Progress 07/15/23 to 09/03/24

Outputs
Target Audience:The goal of the Climate-Friendly, Healthy, Efficient Food Service (CHEF) Credential project is to meet the growing need for food service workers trained in sustainable, healthy food service, thereby enhancing the relevance of community college culinary instruction and improving the job prospects of culinary, hospitality and related community college students in companies and public agencies implementing foodservice changes that address climate change, health, and waste prevention. By creating a model for culinary and hospitality management education that will produce a food service workforce equipped to address critical environmental and public health needs, the project serves three core groups of stakeholders: Food service industry leaders - To guide the development of the CHEF curriculum, we hosted four (4) co-design workshops with foodservice leaders from industry and public agencies, culinary educators, and non-profit organizations that provide food as medicine services. We also convened an advisory board of 20 industry leaders in food service, public sector, and non-profit experts who have advanced sustainable and healthy food service practices. Virtual convenings were hosted via Zoom; advisors participated in the process of curriculum content development by suggesting critical topics and skills required for culinary and nutrition students to become adequately trained in the principles of sustainable, healthy food service. Advisors provided critical feedback and suggested revisions on drafts of course syllabi, course materials, and assignments, with an eye towards identifying the specific skills and competencies most critical to enable food preparation and facility management to support organizational health and environmental initiatives. ?Current and prospective culinary, hospitality, and nutrition students from two CUNY community colleges - Five (5) students from CUNY Kingsborough and LaGuardia community colleges participated as CHEF advisors and provided critical feedback pertaining to student needs and perspectives in response to curriculum drafts alongside food service industry leaders. We also solicited feedback on course syllabi and materials through one-hour focus group sessions with a larger group (n = 14) of Kingsborough culinary students. Student advisors and student focus group participants were provided financial incentives in the form of Visa gift cards to compensate them for their time providing critical feedback. CUNY faculty and administrators - Led by three (3) CUNY faculty members (Drs. Cohen, D'Alessandro, and Fernandes), this project engaged CUNY administrators at Kingsborough and LaGuardia Community Colleges to demonstrate to CUNY leadership the potential benefit of launching the CHEF credential through two distinct curriculum offerings, and to gain support of the provost and other critical staff prior to official internal submission for approval. Changes/Problems:We had a slight delay in our timeline due to scheduling conflicts with advisors that required a brief no cost-extension. There were no other changes or problems. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?When implemented, the CHEF curriculum developed will provide training and professional development opportunities for undergraduate CUNY students and returning professionals who wish to receive the CHEF credential. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?During the planning process we have shared our work with the project's advisors, students, and CUNY administrators. In the coming year we plan to hold a public forum on sustainable, healthy, culinary education and will present and get public feedback on the curriculum and credentials. As this is a planning grant, we have not disseminated any findings or products from this effort to the general public. Our advisors are thought leaders in industry, the non-profit sector, and government, and will be engaged in disseminating information about the program once it is implemented. Through the CHEF curriculum development, and by engaging students through focus groups and presentations, we have shared multiple revised drafts of the CHEF curriculum to solicit feedback and demonstrate progress. In the coming year we plan to hold a public forum on sustainable, healthy, culinary education and will present and get public feedback on the curriculum and credentials. We also plan to publish an article about the process of developing the CHEF curriculum and credentials in a peer reviewed journal. Our next step for official CUNY curriculum approval is to submit a package of materials including new course proposal forms for each course, a Curricular Transmittal Form for proposal of the new degree concentration, and Curricular Framework Form to the Curriculum Committee at Kingsborough and the Adult and Continuing Education Curriculum Committee at LaGuardia. Once approved internally by the committees, these curricular changes will be shared with the New York State Department of Education for program registration. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Reducing food system environmental impacts and addressing diet-related health disparities requires a shift in foodservice practices. Innovations in food service, from menu engineering to food recovery programs, can contribute to population and planetary health. Many companies and agencies have developed environmental and health initiatives, but expanding these efforts depends on a workforce with skills in sustainable ingredient procurement, food waste prevention, and customer communication. Large food service companies and institutional programs have indicated that employees with these skills and accreditation would have better employability and career trajectories. This project engaged CUNY faculty, students, and industry experts in codesign workshops to develop curricula and a credential framework in climate-friendly, healthy, efficient food service (CHEF). Two large New York City community colleges are now positioned to offer new curricula for traditional students and continuing education learners. When implemented, these programs are expected to become a model for culinary and hospitality management education, producing a workforce equipped to address critical environmental and public health needs. Goal 1: Engage an advisory board of CUNY faculty, students, food service industry leaders, public sector, and non-profit organizations in a