Jobs in the Food Service (6 Lessons)

[Chef Dave]

Culinary I, Unit 1: Working in the Food Service
Lessons:
1.1 Introduction to the Food Service
1.2 Starting Your Career
1.3 Preparing a Portfolio and Resume
1.4 Job Applications
1.5 The Job Interview
1.6 Working on the Job

Unit 1: Working in the Food Service
Instructional length: 1 class day
1.1 Introduction to the Food Service
Objectives: Students will:
a) Identify career opportunities available in the food service industry
b) State the difference between school and workplace environments.
c) Define the concepts of “work ethic” and “responsibility” as they relate to the food service industry
d) Develop a list of workplace guidelines.
e) Identify and give examples of positive work attitudes.

Correlation to Arizona State Standards:
16.1 Apply interests, skills, and personal orientation to careers
16.2 Collect career opportunity information
18.1 Demonstrate communication skills
18.4 Discuss Work Ethics

Vocabulary: back of the house, career, career ladder, entry level job, entrepreneur, food service management, front of the house

Materials Needed:
• textbook - Becoming a Food Service Professional, Year 1, pp. 4-17
• Worksheet i.1, Workplace Guidelines Matching Activity
• Worksheet i.2, Career Opportunities in Food Service Matching Activity
• Vocabulary lists for unit 1
• Internet access to: Work Smart, Categories of Employment in the Food Service Industry:
http://www.worksmart.ca.gov/food_service_lodging_list.html

Lesson:
1) Distribute vocabulary lists. Students will be responsible for keeping lists from each chapter in their binders. They will also be responsible for taking notes since each written test will include a vocabulary component.
2) Discuss the concept of work ethic from a customer point of view. Ask students to think about the last meal they had in a restaurant. What was the service like in terms of: being promptly greeted and seated, having the food order taken, quality of food service including delivery and follow up, quality of the food ordered, cleanliness of the establishment, and overall impression? Would the students return to this restaurant? Why or why not? Differentiate between high work ethic and good quality service with the service and quality of poor restaurants.
3) Brainstorm the types of jobs available in the food service industry. Visit the Work Smart Website. (Waiters and Waitresses, Food Preparation Workers, Restaurant Cooks). Discuss the range of wages or salary that are available for these jobs.
4) Read and discuss Becoming a Food Service Professional, Year 1, pp. 4-17. Have students record vocabulary definitions as they read.
5) Reinforce using worksheets i.1 Workplace Guidelines Matching Activity and i.2 Career Opportunities in Food Service Matching Activity.

[Chef Dave]

Unit 1: Working in the Food Service
Instructional length: 1 class day
1.2 Starting Your Career:
Objectives: Students will:
a) List the skills needed for employment with the food service
b) Give examples of career opportunities in the food service.
c) Identify the education and training needed to develop entry level skills for various jobs within the food service industry
d) Outline a plan for an effective job search.
e) Understand the concept of internet search engines and the use of key words
f) Understand the concept of personal networking

Vocabulary: job ad, network, relocate
Correlation to State Standards:
16.1 Apply interests, skills, and personal orientation to careers
16.2 Collect career opportunity information
17.1 Research employment opportunities
18.1 Demonstrate communication skills

Materials Needed:
• copies of local newspapers
• internet access to the Arizona Republic on-line newspaper for the greater Phoenix area: http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/
• internet access to the Daily Star, on-line newspaper for the greater Tuscon area:http://www.azstarnet.com/
• internet access to Star Chefs Job finder, national on-line job bank for the food service industry:
http://www.starchefsjobfinder.com/

Lesson:
1) Review the types of jobs available in the food service industry.
2) Discuss student interests. What types of food service jobs are they interested in? Do they want to remain in the local area or would they be willing to relocate? What factors should be considered for anyone who relocates? (Housing, utilities, furnishings, transportation, distance from friends and family, potentially greater job opportunities etc.)
3) Discuss how to find a job in the help wanted section of a newspaper. What are the components of a typical ad?
4) Discuss how to find a job via the internet. Introduce the students to the concept of search engines and key words. Demonstrate how to use key words in a search engine to find culinary jobs in Tucson and Phoenix.
5) Discuss the use of personal networks to find jobs.
6) Divide students into groups of two. Have each group rotate through various research stations, looking for food service jobs in the greater San Carlos area, Tucson, Phoenix, and anywhere within the United States. Students will take notes for each job they find. Notes will include: Name of the business, location, type of position, wage or salary, and contact information.
7) Discuss as necessary. Collect and store the student research information for use in the next lesson.
8) Have students record the day’s vocabulary words in their notebooks.

