Basic Cooking Skills Program - Entry Level Certificate Program

LEARN The skills you need to get a job in the hospitality industry....quickly!
Jump-start your new career in our BASIC COOKING SKILLS program! Get prepared for a new cooking job in just eight days while learning in our state-of-the-art training facility. Experience professional-quality teaching and mentoring, and find a job fast with help from our industry partners!

In this program, students learn basic culinary techniques and create meals without relying on a recipe. This two-week, hands-on experience is for students who are not familiar with a commercial kitchen and have minimal experience preparing and cooking dishes. This program is modeled after a program offered at the Culinary Institute of the Carolinas to train line cooks to prepare scratch made meals at Greenville County's Food and Nutrition Services.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Is financial assistance available for the program?
Yes! Grant funding and need-based financial assistance are available!

What will I learn?
You'll learn essential skills for "front of house" (service), plus professional life skills for success in the hospitality industry.

Are books and class materials provided?
Yes. We provide everything you need.

Are meals provided?
For one-week (full-day) programs, CHI will provide lunch every day of class. For two-week (half-day) programs, no lunch is provided.

May I miss a class?
No. As this is an intensive job training program, every day of training is important. Students must attend every class to earn a certificate of completion.

POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

• Children under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian. Please, no children under the age of eight.
• Note that grilling courses may take place indoors during inclement weather.
• For the latest on weather-related delays and cancelations, visit Greenville Technical College’s policies on inclement weather.
• Allergies and Dietary Restrictions: While every effort is made to accommodate food allergies, CHI is a teaching facility that includes the preparation of all foods. Please be aware that our menu items may contain or come into contact with common allergens such as dairy, eggs, wheat, soybeans, tree nuts, peanuts, fish, shellfish or wheat. Please call (864) 250-8835 if you need to request accommodation for any allergies or dietary restrictions.
• Please visit About CHI >> CHI Policies & Procedures at www.CHIgreenville.com to learn more about dress code requirements designed for your safety during class.

COVID-19 REMINDERS

• Facemasks covering nose and mouth are required for all college visitors, students and employees.
• Please do not bring extra guests.
• When you arrive, proceed to the restrooms to wash your hands properly for 30 seconds. Hand sanitizer is throughout the building, however, washing hands is the best way to remove and kill pathogens.
• For updated information, please check reopening plans and guidelines to the college’s response to COVID-19.

POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

ARRIVAL
Please arrive 15 to 20 minutes early to class so that we can start on time.

DRESS CODE
All professional development and industry-related students, including Quick Jobs program students, are expected to be clean and neat and follow all local and state food service handler health regulations. Personal hygiene, including daily showering and oral hygiene, must be followed.

A) Jewelry – No jewelry of any kind should be worn. The ONLY exception is one plain and smooth wedding band with no stones, no filigree, no raised impressions, etc.
* No anniversary bands or engagement rings
* No earrings – (hoop, dangle, post, etc.)
* No necklaces
* No bracelets
* No visible body jewelry
* No watches of any kind (wrist, necklace, buckle, etc.)
* No wallet chains, no key chains from the belt, lanyards, etc. Nothing hanging from the belt, belt loops, pockets, etc.
* No items are to adorn the body as if to be considered jewelry or decoration. This includes hair bands that are worn on the wrist.

Reason = Safety and sanitation - Earrings and earring backs can fall into food products; piercing jewelry can be caught on pieces of equipment or fall and cause a slip hazard; all jewelry can harbor food and germs causing unsanitary and unsafe conditions.

B) Hair Restraints – Permitted restraints include unadorned hair elastic bands, unadorned bobby pins or barrettes, and headbands.
* All hair restraints must be a solid color of black. Hairnets will be provided.
* NO clips, clamps, beads, bows, ribbons, buttons, tassels, gems, feathers, strings, sequins, pins, flowers, sticks, rollers, cullers, combs, picks, pens, pencils, writing instruments, etc. will be permitted.

Reason = Sanitation – These measures prevent pieces of hair and other foreign objects from falling into food.

C) Nails and Nail Polish – No nail polish and no false nails of any kind should be worn. All-natural nails must be trimmed to finger length or shorter.

Reason = Sanitation - Polish can chip and fall into the food; false nails can fall off into the food.

D) Fake Eyelashes – No fake eyelashes should be worn.

Reason = Sanitation – Fake eyelashes could fall into the food.

E) Sunglasses – Neither prescription nor non-prescription sunglasses of any type. Fashion glasses of any kind are not permitted.

STUDENT UNIFORMS*
A) Shirts – Chef Coats (Note: These will be provided for all Quick Jobs students.)
B) Pants – Long Pants must be worn in the kitchen at all times. Pants must be worn at the waist and pants MUST be hemmed, ankle-length but not touching the ground. Black pants are preferred.

Reason = Safety - This uniform is designed to protect students from spills and burns.

C) Black Work Shoes – Shoes must be all black, all leather, closed-toe, closed-heel, with an oil-resistant top and slip-resistant sole (must be indicated on the shoe), no straps, holes or decorations. Shoes must be clean and in good repair.

Reason = Safety - These requirements are designed to protect students from slips, spills and falls.

D) Socks – Socks should be solid color (no decorations) black or white socks (no hose or tights).

E) Hair Covering – All hair must be covered (when working in the kitchen or studio) with a hairnet, including bangs which must be secured off the face or under a hairnet.

Reason = Sanitation - Coverings are required to prevent pieces of hair from falling into food.

* Contact the Chef if you have any questions about the uniform policy.

Fee Breakdown