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Sustainable Food Systems: Culinary Track (B.S.)

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CHARLOTTE START: FALL 2021

Program Overview

The food ecosystem is at the core of the planet’s well-being. Your well-being.

The future of food is taking shape on the campuses of Johnson & Wales University. We stand upon our reputation as a global leader in culinary education to push the boundaries of learning and action. The Sustainable Food Systems program takes you through the web of the food system, from the farm to supply chains, from the debate hall to the kitchen, and from the community to the Capitol.

Our interdisciplinary curriculum allows you to work closely with faculty who have expertise in a multitude of disciplines relevant to the challenges of our times. Each one of these mentors will help guide you towards your vision of having a lasting cultural impact. You will explore a vast array of topics that prepare you to take a leadership role in a generation of globally active citizens.

This program encourages you to discover where your passion for food can take you. Food industries, large and small, need leaders whose vision sees beyond the horizon and whose voices define a paradigm shift towards sustainability. Your future starts here.

Culinary Track

Your first year will be defined by core culinary courses that make up a common foundation. These 12 credits include courses in culinary skills and techniques, leadership in the kitchen, and other essential skills.

  • CUL1100: Introduction to Culinary Skills and Techniques (Foundation Courses)
  • CUL1210: Breakfast & Lunch Cafe
  • CUL1320: Elements of a la Minute Cooking
  • CUL1410: Contemporary Cooking & Leadership Functions
We’re actually teaching students about the political economy that surrounds their food. You can take an action-based approach to address sustainability like no one else can. CHEF BRANDEN LEWIS

JWU Career Outcomes

This program is available in Providence and Charlotte.* Contact Admissions for more info.

Admissions is contingent upon meeting the technical standards for this program. To learn more, visit the JWU Catalog’s technical standards page.

*Note that North Carolina state licensure is pending for this program in Charlotte.

Featured Faculty

Branden Lewis
Branden J. Lewis

Associate Professor

Branden Lewis, Ed.D., teaches a number of classes in sustainability, where students learn where food comes from and actually travel our food web.

Associate Professor Doug Stuchel
Douglas Stuchel

Associate Professor

My passion is food systems, ethical farming, culinary arts, sustainability & wellness and food justice.

Professor Jennifer Gallagher
Jennifer Gallagher

Associate Professor + Dept. Chair

Gallagher is passionate about sharing her experience and enthusiasm with the next generation of industry professionals.

Sample Courses

  • Cultivating Local Food Systems
  • Growing for the Menu
  • Politics of Food, Human Security & Social Justice
  • Sustainability in the Culinary Kitchen
  • Health & the Harvest
  • Ethics: A Global Perspective
  • Internship

Explore the full JWU Catalog course listing:

Providence Charlotte

Harnessing the Transformative Power of Food

JWU’s new bachelor of sicnece degree in Sustainable Food Systems explores ways to transform our entrenched, largely industrialized systems into more resilient, responsive and dynamic networks that work for — not against — the planet.

Chef Branden Lewis, who spearheaded the program’s evelopment, sees it as “a moral obligation” for chefs to understand how their professional practice (be it cooking, sourcing, product development or policy-making) affects the longterm longevity of our food systems: “We’re actually teaching students about the political economy that surrounds their food,” he explains. “You can take an action-based approach to address sustainability like no one else can. You have to know what your decisions mean for the food system, for your communities, for your workers.”

“I could sit here and tell you what’s more sustainable, or you can decide for yourself by experiencing it. That’s a transformative moment.”

The program’s structure provides an interdisciplinary framework to enable students to explore diverse perspectives at the intersection of social food justice, policy and advocacy, and environmental protection. Notes Lewis, “I could sit here and tell you what’s more sustainable, or you can decide for yourself by experiencing it. That’s a transformative moment — and you can’t really do anything except foster conditions to help create that moment.”

For Lewis, it’s an incredible opportunity for students to develop their critical thinking and become resilient learners — all in the service of shaping innovative solutions to issues like climate change, food loss and food security. (There is also a master’s program in Food Innovation & Technology for those who want to take an even deeper dive into these complex systemic issues.)

In the video above, Chef Lewis and Compass Group Chef Aaron Perrott (a JWU alum) discuss the importance of sustainability in culinary education.

TAKE ACTION

Customize with Minors

  • Students in this program can take courses in the Culinary Sustainability minor, which is made up of 4 additional culinary/pastry sustainability labs and one capstone-style academic; other choices include minors in Environmental Sustainability (Providence only) or Public Health.

MINORS

Note: The Charlotte Culinary Sustainability and Public Health minors begin in Fall 2021.

Faculty Contact

Providence

Branden Lewis
401-598-1972
Email

Charlotte

Jennifer Gallagher, CHE
980-598-1479
Email

As of June 23, 2020, programs in this catalog will no longer be offered to new students at the Denver and North Miami campuses. At the close of the 2020-2021 academic year (subject to possible courses through the summer of 2021), no programs in this catalog will be offered to any students at the Denver and North Miami campuses, as those campuses will be closing after the end of the 2020-2021 academic year (subject to possible courses through the summer of 2021).

How JWU Ranks: Badges of Best Colleges 2020-2021 from U.S. News & World Report, The WSJ, and Money’s Best Colleges

“Once I began working on the farm, I started becoming more conscious about food waste, which was a big thing for me already. I could not think of a better way to learn about food than where it all starts.” VICTOR DELGADO '19

Hopkins Southdowns Farm Internship

“Get your hands dirty. Go work on a farm. Learn what it takes to germinate a plant, to grow, to harvest. Learning what wild edibles are out there is also a good gauge for the seasons.” CHEF MATT VARGA '05

Gracie’s, Ellie’s