Culinary Currents
November 2004

Are You On Top of Your Menu? Here’s Sound Menu Advice from The Culinary Institute of America

by Peter Langlois

I’m working closely with The Culinary Institute of America, which is contributing content to www.RestaurantU.com. One of the benefits of doing so is receiving their Alumni newsletter, “The Tasting Menu,” which provides updates, trends and even management advice to grads. A recent issue spoke to what I’ve always considered to be a vital aspect of the business: Analyzing and re-engineering your menu. Here are some highlights and continuing education opportunities that speak to the heart of our business, the Menu.

The Culinary Institute of America views successful menu development as an ongoing Total Quality Management process: “From determination of a consumer need, to delivery of a standardized plate presentation, menu R&D is a continuous process that reaches into every corner of an organization.” A thorough examination must include the following factors: “Physiology of Taste; Culinary Fundamentals; Food Chemistry & microbiology; Nutrition; The Application of Food Trends; Unit Level Implementation; Consumer Behavior, and Sensory Analysis.”

The School has developed and launched internet-based 6-8 week courses, which utilize technology as the platform for communication, learning and discussion between and among industry professionals and a CIA faculty member. What a great way for key management such as corporate executive chefs to stay on top of your restaurant’s most effective marketing tool, the Menu! Courses of study include: Culinary Art & Craft; Food Science & Technology; Marketing & Consumer Behavior, and Food Delivery Systems & Operational Logistics. You can find information about these on-line programs by clicking:
http://express0.targetx.com/cgi-bin/redir.cgi?id=0000231042-34363970

Students who successfully complete all four distance-learning modules will be awarded the title of Certified Menu Research and Development Professional and will be invited to participate in the capstone course at the CIA at Greystone.

This article is re-printed from Weekly Restaurant Connections, www.wrcnewsletter.com with permission of the editors. To read the current issue of this free newsletter, simply click rolling headlines on the welcome page of RestaurantU.com.