Press Releases
Professional Culinary Institute Leads Industry With Cutting-Edge Technology
From Innovative Programs to Inventory Control, PCI Sets the Trend in the Culinary World
"Our innovative planning incorporates high-tech software programs, that have not only reduced our waste, but have also been much more cost and time efficient," says George Hadres, director of education. "Additionally, our advanced technology has been educationally beneficial, as we have a large number of students who are making a career shift from the technology sector to the culinary industry; they are used to high-tech, they want high-tech, and high-tech is one of many elements we provide our students."
PCI has initiated a highly successful inventory control system that takes the ordering of food and menu items out of the instructor's hands. Instead, a menu-management software system has been implemented in which instructors simply input the number of students per class, which the software breaks down in order to allot the appropriate quantity of food per class. This new and innovative idea has significantly reduced waste and ensures that all the food products needed for a class are available. PCI worked closely with the menu-management software's tech support to modify its product, making PCI the first culinary school in 2005 to implement such a program.
PCI is a self contained institution; with a highly sophisticated academic management software program in place, PCI is able to manage everything internally from business affairs to academic matters. An online portal allows students, instructors, administrators, and employers access to a database where businesses can look for potential employees, students can view grades and receive important registrar information, instructors can leave messages for their students and start online group classes, and administrators are able to contact students with important and time sensitive information. The latest phase of this online portal has incorporated a "MySpace" like networking group that allows students to communicate with each other and to match up with potential employers anonymously.
The Certified Sommelier Program, the only program of its kind in the United States, has incorporated real-time DVD recording capabilities into each class. Microphones throughout the classroom catch the comments of other students, so the camera doesn't miss a beat. At the finish of each class, the lecture that has been recorded onto a DVD is made available for review by students in the library, offering students the chance to catch up and review previous lectures. Recently, PCI's demo kitchens and baking kitchens incorporated video into their programs as well, allowing culinary, baking and pastry arts, and hospitality students the opportunity to review each class at a later time.
For more information about PCI, visit www.pcichef.com.
Founded by Chef Richard Battista in 2005, The Professional Culinary Institute of the Silicon Valley (PCI) is a premier chef-owned culinary school located in the heart of the Silicon Valley in Campbell, California. Offering full and part time programs in culinary arts, baking and pastry arts, a certified sommelier program, and a hospitality management program, PCI offers small class sizes, renowned instructors, state-of-the-art equipment and facility, a required paid externship and an Artisense method of teaching that is unique to PCI. Degrees and diplomas offered at PCI include: Diploma of Essential Professional Culinary Skills, Diploma of Essential Professional Baking and Pastry Skills, Certified Sommelier, and Associates of Occupational Science in Hospitality Management. To learn more about PCI, visit www.pcichef.com or call toll free, 1-888-PCI-LEARN.