Admission, Progression and Graduation

Have the ability to perform sufficiently, kitchen, dining room and classroom activities and procedures. Activities include, but are not limited to:

Physical

1. Lift and transport food, including hot food, as well as other culinary or baking product, equipment, small wares, and utensils.
2. Lift and carry trays with plated foods, small wares, and other items, and serve and clear tables where guests are seated.
3. Safely pour and serve hot and cold beverages.
4. Safely handle hot foods such as pulled sugar or other items coming out of a heat source.
5. Safely use knives for food preparation as well as other commercial cooking, baking, or serving utensils
6. Perform repetitive tasks while standing for extended periods of time
7. Follow and Maintain the National Restaurant Association's ServSafe and Montgomery County Health Department's sanitation standards for safe food handling
8. Safely and effectively operate commercial cooking equipment
9. Ability to lift pots, pans, and other cooking equipment up to 25 pounds in weight.
10. Ability to move expeditiously around the dining room, kitchen, and storage areas for up to five hours at a time.
11. Ability to stand for several hours at a time. Must be able to stand and exert well-paced mobility for periods of up to five hours in length.
12. Ability to control and utilize dexterity in a coordinated manner for such activities as writing, typing, keyboarding, slicing, chopping, operating equipment, with both upper extremities simultaneously.
13. Demonstrate gross and fine motor abilities sufficient to perform safe and effective kitchen duties, and respond to unexpected situations in a timely manner.
14. Demonstrate ability to sufficiently pull and push equipment.
15. Demonstrate physical ability sufficient to maneuver in small spaces (including standing, walking, bending, and range-of-motion of extremities)

Critical Thinking

1. Demonstrate critical-thinking ability sufficient for collecting, analyzing, and integrating information and knowledge in order to make safe judgments and decisions that promote positive outcomes and professional behavior.
2. Exhibit ability to follow policies and procedures required by employers and academic settings.
3. Exhibit ability to function effectively under stress and time constraints.
4. Exhibit ability to organize and prioritize tasks.
5. Exhibit ability to respond appropriately to emergencies.

Communication Ability 

1. Demonstrate ability to speak, read, comprehend, and write English at a level that meets the need for clear and effective communication.
2. Demonstrate ability to hear information.
3. Demonstrate ability to adapt to a changing environment and display flexibility.
4. Demonstrate sensitivity to multicultural and multilingual needs.

Intrapersonal/Interpersonal Skills and Behaviors

1. Demonstrate ability to tolerate demanding workloads effectively under stress.
2. Demonstrate ability to maintain professional composure in a variety of scenarios.
3. Demonstrate ability to maintain professional conduct and appearance.
4. Demonstrate respect for individual differences.

Visual Ability

1. Demonstrate visual acuity sufficient to acquire information from instructions, documentation, invoices, and sales tickets.
2. Demonstrate sufficient depth perception and peripheral vision for safe kitchen practices.
3. Demonstrate visual acuity sufficient for safety, work space, and gathering of materials.

Auditory Ability 

1. Demonstrate auditory acuity sufficient to be aware of sounds from a variety of equipment and personnel.
2. Demonstrate ability to communicate and interact with faculty and peers.
3. Demonstrate sufficient hearing acuity to ensure a safe environment and the ability to respond quickly in case of emergencies.

Environmental Tolerance

1. Demonstrate ability to function safely in a typical kitchen environment.
2. Demonstrate ability to wear Personal Protective Equipment, or P.P.E. (i.e. gloves, aprons, and uniforms), for extended periods of time during kitchen duties.
3. Demonstrate ability to tolerate prolonged periods of time amidst artificial lighting, air conditioning, dust and odors, residue from cleaning products, noise, congested workplace, extreme heat (100˚F), and extreme cold (0˚F).
4. Demonstrate sensitivity and ability to protect self and others from environmental risks and hazards.
5. Demonstrate awareness that the kitchen environment may contain latex and other allergens, including but not limited to chemical and mundane; tolerance of such allergens in the work place must also be demonstrated.

The following language has been adapted from the Model Position Descriptions handbook as provided by The National Restaurant Association (2000). These standards are not an exhaustive list of skills or abilities and reflect the minimum requirements needed for success in a commercial kitchen and learning environment.

The Culinary Arts Institute of Montgomery County Community College is a learning institute and will accommodate qualified students with documented disabilities, wherever possible, who can perform the essential functions of the course, with or without reasonable accommodation.