[Chef Dave]

Unit 1: Working in the Food Service
Instructional length: 1 class day
1.3 Preparing a Portfolio and Resume
Objectives: Students will:
a) Understand the component parts of a resume
b) Write a resume that lists your skills and competencies.
c) Write an accompanying cover letter
d) Understand the design components of a portfolio

Correlation to State Standards:
16.1 Apply interests, skills, and personal orientation to careers
16.2 Collect career opportunity information
17.3 Prepare a resume and cover letter
18.1 Demonstrate communication skills

Vocabulary: cover letter, resume, portfolio

Materials Needed:
• Sample portfolio (Instructor's job portfolio)
• Textbook - Becoming a Food Service Professional, Year 1, pp. 18-27
• Workbook i.4 activity: resume worksheet

Lesson:
1) Review different techniques for finding jobs. (Newspapers, internet, personal network).
2) Having found a job, how do we go about applying for it? Discuss as necessary. Show students the chef instructor’s portfolio, resume, and cover letter to San Carlos.
3) Introduce the concept of resumes, portfolios, and cover letters as tools that may help candidates apply for a job. Read/discuss pp. 18-27. What are the component parts of a resume? What is the purpose of a cover letter? Have students record the day’s vocabulary words in their notebooks as they read.
4) Pass out student research from the last lesson. Have students choose a job that they’re interested in.
5) Have students complete the i.4 worksheet resume and write accompanying cover letters that they might use if they were actually applying for this job.

[Chef Dave]

Unit 1: Working in the Food Service
Instructional length: 1 class day
1.4 Job Applications
Objectives: Students will:
a) Learn how to complete and submit a job application
b) Understand that some job applications may be completed on-line
c) Understand the importance of the follow up after having submitted a job application
d) Understand who reads a job application.

Correlation to State Standards:
16.1 Apply interests, skills, and personal orientation to careers
17.2 Complete a job application
18.1 Demonstrate communication skills

Vocabulary: application

Materials Needed:
• textbook - Becoming a Food Service Professional, Year 1, pp. 28-30
• worksheet: Banner Health Company job ad with accompanying application form
• Internet: http://jobsearch.about.com/od/jobapplications/a/jobapplication.htm

Lesson:
1) Review techniques for finding a job.
2) Read/discuss pp. 28-30.
3) Go online to jobsearch.about.com and read about e-mail applications, on-line applications, hiring kiosks, in-person applications.
4) Read and discuss the job ad and job application form for the Banner Health Company. Discuss components of the job application. What are employers looking for in a job application? (Availability and flexibility with regards to days and hours worked, legibility of application, contact information, prior work experience, conditions under which the applicant left his or her last job)
5) Complete the Banner Health company job application
6) Discuss how to submit a job application (in person, by mail, or on-line).
7) Discuss what happens after the job application is submitted. Who gets it? Who reads it? What happens to it?
8) Discuss the importance of the follow up. When do you call? What do you say? Why do you call?
9) Have students record the day’s vocabulary words in their notebooks.

[Chef Dave]

Unit 1: Working in the Food Service
Instructional length: 1 class day
1.5 The Job Interview
Objectives: Students will:
a) Understand the importance of personal appearance, punctuality, attitude, interest, body language, eye contact, clarity of response, and manners while participating in an interview.
b) Identify some frequently asked interview questions.
c) Understand the importance of the follow up after participating in a job interview.

Correlation to State Standards:
16.1 Apply interests, skills, and personal orientation to careers
17.4 Demonstrate interviewing skills
18.1 Demonstrate communication skills

Vocabulary: etiquette, interview

Materials Needed:
• textbook - Becoming a Food Service Professional, Year 1, pp. 31-41
• Worksheet i.5: Completing Application Forms
• Worksheet i.6: Sample Interview Questions

Lesson:
1) Review all of the steps that have led to a possible job interview.
2) Read and discuss pages 31-41. Have students record the day’s vocabulary words in their notebooks.
3) Complete work sheets i.5 and i.6. Discuss as necessary.
4) Select questions at random from i.6 and “interview” students, addressing one question per student. Emphasis the importance of body language, eye contact, and clarity of response.
5) Ask for one volunteer to participate in a complete mock interview. Have the class critique the interview. What did they like and why? What areas of the interview needed improvement and why?
6) Discuss employment procedures for chain restaurants. In chain restaurants, interviews conducted by a junior manager are summarized and forwarded to the general manager for review and approval. The GM may (or may not) want to conduct a follow up interview.
7) Discuss the importance of following up the initial interview. When do you call? What do you say? Why do you call?

[Chef Dave]

Unit 1: Working in the Food Service
Instructional length: 1 class day
1.6 Working on the Job
Objectives: Students will:
a) Understand that most jobs in the food service industry have uniform requirements as well as requirements for hair and personal hygiene.
b) Understand that most new hires undergo some form of orientation and training.
b) Explain the importance of teamwork.
c) Identify winning characteristics needed by employees who want to be successful in the food service industry.
d) Outline the steps to resigning a job.

Correlation to State Standards:
16.1 Apply interests, skills, and personal orientation to careers
18.1 Demonstrate communication skills

Materials Needed:
• textbook - Becoming a Food Service Professional, Year 1, pp. 42-45
• copy of Bob Evans handbook for grill cooks
• cutting board, butter knife, two slices of bread, peanut butter, strawberry jelly, box of disposable gloves, apron, cook’s hat, table, side plate.

