be covered through legacy and modern methods. Through lectures, demonstrations and activities, students will explore techniques used to preserve a diversity of food products via fermentation, curing, dehydration, canning, and charcuterie. Minimum benchmarks will be enforced.

CUL 200 Menus for Diet and Health
3-3-0 (Lecture/Discussion)/Online/Blended Contact Hours: 3 This course will explore advanced concepts in nutrition and how it relates to health and wellness. Information will be provided on alternative diets and medical dietary requirements. Students will work with nutrition information to create healthy menu offerings considering allergies, food sensitivities and other dietary concerns. PREREQUISITE: Successful completion of WPE 130 is REQUIRED.

CUL 210 Baking & Dessert Fundamentals
4-0-12 (Standard Lab) Contact Hours: 12 This course will introduce principles of professional baking, which includes instruction and hands-on production of yeast-raised goods, layered dough, quick breads, cakes, pastries, tortes, pies and cookies. Students will be trained in a simulated production/instructional setting in practical baking labs. Ancient grains will be studied and incorporated into baking recipes following healthy and nutritious recipe guidelines. Decorating techniques will be introduced in the preparation of cakes, tortes, frozen desserts, ice creams, hot-plated desserts, and cold-plated desserts to maximize plate architecture and visual appeal. An emphasis on nutrition and sustainability issues will be provided. Minimum benchmarks will be enforced.

CUL 220 Culinary Production Lab I
4-0-12 (Standard Lab) Contact Hours: 12 Principles, procedures and standards of quality in commercial and institutional styles of cooking will be covered in this course. Students will prepare entrees, soups, sandwiches, salads and vegetables for the program's open-to-the public restaurant to experience the time, pressure, and quality concerns of a production kitchen. Protein size and plate presentation will be highlighted. Sustainable, seasonal, and local ingredient sourcing will be integrated into the recipes, preparation and presentation of the food. PREREQUISITE: Successful completion of CUL 100 and CUL 110 are REQUIRED.

CUL 230 Service Lab I
4-0-12 (Standard Lab) Contact Hours: 12 In this course, American, French, Russian, Banquet, Butler, and Family style service will be introduced and practiced in a real-time service environment. Dining room management, guest relations, and practice in the roles of various service personnel will be emphasized in the program's cafe and restaurant. PREREQUISITE: Successful completion of CUL 100 and CUL 110 are REQUIRED.

CUL 240 Culinary Production Lab II
4-0-12 (Standard Lab) Contact Hours: 12 This course will provide students with advanced training in banquet/tableside recipes and preparations. Students will train in the evening restaurant and off-premise catering. Techniques in charcuterie, garde manger, and the techniques, tastes and flavors of global cuisines will be presented with an emphasis on organization, preparation, execution and service. Continuing training in preparing vegan and vegetarian recipes will be included. PREREQUISITE: Successful completion of CUL 210, CUL 220 and CUL 230 are REQUIRED.

CUL 250 Service Lab II
4-0-12 (Standard Lab) Contact Hours: 12 This second service training course will continue table service instruction, featuring tableside preparations. Dining room management skills will be studied, with a focus on exceptional guest service. Advanced skills will be demonstrated in the college restaurant as students serve paying guests. Wine service will be taught and practiced, along with additional training on tea and coffee service. As part of the course, students will prepare for SERVSAFE Alcohol certification. PREREQUISITE: Successful completion of CUL 210, CUL 220, and CUL 230 are REQUIRED.

CUL 260 Medical Nutrition Therapy
3-2-3 (Lecture/Standard Lab) Contact Hours: 5 This course will provide students with skills related to the collection, assessment, evaluation and application of nutritional data, which are essential to providing clients with appropriate food choices based on physicians' orders. The skills introduced in this course will expand upon previous knowledge of basic nutrition and menu planning to cover concepts and approaches in medical nutrition. Through lectures, discussions, and field experiences in institutional food service settings, students will learn to function in the role of a Dietary Manager. PREREQUISITE: Successful completion of WPE 130 is REQUIRED. Corequisite: Concurrent enrollment in CUL 200 or instructor permission is required.

CUL 265 Dietary Manager Internship
3-0-0 to 9-0-0 (Variable) Contact Hours: 3 to 9 This course in intended to give students field experience required to sit for the Certified Dietary Manager/Certified Food Protection Professional examination. Students will be supervised by Registered Dieticians and approved food service managers within institutional settings. Students will gain field experience with medical nutrition therapy, nutrition education, menu planning, and business operations and food safety patient care procedures in food service settings. A preceptor evaluation will be included in the academic assessment of the student. This course may be used in place of CUL 275 to satisfy the internship requirement for the culinary degree program. PREREQUISITE: Successful completion of CUL 200 is REQUIRED.

