The Art of Food Product Development

The Culinary Art of Menu Research and Development

Dates: April 16–May 28, 2012
Instructor: Mark Thomas '72
Tuition: $795
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This course is designed to provide foodservice professionals involved in the food product development process a better understanding of their role and the culinary skills required to be more successful. Class members will see how their efforts are part of a multidisciplinary team approach to culinary product development, and how they can better integrate their skills with others to be more effective. The course will provide practical applications of the process theory so class members can improve their current new food product development efforts.

After completing The Culinary Art of Menu Research and Development, you will be able to:

• Employ the process of new menu and food product development and recognize the impact of organizational style on the effectiveness of the efforts.
• Understand the basic culinary skill sets required to develop safe, wholesome foods that can be replicated in a foodservice operation.
• Define why new products are needed, what drives them, and how they fit into the organization's strategic direction.
• Participate effectively in the creative ideation process.
• Gain insight into how corporate and outside influences impact the menu development process.
• Develop a culinary product development process tailored to your organization.
• List the crucial steps in the development of a protocept and understand the role of the "gold standard" and your relationship to it.
• Identify key culinary action points in the iterative process.
• Understand the critical nature of the scale-up phase and its role as guardian of the "gold standard."
• Recognize the importance of always doing a post-project review as a formal component of the culinary product development process.

Required text: Aaron L. Brody and John B. Lord, Developing New Food Products for a Changing Marketplace