Vocabulary: employee manual, orientation

Lesson:
1) Place the cutting board, butter knife, two slices of bread, jar of peanut butter, strawberry jelly, box of disposable gloves, apron, cook’s hat, and side plate on a table. Do not discuss why these items are there.
2) Review all of the steps that led to a job applicant’s employment.
3) Read and discuss pages 42-43. Have students record the day’s vocabulary words in their notebooks.
4) Read and discuss the Bob Evans handbook for grill cooks.
5) Have the class brainstorm what type of training would be necessary for someone to become a successful Bob Evans grill cook. (Orientation of the kitchen and grill line, knowledge of recipes and portion sizes, knowing how to receive orders, read orders, cook food, plate food, hot hold food, etc.)
6) Describe the type of training received at Bob Evans (New grill cooks are given orientation and e-learning regarding their equipment and how to read tickets. They are paired with an experienced cook to shadow for at least two weeks).
7) What happens when staff are not properly trained? Tell the class that we’re going to pretend that we’re in a restaurant. A customer has ordered a peanut butter sandwich from the kid’s menu. Have one volunteer make a peanut butter sandwich. Do not tell the volunteer to wear disposable gloves, a hat, or apron. Do not tell the volunteer how much peanut butter or jam to use. Do not tell the volunteer to diagonally slice the sandwich before placing it on the plate. Do not tell the volunteer that the sandwich is to be served with the bottom half propping the top half into the air. Allow the student make the sandwich and pretend to be outraged manager who “reprimands” the cook for not making the product to store specifications. Discuss how this made the cook feel. Discuss how training sets job expectations and lack of training leads to stress and frustration.
8) Discuss the importance of teamwork. What would happen if a school bus unexpectedly stopped at the restaurant and the teacher suddenly ordered 45 peanut butter sandwiches? How could 45 sandwiches be quickly made? Have students brainstorm a procedure for doing this. (Possible solution: assembly line production. One person spreads peanut butter, one person spreads jam, one person slices and assembles).
9) Discuss the importance of teamwork cohesion. Do we always have to like the people we’re working with? Discuss what might happen if you told your boss that you didn’t want to work with Cindy because you didn’t like her.
10) Discuss the protocol for moving on. When the time comes to move on, most employees are expected to give their employer at least two weeks notice. Read pp. 44-45 and discuss as necessary.

[Chef Dave]

Vocabulary List, Culinary I, Unit 1: Working in the Food Service


application
back of the house
career ladder
cover letter
employee manual
entry level job
entrepreneur
etiquette
food service management
front of the house
interview
job ad
network
orientation
portfolio
relocate
resume

[Chef Dave]

Job Application Form
Instructions: Print clearly in black or blue ink. Answer all questions. Sign and date the form.
PERSONAL INFORMATION:

Street Address __________________________________________________ _________
City, State, Zip Code: __________________________________________________ ___
Phone Number: (___)_______________
Are you eligible to work in the United States? Yes _______ No_______
If you are under age 18, do you have an employment/age certificates? Yes ___ No ___
Have you been convicted of or pleaded no contest to a felony within the last five years?
Yes_______ No_______
If yes, please explain: __________________________________________________ ____
__________________________________________________ ______________________
POSITION/AVAILABILITY:
Position Applied For ________________________________________
Days/Hours Available: Monday _______
Tuesday _______
Wednesday _______
Thursday _______
Friday _______
Saturday _______
Sunday _______
Hours Available: from _______ to ______
What date are you available to start work? _____________________________________

EDUCATION:
Name and Address Of School - Degree/Diploma - Graduation Date
__________________________________________________ _______________
__________________________________________________ _______________
__________________________________________________ _______________
Skills and Qualifications: Licenses, Skills, Training, Awards
__________________________________________________ _______________
__________________________________________________ _______________
EMPLOYMENT HISTORY:
Present Or Last Position:
Employer: __________________________________________________ ___
Address:__________________________________________ ____________
Supervisor: __________________________________________________ __
Phone: _______________________________
Email: ________________________________
Position Title: _________________________
From: ______________ To: ______________
Responsibilities: __________________________________________________ __
__________________________________________________ ________
Wages: _______________
Reason for Leaving: ____________________________________________


Previous Position:
Employer: __________________________________________________ ___
Address:__________________________________________ ____________
Supervisor: __________________________________________________ __
Phone: _______________________________
Email: ________________________________
Position Title: _________________________
From: ______________ To: ______________
Responsibilities: __________________________________________________ ________
__________________________________________________ _____________________
Wages: _______________
Reason for Leaving: ____________________________________________
May We Contact Your Present Employer? Yes _____ No _____
References:
Name/Title Address Phone
__________________________________________________ _______________
__________________________________________________ _______________
__________________________________________________ _______________
I certify that information contained in this application is true and complete.
I understand that false information may be grounds for not hiring me or for immediate termination of employment at any point in the future if I am hired. I authorize the verification of any or all information listed above.
Signature______________________________
Date__________________________________

[busbus]

It's only me.

Said that I was learning how to operate on this forum. Well, I just copied and pasted your six culinary arts lessons for high school onto my desktop. Am going to forward to my new culinary arts teacher. It'll give him some ideas. Thanks for posting them.