CUL 275 Culinary Internship
2-0-0 to 9-0-0 (Variable) Contact Hours: 2 to 9 Through this course, students will gain additional field experience under the supervision of an approved culinary employer. As part of the internship experience, students create and employer worksite training plan and document their activities in culinary production and/or service. An employer evaluation will be included in the academic assessment of the student. PREREQUISITE: Successful completion of CUL 110, CUL 220, and CUL 230 are REQUIRED.

(Current as of January 2017)

AGF 105 Food Industry Career Planning
This course will introduce students to career opportunities in sustainable agriculture, food systems, culinary, beverage industry, and food service operations. Students will explore how concepts of nutritional balance and environmental sustainability are applied to the food industry. Careers will be explored through field trips, speakers, and lectures. Students will evaluate their own knowledge/skill base and learn how to pursue careers of interest through skill development in resume writing, job searches, portfolios, and interviewing.

AGF 110 Intro Sustainable Food Systems
This course will provide students with an introduction to the Triple-Bottom-Line concept which applies social, environmental, and financial thinking to growing, production, processing, distribution, and end-user/purchasing aspects of food. Through discussions, presentations and written assignments, students will learn about food and explore the complex ecological, political, social, and economic interactions that occur within local and global food systems. In addition to studying food systems that deliver through conventional retail and food service channels, an emphasis will be placed on food security and sustainability in urban areas and the role of urban gardens, food cooperatives, farmers markets and food banks.

AGF 120 Summer/Fall Crops Practicum
This course will engage students directly with the planting, production, harvesting, and post-harvest management of summer/fall food crops for use in healthy menu plans and preparation. Aspects of farm and garden system, including soils, pest and disease control, fertility, weed control, and composting systems for reclaiming organic wastes for agricultural use will be covered. Students will learn about the seasonality of crops in Michigan: specifically, the importance of summer- and fall-harvested crops to our year-round local food supply as well as understanding use in diet/menu planning for optimal nutrition. Practices and technologies for extending the growing season will be introduced.

AGF 140 Winter Crops Practicum
This course will engage students directly with the planting, production, harvesting, post-harvest management, and preservation of winter food crops for use in healthy menu plans and preparation. Students will learn how to grow indoor crops and learn how to use preserved crops in winter diet/menu planning for optimal nutritional outcomes. Students will learn how to plan for crop cycles, including developing crop calendars and the timing of germination of various seedlings for later transplant and grow-out production. Students will learn how to prune plans to maximize plant health and productivity.

AGF 210 Healthy Plant to Plate
This course will engage students in growing, production, processing, distribution, and end user/purchaser aspects of food and the food system. Students will explore how to reduce the carbon footprint of a food system and bring food to the table at its peak of freshness and height of nutritional goodness. The course includes on-site visits with farmers, food processors and experts in our local food system to engage in health and sustainability practices related to food safety, water and waste systems, food marketing and the heritage food movement. Course content focuses on knowing the nature of the food supply to better understand what is on the shelves of local markets, how it got there, and how to select the most healthy and sustainable products. Recommended prerequisite: Successful completion of AGF 110.

BREW 110 Brewing History & Introduction
This course will provide students with knowledge of the brewing history-from early times to Prohibition-era change to today's local, Michigan, U.S. and global industries- including legal and regulatory issues as well as the current three-tier U.S. distribution system. A perspective of the brewing processes and unit operations will be included as it applies to home brewers, craft brewers and large-scale brewers, including strategies for beer costing, pricing, marketing and sales. Students will be provided information to consider related to career planning within the brewing industry. The health impact of responsible beer and alcohol use will be reinforced, as well as involvement with regulatory and brewing associations.

BREW 130 Materials, Malting & Mashing
This course will provide students with knowledge of brewing raw materials: malt, hops, brewing and source water, as well as other ingredients used in brewing. Students will learn the raw material properties needed for efficient brewing and for producing quality beer. Critical evaluation of brewing raw materials using physical evaluation and analytical results will be emphasized, as will the chemistry of malt and mashing enzymes, reaction requirements, analysis and critical control parameters of producing high quality wort. Sourcing and financial considerations for brewing raw material supply options will be discussed.

BREW 140 Recipe, Process & Technology
This course will provide students with knowledge to develop beer recipes using brewing materials. Mathematic principles such as unit conversion, algebra, and material balances will be used to enable students to formulate their own recipes, which will be used in laboratory brewing trials. Additionally, this course provides students with knowledge of technological design, materials of construction, operation and performance of a brewery, and support equipment from brewing raw material through chilled wort production. Students will explore brewhouse equipment such as vessels, pumps, piping, valves, agitators, boilers, venting, measurement devices, electrical components, and computer automation. Personal safety and safe operation of brewery equipment and proper management and handling of waste products and by-products will be emphasized. Students will learn about business aspects of sustainable brewery operations, which include managing, scheduling, and reporting functions using dashboards. Case studies and excursions to local breweries will be included to allow students to assess equipment installations directly.