series of co-design workshops. We engaged an advisory board of 20 food service industry leaders, representing a diverse range of organizations including corporate food services, catering, the NYC Department of Education's school food system, hospitals, and a non-profit preparing medically tailored meals. Additionally, we involved five current and former CUNY nutrition and culinary students to provide insight on job market preparation. Through four advisory board meetings, we gathered feedback on curriculum priorities, CHEF course completion credentials, and job market outlooks for potential graduates. To supplement this ongoing support, we conducted three student focus groups with 14 participants to review our proposed curriculum. We also engaged approximately 200 NYC high school students employed as cafeteria aides in a summer program, discussing our new curriculum and soliciting feedback on the proposed degree program. All stakeholder engagements were carefully documented through audio recordings and transcriptions of workshops and feedback sessions. Written feedback received via email was also incorporated into our discussions. This comprehensive approach ensured that stakeholder input was thoroughly integrated into the course syllabi design, with the final drafts of course materials reflecting this collaborative effort. Advisory Board Member List Advisor Name Organization Title Georgia Angelakis NYC Department of Education Director of Food Safety and Quality Assurance Deanne Brandstetter Compass North America VP Nutrition and Wellness Costa Constantinides Variety Boys and Girls Club CEO Nancy Easton Wellness in the Schools Co-Founder Lisa Feldman Sodexo Director of Culinary, Menu Systems and CSR Marion Gibson Aramark Director of Culinary Development Camesha Grant Food Bank of NYC VP of Development Edwina Hughes World Resources Institute Head of Coolfood Pledge Patricia Intrator Careers through the Culinary Arts Program Board Member David Kamen Culinary Institute of America Director of Client Engagement Liz Neumark Great Performances Catering Founder of values-based catering company Stephen O'Brien NYC Department of Education Director of Strategic Partnerships and Policy Maureen Osuji I am Morrison System Sustainability Manager Patricia Punch District Council 37 Education Fund Assistant Director Preeti Radhakrishnan LaGuardia Community College Program Director, Environmental Science Tia Schwab Mayor's Office of Food Policy Policy Advisor Craig Schantz Meta NYC Café Chef Errol Schweizer Journalist Former VP Grocery, Whole Foods Tanya Steel Careers through the Culinary Arts Program Executive Director Lisa Zullig God's Love we Deliver Director of Nutrition Services, non-profit medically tailored meals provider Goal 2: Identify the specific skills and competencies most critical to enable food preparation and facility management staff to support their employers' health and environmental initiatives. To identify critical skills and competencies for the CHEF curriculum, we conducted extensive research on comparable programs and coursework. We reviewed 30 programs at academic institutions focusing on food and sustainability, examining course structures, syllabi, and suggested readings. We engaged program administrators from Maricopa Community College (n=3) and Penn State University (n=1), which had programs most similar to our proposed CHEF program. While some community college programs included sustainability and health information, none covered the full scope of food systems theory, sustainable agricultural practices, and hands-on kitchen lab hours. More comprehensive programs were limited to bachelor's or master's degrees at private institutions like Johnson and Wales and the Culinary Institute of America. We also documented relevant resources for the CHEF curriculum, including 6 textbooks, 12 peer-reviewed manuscripts, 13 government materials, 55 articles, 27 webinars or videos, 7 podcasts, 16 websites, and 8 case studies. These materials have been referenced in CHEF course syllabi as teaching tools for future instructors. To summarize our assessment, we created a table of relevant programs, noting similarities and differences in programmatic structure, target student demographics, and course content. This evidence-based approach informed the development of our curriculum. Goal 3: Develop curricula and a stackable credential in climate-friendly, healthy, efficient food service. We developed syllabi for 4 CHEF courses (2 nutrition and health, 2 culinary focused) to be offered in 2 formats at 2 CUNY Community Colleges. These courses are: Managing Sustainable Foodservice Operations, Sustainable and Healthy Culinary Practices, Sustainable Food Systems, and Sustainable Nutrition and Health. The curriculum will be implemented differently at each participating community college, creating distinct, non-overlapping programs. This approach is likely to garner more institutional support from CUNY administrators as the programs will attract different student pools without competing for enrollment. By offering both a degree concentration and continuing education options, the CUNY system can cater to recent high school graduates and early-career culinary professionals seeking to enhance their knowledge of sustainable industry practices. At LaGuardia Community College, the curriculum will be offered as a continuing education credential in Sustainable Culinary Management. Students will receive certificates for each of the four courses, offered as six-week intensive summer sessions totaling 100 hours. Open to the public and non-matriculating students, these courses can also replace some required internship hours for matriculating students. Upon completion, LaGuardia students will receive a digital badge from Credly to verify their new skillsets to prospective employers. At Kingsborough Community College, the curriculum will form an associate degree concentration. Four twelve-week, three-credit courses will be part of the two-year core curriculum, replacing some advanced core classes of other concentrations. Graduates will receive an Associate of Applied Science in Culinary Arts degree with a concentration in Sustainable Culinary Arts. Goal 4: Prepare an implementation grant application based on the design work to support the launch and pilot testing of the CHEF credential framework in at least two CUNY community colleges in the 2024-2025 academic year. This is ongoing, to be submitted by September 15, 2024.

