HCC Announces Free Line-cook Training Courses for Fall

Holyoke Community College (HCC) will run three sessions of its free line-cook training program this fall at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute. The first of two daytime sessions begins Monday, Sept. 18, and runs five days a week through Oct. 20 (Monday, 9 a.m. to noon; Tuesday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.). Concurrently, an evening program (5 to 9:30 p.m.) also begins Sept. 18 and runs Mondays through Thursdays until Nov. 9.

A second daytime session begins Oct. 30 and runs five days a week through Dec. 8 (Monday, 9 a.m. to noon; Tuesday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.). The line-cook program is designed for those already in the restaurant industry who want to upgrade their skills, as well as unemployed or underemployed individuals interested in starting a new career.

“We usually have a mix of young people entering the job market for the first time and people who are re-entering the job market and looking for a second career,” said Maureen McGuinness, assistant project coordinator for HCC’s non-credit culinary-arts programs. “The course is perfect for anybody who’s looking for a job and has a passion for food and the dining industry.”

Classes will be held in person at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute, 164 Race St., Holyoke, where participants will learn all the essential competencies they need to become successful line cooks: knife skills; how to prepare stocks, soups, sauces, desserts, poultry, fish, and meat; culinary math and measurements; moist and dry heat cooking methods; as well as workplace soft skills, such as building a résumé and searching for jobs.