BREW 150 Yeast Ferment & Microbiology
This course provides students the knowledge of brewing yeast and the impacts of brewing microorganisms on beer quality. Brewing yeast fermentation bio-chemical pathways and products from yeast metabolism, growth, harvest, storage, and repitch will be investigated. The use of mixed culture yeast and micro-organisms for special beer style flavors will be explored. Financial consequences of proper and improper yeast handling and beer-spoiling contamination by microorganisms will be discussed. Recommended prerequisite: CUL 100.

BREW 160 Styles Sensory & Food Pairing
This course will provide students with an understanding of world beer styles and sensory skill training in evaluating and judging beer. The industry accepted Beer Flavor Wheel will be used to define sensory attributes of specific styles and to develop skill in determining off-flavors. An understanding of sensory panel training, experimental design of sensory tests, and statistical evaluation of panel results will be covered. Additionally, this course will provide students with knowledge of beer styles and sensory skill training in pairing beer with food, where students will learn attributes of different beer and food combinations and prepare food and beer pairings. Skills related to effective customer relations and interaction will be emphasized.

BREW 170 Fermenting & Finishing Tech
This course will provide students with an understanding of technological design, materials of construction (including pressure vessels), operation and performance of fermenting and finishing equipment and support equipment from wort-stage through finished bright beer production. Fermenting and finishing equipment discussed will include vessels, pumps, piping, valves, filters, carbonators, refrigeration, CIP (cleaning in place) and SIP (sanitization in place) systems, venting and counter pressure systems, measurement devices, electrical components, and computer. Management and handling of fermenting and finishing operations covered will include management, scheduling, and reporting using dashboards. Personal safety and safe operation of fermenting and finishing equipment will be emphasized. Case studies and excursions to local breweries will be included to enable students to assess different equipment installations. Recommended prerequisite: Completion of CUL 110.

BREW 210 Brewing Practicum I
This course will provide students with practical brewing experience by designing and making wort on KVCC teaching brewery equipment. Students will demonstrate brewing concepts by formulating a recipe, selecting brewing materials and producing wort. Designed as a practicum, students will perform all calculations, develop a brew log, and perform all operational and reporting aspects to meet brewhouse performance and reporting requirements. Students will be responsible for brewery operation, including running equipment, testing and recording measurements throughout the brewing process, controlling raw material parameters and support streams, and addressing waste and by-products, cleaning equipment, and cleaning-in-place (CIP). Personal safety and equipment safety will be emphasized. PREREQUISITE: Successful completion of CUL 100 is REQUIRED.

BREW 220 Brewing Practicum II
This course provides students the knowledge and practical experience of defining fermentation and finishing parameters to make a kegged, finished bright beer using KVCC teaching brewery equipment. Students will demonstrate concepts learned to aerate wort, pitch yeast, ferment wort, harvest and manage yeast, and age, filter, carbonate, and filter to produce bright beer successfully. Designed as a practicum, the student will make all preparations as well as plan and perform all operational aspects, including testing, monitoring and recording analytical measurements throughout the process, and controlling parameters to ensure that high-quality finished bright beer is produced. PREREQUISITE: Successful completion of BREW 210 is REQUIRED.

BREW 230 Packaging & Distribution
This course will provide students with the opportunity to study beer packaging in bottles, cans, kegs and casks, including draft systems. Students will learn about technological design and operation of packaging equipment, container unit delivery systems, and systems for unitized, packaged beer. Packaging equipment discussed will include vessels, pump, piping, valves, heat exchangers, CO2 systems, counter-pressure filling machines, pasteurizers, conveying equipment, casing and palletizing machinery. The management and handling of packaging by-products and waste will be investigated with an aim of promoting sustainable packaging and reducing carbon footprint. Warehousing and distribution channel operations will also be discussed, including scheduling and reporting functions using dashboards. Personal safety and safe operation of packaging equipment will be emphasized. This course will employ case studies and excursions to local breweries to illustrate the U.S. 3-tier beer distribution system and enable students to learn about operations and equipment installations directly. Recommended prerequisite: Completion of BREW 110 and BREW 220.

BREW 250 Brewing Quality Control
This course will provide students with the knowledge needed to develop comprehensive beer quality control systems. Students will investigate systems for monitoring quality parameters - from receipt of brewing raw materials and packaging materials to every facet of operations within the brewery, and including distribution channels and performance impression of the beer by the consumer. Critical quality control checkpoints will be studied and the cost of quality, including consequences to business outcomes, will be explored. PREREQUISITE: Successful completion of BREW 210 is REQUIRED. Completion of BREW 110 is recommended.

BREW 275 Brewing Externship
The brewery externship will provide students with an opportunity to apply what they have learned in the KVCC brewing coursework to operations of a working brewery or related facility. Externships may be arranged with local craft breweries, a multi-national brewery, an ingredient supplier, a brewing research facility, a packaging facility, or at an international brewing school either within the U.S. or abroad. The student will perform brewery work as directed by the sponsor supervisor, which might be focused on one or more brewing-related areas. PREREQUISITE: Successful completion of BREW 110 and BREW 210 are REQUIRED.