The Professional ChefPress ReleasePress Enquiries:Louise Peto Tel: +44 (0) 20 8339 7430 Email: louise.peto@livewirepr.com 15th May 2008 For Immediate Release The Professional Chef series from Cengage Learning helps students understand value of sustainability and good British produce online! Britain’s budding young chefs are learning about the plethora of high-quality produce on their own doorsteps and the importance of sourcing sustainable ingredients with the Professional Chef series; a range of S/NVQ and Diploma textbooks and a virtual learning environment from Cengage Learning (www.virtualkitchen.co.uk). A recent winner at the prestigious PACE Awards for Innovation,the coursehas beencreated in partnership with the highly regarded Westminster Kingsway and Bournemouth and Poole colleges. The course provides students with 24/7 anywhere, anytime access to over 350 video demonstrations, interactive quizzes, image banks and an interactive food map of the UK with The Virtual KitchenVLE. Containing forewords by renowned and inspirational chefs such as Gary Rhodes and Gordon Ramsay, the course books cover the Level 1 Diploma, Level 2 Diploma, Level 2 S/NVQ and Level 3 S/NVQ providing a valuable resource for lecturers and students alike. Written by experienced lecturers, with recent industry experience, in a clear and accessible style, the books are easy to navigate and packed with colour illustrations and step-by-step photo sequences, detailing all the theories, skills and core techniques required. Recipes, advice and personal profiles from leading industry chefs at the UK’s finest restaurants are also included making the Professional Chef series a truly up-to-date and inspirational course for today’s students. The e-learning resource, The Virtual Kitchen, can be used to complement the textbooks, giving students and lecturers 24/7 anytime, anywhere access to a wealth of unit-specific content for each level, including hundreds of video demonstrations and images, as well as dedicated theory sections. Students can view over 350 video demonstrations of key catering techniques which follow industry best practice and are accompanied by audio explanations, talking the learner through each of the chef’s actions. The videos also cover the core units for each level, reinforcing essential health and safety practice. They can also view enhancement videos showing industry suppliers and professional kitchens at work, taking students ‘out of the classroom’ and providing a complete picture of the catering trade, from Smithfields meat market to a commercial bakery at work, and a goods-receiving area in a large hotel. The dedicated theory content covers all the core theory and underpinning knowledge students need. This can be used to support lecturers in the classroom, by providing a visual backup to classroom presentations, with helpful summaries, photographs and diagrams. There are also interactive quizzes for students to test out their knowledge and lecturers to analyse and track individual students’ progress. Gary Hunter, co-creator of the diploma qualification and Head of Culinary Arts at Westminster Kingsway College, comments: “Colleges are now being driven to use ICT to progress learning and meet the needs of modern day students that learn in a certain style. Anywhere, anytime learning is now part of their culture - they come to college expecting to have a VLE like school and also look to colleges to be innovative in the way they present resources.” Another important aspect of the qualification is its endorsement of good British produce and use of ingredients from sustainable sources. An interactive food map of the UK available through The Virtual Kitchen helps students learn about regional food specialities and where key commodities originate from. Gary Hunter, comments: “It was very important to us when creating this qualification that students understand they don’t need to go abroad to buy top-quality ingredients and where they source their produce can have a profound effect on the environment. For example, we conducted considerable research into sustainable fish supplies across the British Isles involving spending time with trawler men and offshore fishermen to make sure we were getting it right. Chefs today also need to be as mindful of their carbon footprint as any other profession.” Jason Bennett, Senior Marketing Manager at Cengage Learning, comments: “The Professional Chef series has been created to help improve standards in the UK’s catering colleges and ultimately inspire the next generation of top chefs. It’s so important that such a fast-moving industry is reflected in any qualification and we strive to continually refresh and update the content to make it appealing and relevant to today’s students.” The course books have been co-authored by several highly experienced lecturers including: Neil Rippington (Centre for Hospitality and Food Studies at Colchester Institute); Gary Hunter and Terry Tinton (Head of Culinary Arts and Chef Lecturer at Westminster Kingsway College); Steven Walpole and Patrick Carey (both former lecturers at Westminster Kingsway College). For further information about the Professional Chef Series, please contact Cengage Learning on Tel: 020 70672600, or visit the website at www.virtualkitchen.co.uk. * The Professional Chef serieswon theInnovative Learning Materials Award at the PACE Awards for Innovation. These awards are open to individuals, departments, schools, colleges or partnerships that have introduced innovative initiatives or activities over the last 12 months in hospitality training and development. Issued: Ends Ref: CL006 |
