Program Overview
Develop your natural talent for cooking in as little as four months with the Penn Foster Career School Caterer training program. In our catering program, you can learn how to prepare and serve exquisite meals to family, friends, and customers. Plus, with our convenient online format, you can complete your catering courses from home and at a pace that’s right for you. Did you know that the average salary for Chefs and Head Cooks is $42,480?¹
The Caterer Program will cover the professional skills of catering and gourmet cooking, as well as how to start a catering business of your own. You will discover how to prepare everything from appetizers to a ten-course meal, so whether you want to explore wedding catering, event catering, or other business avenues, Penn Foster Career School is the place to start. And, you'll get hands-on practice with the cooking labs and detailed video tutorials included in your program.
Program Goal and Outcomes
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Program Goal
To prepare students to prepare meals for friends, families, and others, while also beginning students on their journey to starting their own catering business.
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Program Outcomes
Upon completion of the program, students will be able to:
- Know the services commonly offered at catered events and identify a wide range of styles of events
- Recognize market research, management styles, branding, and how to create written agreements
- Recognize many types of alcoholic beverages, the history of beer and wine, and the characteristics of the most popular categories of wine
- Identify the elements of buffet design and setup
- Understand the basics of food and nutrition and of monitoring food safety and sanitation practices
- Understand the basic principles of modifying and converting recipes
- Comprehend what is needed to choose the correct equipment and tools
- Know how to plan menus, ensure quality of meals, and season and cook food according to recipes
- Understand preparation, cooking, garnishing, and presentation of food
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Unit 1
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Starting Your Program
Succeed by learning how to use your Penn Foster program.
Objectives:
- Understand how to use your Student Portal.
- Access the Penn Foster Community and use it to find answers.
- Connect with Penn Foster on various social media sites.
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Introduction to Catering
This introductory lesson will introduce you to catered events.
Objectives:
- Describe the levels of catering.
- Assess clients’ needs.
- Create written agreements.
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Unit 2
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Dynamics of Catering
Catering deals not only with cooking but also with beverages and table service.
Objectives:
- Learn about wine and beverage service.
- Identify important etiquette associated with catering.
- Study fast cleanup techniques.
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Food Styles of Catering
Become a food artist!
Objectives:
- Describe food presentation style and design techniques.
- Garnish meals.
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Alcoholic Beverages
This lesson teaches everything you’ll need to know about serving alcoholic beverages.
Objectives:
- Create an efficient bar layout and operation.
- Use marketing strategies to maximize profitability.
- Identify intoxication warning signs.
- Describe legal concerns associated with serving alcohol.
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Unit 3
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The Culinary Professional
Plan your career path by learning about the jobs available to culinary professionals.
Objectives:
- Learn about the French kitchen brigade.
- Understand foodborne illnesses.
- Develop balanced menus.
- Learn how to develop a foundation of flavor.
- Understand nutrition and food science.
- Describe food and kitchen safety.
- Measure ingredients and convert recipe yields.
- Calculate edible portion quantity and cost.
- Identify kitchen equipment and its use.
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The Gourmet Kitchen
Learn about the ideal layout and design of a gourmet kitchen.
Objectives:
- Design, setup and present buffets.
- Understand the goals of the presentation.
- Identify simple garnishes.
- Create basic and advanced food presentations.
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Cooking Lab: Seared Beef
In your first cooking lab supplement, you’ll sear beef with arugula and onions to create a delicious dish.
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Cooking Lab: Caramelized Onion Frittata
In this cooking lab, you'll caramelize onions to create a caramelized onion frittata, and present your dish with one of the beautiful presentation options in this supplement. You'll slice onions, determine if eggs are fresh, sun dry tomatoes, and learn the difference between an omelet, a quiche, and a frittata.
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Additional Unit Materials
Textbook: The Professional Chef
Video: Chef Skills
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Unit 4
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Stocks, Sauces, and Soups
In this course, you'll learn the fundamental recipes for making stocks, sauces, and soups, and to appreciate subtle nuances of flavor and texture.
Objectives:
- Identify and use bouquet garni, sachet d’épices, mirepoix, and clarified butter.
- Prepare stocks and sauces
- Learn about soup ingredients and preparation.
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Fruits, Vegetables, and Herbs
This course teaches the essentials about fruits, vegetables, and herbs, and the primary cooking methods.
Objectives:
- Identify fruits, vegetables, and herbs.
- Prepare and cook basic vegetables.
- Understand the effects of herbs in recipes.
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Cooking Lab: Stir-Fried Beans
You will stir fry beans in this cooking lab. Stir frying is one of the oldest cooking methods in the world. Choose accompaniments for your dish, and create delicious sauces.
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Additional Unit Material
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Unit 5
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Meat
In this course you'll learn to cook remarkable, mouth-watering recipes for beef, veal, lamb, and pork.
