From Theory to Practice: YCP's Food Production Lab

As guests pour into the York College Center for Community Engagement in Downtown York, Hospitality Management students take up their different positions and prepare to manage an event they created. The students planned the event down to the last detail, from menus and themes, to employee schedules and food ordering.

Several of these events take place throughout the semester as part
of the Commercial Food Production Management course. Leading up to this course, students within the Hospitality Management program learn about the skills necessary in the industry, including different types of management. Commercial Food Production is unique, however, in the hands-on experience and professional connections it offers students. 

Joseph Scarcelli, Ph.D., Professor of Hospitality Management, emphasizes the ways in which this course takes all the material students have learned up to this point and puts it into practice. Students have the opportunity to personally handle managerial responsibilities within the kitchen teaching lab facility. They practice basic cooking methods, food and equipment safety, as well as back-of-the-house and front-of-the-house management. He says that every skill learned is applicable to any managerial field students may pursue. 

In addition to the hands-on experience, students have the opportunity to hear from local professionals in the industry. Chefs and restaurateurs have visited the facility to offer advice and feedback. Scarcelli also takes a small group of students to Manhattan where they get a behind-the-scenes look at different businesses and interact with successful executives in the field. At the end of the course, students will have invaluable connections with professionals in the industry.

Explore the Hospitality Management major at York College.