Publications

Progress 07/15/23 to 08/30/24

Outputs
Target Audience:The goal of the Climate-Friendly, Healthy, Efficient Food Service (CHEF) Credential project is to meet the growing need for food service workers trained in sustainable, healthy food service, thereby enhancing the relevance of community college culinary instruction and improving the job prospects of culinary, hospitality and related community college students in companies and public agencies implementing foodservice changes that address climate change, health, and waste prevention. By creating a model for culinary and hospitality management education that will produce a food service workforce equipped to address critical environmental and public health needs, the project serves three core groups of stakeholders: Food service industry leaders - To guide the development of the CHEF curriculum, we hosted four (4) co-design workshops with foodservice leaders from industry and public agencies, culinary educators, and non-profit organizations that provide food as medicine services. We also convened an advisory board of 20 industry leaders in food service, public sector, and non-profit experts who have advanced sustainable and healthy food service practices. Virtual convenings were hosted via Zoom; advisors participated in the process of curriculum content development by suggesting critical topics and skills required for culinary and nutrition students to become adequately trained in the principles of sustainable, healthy food service. Advisors provided critical feedback and suggested revisions on drafts of course syllabi, course materials, and assignments, with an eye towards identifying the specific skills and competencies most critical to enable food preparation and facility management to support organizational health and environmental initiatives. ?Current and prospective culinary, hospitality, and nutrition students from two CUNY community colleges - Five (5) students from CUNY Kingsborough and LaGuardia community colleges participated as CHEF advisors and provided critical feedback pertaining to student needs and perspectives in response to curriculum drafts alongside food service industry leaders. We also solicited feedback on course syllabi and materials through one-hour focus group sessions with a larger group (n = 14) of Kingsborough culinary students. Student advisors and student focus group participants were provided financial incentives in the form of Visa gift cards to compensate them for their time providing critical feedback. CUNY faculty and administrators - Led by three (3) CUNY faculty members (Drs. Cohen, D'Alessandro, and Fernandes), this project engaged CUNY administrators at Kingsborough and LaGuardia Community Colleges to demonstrate to CUNY leadership the potential benefit of launching the CHEF credential through two distinct curriculum offerings, and to gain support of the provost and other critical staff prior to official internal submission for approval. Changes/Problems:We had a slight delay in our timeline due to scheduling conflicts with advisors that required a brief no cost-extension. There were no other changes or problems. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?When implemented, the CHEF curriculum developed will provide training and professional development opportunities for undergraduate CUNY students and returning professionals who wish to receive the CHEF credential. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?During the planning process we have shared our work with the project's advisors, students, and CUNY administrators. In the coming year we plan to hold a public forum on sustainable, healthy, culinary education and will present and get public feedback on the curriculum and credentials. As this is a planning grant, we have not disseminated any findings or products from this effort to the general public. Our advisors are thought leaders in industry, the non-profit sector, and government, and will be engaged in disseminating information about the program once it is implemented. Through the CHEF curriculum development, and by engaging students through focus groups and presentations, we have shared multiple revised drafts of the CHEF curriculum to solicit feedback and demonstrate progress. In the coming year we plan to hold a public forum on sustainable, healthy, culinary education and will present and get public feedback on the curriculum and credentials. We also plan to publish an article about the process of developing the CHEF curriculum and credentials in a peer reviewed journal. Our next step for official CUNY curriculum approval is to submit a package of materials including new course proposal forms for each course, a Curricular Transmittal Form for proposal of the new degree concentration, and Curricular Framework Form to the Curriculum Committee at Kingsborough and the Adult and Continuing Education Curriculum Committee at LaGuardia. Once approved internally by the committees, these curricular changes will be shared with the New York State Department of Education for program registration. