Culinary Arts Program in Grand Junction Enhances Dining Experience

Chez Lena, at Western Colorado Community College, where students do the serving and the cooking as part of their training. Read the article below and click on the link to watch the video on KJCT8.com.

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. -Gourmet isn’t usually a term you associate with lunching at a school, but Dixie Burmeister explains there is an exception in this week’s “Boomers & Beyond.”

School’s back in session and that means fine dining for you, and who knows perhaps even a new career direction? All thanks to Western Colorado Community College’s Culinary Arts Program and talented instructors like Chef Jon St. Peter.

“It’s a college-level cooking course where students serve in a dining room for the public and students cook in a restaurant for the public,” said Jon St. Peter, Assistant Technical Professor for WCCC. “If you are interested in a four-year degree, students can come through the culinary arts program and finish that with an associate’s degree and then enroll and be accepted into a bachelor’s of applied science degree in Colorado Mesa University. There’s also some hospitality degrees being offered, business degrees. There’s a lot of different options.”

Expansion plans attest to the program’s success that offers a choice of degrees and certifications to fit students and their career options.