Objectives:
- Learn about mise en place for beef.
- Understand the elements of beef and lamb fabrication.
- Identify cuts of beef, veal, lamb, and pork.
- Cook, plate, and serve beef, pork, lamb, and veal.
- Learn how to braise meat.
- Understand the principles of curing pork.
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Cooking Lab: Chateaubriand
Create a creamy, delicious layer of béarnaise sauce with thin, carefully placed slices of filet—seared to perfection—accompanied by olive-shaped château potatos.
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Cooking Lab: Rack of Lamb
In this cooking lab, you'll create a French rack of lamb served with mint chutney.
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Additional Unit Material
Video: Filet with Red Wine Mushrooms
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Unit 6
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Poultry and Game
This course will teach you how to add variety to your diet by preparing different cuts of poultry and cooking it using various methods.
Objective:
- Identify various cuts of poultry.
- Learn about poultry fabrication and trussing.
- Roast, deep poach, and sauté poultry to experiment with different flavors.
- Identify types of game.
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Cooking Lab: Stuffed Chicken Breast
Prepare a chicken breast stuffed with cheese, olives, and herbs. Then, prepare chicken breasts using the alternative recipes and presentation options presented in this cooking lab.
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Additional Unit Material
Video: Stuffed Chicken Breast
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Unit 7
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Fish and Shellfish
In this course, you’ll learn to take advantage of the wealth of available fish and shellfish by experimenting with the many preparation techniques to create light, healthful fish and shellfish dishes.
Objectives:
- Identify, clean, and prepare fresh and saltwater fish and shellfish.
- Boil, broil, and fry fish and shellfish.
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Cooking Lab: Striped Sea Bass
In this cooking lab, prepare a whole striped sea bass stuffed with herbs.
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Additional Unit Material
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Unit 8
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Grains, Legumes, and Pasta
This course will familiarize you with the many flavors and textures of legumes, grains, and pasta.
Objectives:
- Identify different types of grains, legumes, and pasta.
- Cook, simmer, and sort grains.
- Use dried and fresh legumes.
- Make your own fresh pasta, and determine what sauce goes best with your fresh, homemade pasta.
- Cook pasta.
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Cooking Lab: Sesame Shiitake Noodles
Cook Sesame Shiitake Noodles, a delicious, robust dish with garlic, ginger, and shiitake mushrooms. Select a grater, and learn about different types of ginger.
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Unit 9
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Baking and Pastry
This course will teach you how to create delicious baked goods.
Objectives:
- Identify the ingredients most often used in baking.
- Identify the differences between yeast breads and quick breads.
- Cook sugar and whip egg whites.
- Prepare pastries, cookies, dessert sauces, and creams.
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Cooking Lab: Phyllo Pear Tart
In this cooking lab, create a delicious phyllo pear tart with a beautiful presentation and pair it with dessert wine!
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Unit 10
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Breakfast, Garde Manger, and World Cuisines
In this final course of gourmet cooking, you’ll learn about breakfast delights, tasty sandwiches, appetizers, and hors d’oeuvres, as well as culinary practices around the world.
Objectives:
- Learn about dairy products and eggs.
- Make eggs, omelets, soufflés, and quiche.
- Compare a soft-boiled egg and a poached egg.
- Describe the primary elements of garde manger.
- Create charcuterie.
- Learn about the culinary traditions of the Americas, Asia, and Europe.
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Cooking Lab: Preparation of an Entire Meal
In this cooking lab, prepare an entire meal of red cabbage and spinach salad, salmon in parchment with shrimp and peppers, and chartreuse melon with berries. Each piece of the meal will come out on time and delicious!
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Computer Specifications
As you know this is an online academic program. This means you will need high-speed internet access to begin your program. In addition, you will need access to a Microsoft® Windows® based computer running Windows 7® or later or an Apple® Mac® computer running OS X® or later, and an email account to participate in and complete your program.
Sample Lesson
To view a Caterer sample lesson, click here.
Caterer Program Details
In the Penn Foster Career School Caterer program you’ll cover topics such as:
- Kitchen techniques and preparations used by caterers
- Food styles and being a culinary professional
- Types of meat and seafood
- Baking and pastry
National Restaurant Association (NRA) ServSafe Food Handler Certification
Graduates of our Caterer Program can take the National Restaurant Association (NRA) ServSafe Food Handler online training course and certification exam at no additional cost. This certification is required for anyone working in an environment that involves food handling.
State Licensing Information
Licensing and/or certification requirements for jobs in this field are not the same in every state and may include educational, testing, and/or experiential requirements beyond those offered by your Penn Foster Program. You should contact the state professional licensing board or similar regulatory body in the state(s) where you plan to work to determine their requirements before enrolling in your Program. Please click here for contact information for state licensing/regulatory boards and certain industry licensing information.