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Reducing food system environmental impacts and addressing diet-related health disparities requires a shift in foodservice practices. Innovations in food service, from menu engineering to food recovery programs, can contribute to population and planetary health. Many companies and agencies have developed environmental and health initiatives, but expanding these efforts depends on a workforce with skills in sustainable ingredient procurement, food waste prevention, and customer communication. Large food service companies and institutional programs have indicated that employees with these skills and accreditation would have better employability and career trajectories. This project engaged CUNY faculty, students, and industry experts in codesign workshops to develop curricula and a credential framework in climate-friendly, healthy, efficient food service (CHEF). Two large New York City community colleges are now positioned to offer new curricula for traditional students and continuing education learners. When implemented, these programs are expected to become a model for culinary and hospitality management education, producing a workforce equipped to address critical environmental and public health needs. Goal 1: Engage an advisory board of CUNY faculty, students, food service industry leaders, public sector, and non-profit organizations in a series of co-design workshops. We engaged an advisory board of 20 food service industry leaders, representing a diverse range of organizations including corporate food services, catering, the NYC Department of Education's school food system, hospitals, and a non-profit preparing medically tailored meals. Additionally, we involved five current and former CUNY nutrition and culinary students to provide insight on job market preparation. Through four advisory board meetings, we gathered feedback on curriculum priorities, CHEF course completion credentials, and job market outlooks for potential graduates. To supplement this ongoing support, we conducted three student focus groups with 14 participants to review our proposed curriculum. We also engaged approximately 200 NYC high school students employed as cafeteria aides in a summer program, discussing our new curriculum and soliciting feedback on the proposed degree program. All stakeholder engagements were carefully documented through audio recordings and transcriptions of workshops and feedback sessions. Written feedback received via email was also incorporated into our discussions. This comprehensive approach ensured that stakeholder input was thoroughly integrated into the course syllabi design, with the final drafts of course materials reflecting this collaborative effort. Advisory Board Member List Advisor Name Organization Title Georgia Angelakis NYC Department of Education Director of Food Safety and Quality Assurance Deanne Brandstetter Compass North America VP Nutrition and Wellness Costa Constantinides Variety Boys and Girls Club CEO Nancy Easton Wellness in the Schools Co-Founder Lisa Feldman Sodexo Director of Culinary, Menu Systems and CSR Marion Gibson Aramark Director of Culinary Development Camesha Grant Food Bank of NYC VP of Development Edwina Hughes World Resources Institute Head of Coolfood Pledge Patricia Intrator Careers through the Culinary Arts Program Board Member David Kamen Culinary Institute of America Director of Client Engagement Liz Neumark Great Performances Catering Founder of values-based catering company Stephen O'Brien NYC Department of Education Director of Strategic Partnerships and Policy Maureen Osuji I am Morrison System Sustainability Manager Patricia Punch District Council 37 Education Fund Assistant Director Preeti Radhakrishnan LaGuardia Community College Program Director, Environmental Science Tia Schwab Mayor's Office of Food Policy Policy Advisor Craig Schantz Meta NYC Café Chef Errol Schweizer Journalist Former VP Grocery, Whole Foods Tanya Steel Careers through the Culinary Arts Program Executive Director Lisa Zullig God's Love we Deliver Director of Nutrition Services, non-profit medically tailored meals provider Goal 2: Identify the specific skills and competencies most critical to enable food preparation and facility management staff to support their employers' health and environmental initiatives. To identify critical skills and competencies for the CHEF curriculum, we conducted extensive research on comparable programs and coursework. We reviewed 30 programs at academic institutions focusing on food and sustainability, examining course structures, syllabi, and suggested readings. We engaged program administrators from Maricopa Community College (n=3) and Penn State University (n=1), which had programs most similar to our proposed CHEF program. While some community college programs included sustainability and health information, none covered the full scope of food systems theory, sustainable agricultural practices, and hands-on kitchen lab hours. More comprehensive programs were limited to bachelor's or master's degrees at private institutions like Johnson and Wales and the Culinary Institute of America. We also documented relevant resources for the CHEF curriculum, including 6 textbooks, 12 peer-reviewed manuscripts, 13 government materials, 55 articles, 27 webinars or videos, 7 podcasts, 16 websites, and 8 case studies. These materials have been referenced in CHEF course syllabi as teaching tools for future instructors. To summarize our assessment, we created a table of relevant programs, noting similarities and differences in programmatic structure, target student demographics, and course content. This evidence-based approach informed the development of our curriculum. Goal 3: Develop curricula and a stackable credential in climate-friendly, healthy, efficient food service. We developed syllabi for 4 CHEF courses (2 nutrition and health, 2 culinary focused) to be offered in 2 formats at 2 CUNY Community Colleges. These courses are: Managing Sustainable Foodservice