From February 24th - 26th, six Family and Consumer Science Agents were trained in the Foundations of Culinary Training program, as a way to build their cooking and food preparation skills. Led by Catherine Hill and Geri Bushel, the Foundations of Culinary Training Series is a comprehensive multi-series program designed to equip Family and Consumer Science Extension Agents and Educators with essential and advanced culinary knowledge and techniques. This two-part series provides a structured progression to enhance both foundational skills and creative expertise in the kitchen. The training series currently has 2 sessions - Foundation of Flavor and Foundations of Culinary Creativity - with the goal to add more in the future.

This series will be a part of new agent training moving forward, due to the important skills agents gain in hands-on cooking skills. Participants begin with a 3-day session titled Foundations of Flavor, where they will deepen their understanding of flavor principles, explore global spice and flavor groups, and learn to transform everyday dishes into flavorful masterpieces. Practical topics such as stir-frying, searing, blooming, marinating, roasting, and crafting soups and stews provide hands-on opportunities to hone basic to intermediate cooking skills.

The series then advances to another 3-day session titled Foundations of Culinary Creativity, focusing on innovative recipe development, transformative cooking methods, and strategies to inspire creativity in the kitchen. Participants will explore global sauces, practice culinary math to minimize food waste, and master improv recipe creation, elevating their culinary artistry and confidence. This segment is designed for those with intermediate cooking skills seeking to refine and innovate their approach to food preparation.

Agents are already incorporating what they've learned into their programming. As one shared, "I have already started using things learned in this training to plan for programming, specifically the recipes and the terms of blooming, spice combinations, recipe customization....almost everything will be implemented into my programs."  

Catherine Hill will lead future iterations of the training, noting that, "the Foundations of Culinary Training Series empowers participants with the skills and creativity needed to inspire and educate others in their nutrition programming."

The training was a success, and will be integrated into future FCS Agent orientation. As one agent shared, "This should be required training for all FCS and EFNEP professionals.  I loved everything about this training!"