Sustainable Food Craft
Professional Certificate
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Whether you are looking for a culinary education focused on artisan skills or motivated to acquire a suite of sustainability-oriented culinary skills at a fraction of the cost of a culinary degree, the Sustainable Food Craft Professional Certificate provides you with a self-designed immersive culinary education taught by renowned instructors in small cohorts of students from around the world.
With the growing demand for local, sustainable, and value-added foods comes a clarion call for craft food artisans who understand on-farm sustainability practices and can collaborate with farmers to provide consumers with food that is ethically-produced, delicious, and healthy.
The School of the New American Farmstead offers a suite of artisan food courses that may be taken individually or pursued collectively to attain Sterling College’s Sustainable Food Craft Professional Certificate.
Who is this certificate for?
The Sustainable Food Craft Professional Certificate is designed for aspiring and current food professionals interested in:
- Bringing new value-added products to market
- Producing artisan foods for the market place and home use
- Connecting with the origins of food and strengthening traditional foodways
- Adapting modern recipes to utilize heritage ingredients
- Maximizing opportunities rooted in the farm to table and agritourism movements
- Linking the benefits of regenerative farming, agricultural biodiversity, and human health
- Community-building through food
Why a professional certificate?
Individually, these courses teach professionals how to go about sourcing raw agricultural products direct from the farmer, transform quality ingredients into higher-value products through application of time-tested techniques, and market their products to a growing population of conscious consumers. Together, these courses will take you from farm to table with each of the products you focus on, opening up the world of possibilities in craft food production. Live your passion and become a sustainable food artisan and entrepreneur, equipped with the knowledge, expertise, and experience gained through the completion of the Sustainable Food Craft Professional Certificate.
Learning Objectives
Students successfully completing the Sustainable Food Craft Professional Certificate will be able to:
- Demonstrate essential culinary capacities and food safety practices in each of the selected course topics
- Articulate key on-farm practices that form the basis for values-oriented farm products highlighted in each course
- Identify, source, and incorporate sustainable ingredients into value-added artisan food products
- Transform sustainably-sourced products into authentic market opportunities that yield fair prices to farmers and food craft producers
Course Requirements
Successful completion of this certificate requires 12 continuing education credits from courses marked as applicable to this certificate. Currently available courses include:
|
Course Title |
Credits |
Course Date |
|---|---|---|
| Natural Cheesemaking: Raw Milk Cheeses | 2 ceus | March 9-13, 2020 |
| Natural Cheesemaking: Next Level Cheeses | 2 ceus | March 16-20, 2020 |
| Italian Sustainability Study Tour for Dietitians | 3 ceus | June 8-17, 2020 |
| Wildcrafting for Everyone | 2 ceus | June 26, 2020 |
| The Art of Fermentation | 2 ceus | July 20-24, 2020 |
Courses will be listed here as they become available. Previously offered School of the New American Farmstead courses may be applied to this certificate on a case by case basis. Please contact us for details.
All students who complete a School of the New American Farmstead course are invited to join our closed Facebook group to maintain contact with fellow alumni and our network of instructors and collaborators.
Professional Portfolio
Upon completion of the course requirements, you will be required to produce a Professional Portfolio per guidelines that will be provided.
Students will work with School of the New American Farmstead staff to create a their own Professional Portfolio demonstrating successful completion of their coursework, attainment of certificate learning objectives, and related professional experience and aspirations. This portfolio will be in digital format and may be used on websites, in social media such as LinkedIn, for job searches, and as documentation of competency and certificate completion to current employers.
Upon submission of the $500 portfolio advising and assessment fee, you will have a 30 day window in which to submit the following required materials:
- Professional Certificate Self-Assessment Essay
- Professional Statement
- Multi-media documentation of skills and proficiencies
- Resume/CV
- ServSafe Food Handler Certificate of Achievement
Collectively, these materials will provide a thorough assessment and documentation of your skills and expertise for use both in job searches and negotiations with current employers.