Operations, Sustainable and Healthy Culinary Practices, Sustainable Food Systems, and Sustainable Nutrition and Health. The curriculum will be implemented differently at each participating community college, creating distinct, non-overlapping programs. This approach is likely to garner more institutional support from CUNY administrators as the programs will attract different student pools without competing for enrollment. By offering both a degree concentration and continuing education options, the CUNY system can cater to recent high school graduates and early-career culinary professionals seeking to enhance their knowledge of sustainable industry practices. At LaGuardia Community College, the curriculum will be offered as a continuing education credential in Sustainable Culinary Management. Students will receive certificates for each of the four courses, offered as six-week intensive summer sessions totaling 100 hours. Open to the public and non-matriculating students, these courses can also replace some required internship hours for matriculating students. Upon completion, LaGuardia students will receive a digital badge from Credly to verify their new skillsets to prospective employers. At Kingsborough Community College, the curriculum will form an associate degree concentration. Four twelve-week, three-credit courses will be part of the two-year core curriculum, replacing some advanced core classes of other concentrations. Graduates will receive an Associate of Applied Science in Culinary Arts degree with a concentration in Sustainable Culinary Arts. Goal 4: Prepare an implementation grant application based on the design work to support the launch and pilot testing of the CHEF credential framework in at least two CUNY community colleges in the 2024-2025 academic year. This is ongoing, to be submitted by September 15, 2024.

Publications

Progress 07/15/23 to 07/14/24

Outputs
Target Audience:The goal of the Climate-Friendly, Healthy, Efficient Food Service (CHEF) Credential project is to meet the growing need for food service workers trained in sustainable, healthy food service, thereby enhancing the relevance of community college culinary instruction and improving the job prospects of culinary, hospitality and related community college students in companies and public agencies implementing foodservice changes that address climate change, health, and waste prevention. By creating a model for culinary and hospitality management education that will produce a food service workforce equipped to address critical environmental and public health needs, the project serves three core groups of stakeholders: 1.Food service industry leaders - To guide the development of the CHEF curriculum, we hosted four (4) co-design workshops with foodservice leaders from industry and public agencies, culinary educators, and non-profit organizations that provide food as medicine services. We also convened an advisory board of 20 industry leaders in food service, public sector, and non-profit experts who have advanced sustainable and healthy food service practices. Virtual convenings were hosted via Zoom; advisors participated in the process of curriculum content development by suggesting critical topics and skills required for culinary and nutrition students to become adequately trained in the principles of sustainable, healthy food service. Advisors provided critical feedback and suggested revisions on drafts of course syllabi, course materials, and assignments, with an eye towards identifying the specific skills and competencies most critical to enable food preparation and facility management to support organizational health and environmental initiatives. 2.Current and prospective culinary, hospitality, and nutrition students from two CUNY community colleges - Five (5) students from CUNY Kingsborough and LaGuardia community colleges participated as CHEF advisors and provided critical feedback pertaining to student needs and perspectives in response to curriculum drafts alongside food service industry leaders. We also solicited feedback on course syllabi and materials through one-hour focus group sessions with a larger group (n = 14) of Kingsborough culinary students. Student advisors and student focus group participants were provided financial incentives in the form of Visa gift cards to compensate them for their time providing critical feedback. 3. CUNY faculty and administrators - Led by three (3) CUNY faculty members (Drs. Cohen, D'Alessandro, and Fernandes), this project engaged CUNY administrators at Kingsborough and LaGuardia Community Colleges to demonstrate to CUNY leadership the potential benefit of launching the CHEF credential through two distinct curriculum offerings, and to gain support of the provost and other critical staff prior to official internal submission for approval. Changes/Problems:The only change was a two-month delay in our timeline due to scheduling conflicts with advisors that required a no cost-extension. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?When implemented, the CHEF curriculum developed will provide training and professional development opportunities for undergraduate CUNY students and returning professionals who wish to receive the CHEF credential. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?During the planning process we have shared our work with the project's advisors, students, and CUNY administrators. In the coming year we plan to hold a public forum on sustainable, healthy, culinary education and will present and get public feedback on the curriculum and credentials. As this is a planning grant, we have not disseminated any findings or products from this effort to the general public. Our advisors are thought leaders in industry, the non-profit sector, and government, and will be engaged in disseminating information about the program once it is implemented. Through the CHEF curriculum development, and by engaging students through focus groups and presentations, we have shared multiple revised drafts of the CHEF curriculum to solicit feedback and demonstrate progress. In the coming year we plan to hold a public forum on sustainable, healthy, culinary education and will present and get public feedback on the curriculum and credentials. We also plan to publish an article about the process of developing the CHEF curriculum and credentials in a peer reviewed journal. Our next step for official CUNY curriculum approval is to submit a package of materials including new course proposal forms for each course, a Curricular Transmittal Form for proposal of the new degree concentration, and Curricular Framework Form to the Curriculum Committee at Kingsborough and the Adult and Continuing Education Curriculum Committee at LaGuardia. Once approved internally by the committees, these curricular changes will be shared with the New York State Department of Education for program registration. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? We accomplished all the goals of the planning project. The table below outlines each goal and the outputs we completed: Progress of project goals for Climate-Friendly, Healthy, Efficient Food Service (CHEF) Goal Outputs / progress Engage an advisory board of CUNY faculty, students, food service industry leaders, public sector, and non-profit organizations in a series of co-design workshops. Convened advisors, including 20 industry stakeholders and 19 students Conducted 4 online co-design workshops, leading to curriculum development. Identify the specific skills and competencies most critical to enable food preparation and facility management staff to support their employers' health and environmental initiatives. Discussed needed skills and competencies with advisors, particularly industry stakeholders from large foodservice companies, foodservice departments of city agencies, and non-profit foodservice providers. Feedback on needed skills and competencies was incorporated in course syllabi. Develop curricula and a stackable credential in climate-friendly, healthy, efficient food service. We created the following 4 CHEF course syllabi that can be offered in 2 formats at 2 CUNY Community Colleges: Managing Sustainable Foodservice Operations Sustainable and Healthy Culinary Practices Sustainable Food Systems Sustainable Nutrition and Health We identified a credentialing process (Credly Digital Badge) that can be adopted by LaGuardia Community College The CHEF project addressed the need for sustainable culinary education by developing a comprehensive curriculum and securing support for its implementation. The main accomplishments include: 1. Stakeholder Engagement and Support The planning project increased interest and support for the CHEF credential within CUNY and among external stakeholders, particularly industry leaders. We secured agreements from advisory board members to facilitate internship placements and support consideration of the credential within their organizations. We also obtained verbal support from the CUNY provost to launch the CHEF curriculum, contingent on securing an implementation grant. We engaged 200 potential CUNY students from the NYC Summer Youth Employment Program. 2. Curriculum Development The project documented key educational priorities and competencies identified by industry advisors and current culinary students to turn these priorities into the following four core courses: Managing Sustainable Foodservice Operations; Sustainable and Healthy Culinary Practices; Sustainable Food Systems; and Sustainable Nutrition and Health. Each course includes comprehensive learning objectives covering various aspects of sustainable culinary practices and food systems. 3. Credential Creation We designed a credential system using the Credly Badging platform, consisting of two micro-credentials, one for "Managing Sustainable Foodservice Operations" and "Sustainable and Healthy Culinary Practices," and another for "Sustainable Food Systems" and "Sustainable Nutrition and Health." Students will receive a full badge for completing all four courses. We established that Kingsborough students will receive an Associate of Applied Science in Culinary Arts with a concentration in Sustainable Culinary Arts. 4. Industry-Aligned Competencies Working with our advisors, we identified and incorporated key competencies into the curriculum, including: Introduction to Sustainable Food Systems; Sustainable Agricultural Practices; Supply Chain Management and Procurement; waste Minimization; and Food as Medicine and Plant-Forward Cooking. By developing this curriculum and securing support from both academic and industry stakeholders, the CHEF project has created a pathway for culinary students to gain essential skills in sustainable food practices. This addresses the growing need for culinary professionals who can implement environmentally conscious and health-focused approaches in the food service industry. We are on track to prepare and submit an implementation grant application to support the launch and implementation of the CHEF credential framework in two CUNY community colleges in the 2024-2025 academic year.

Publications