Food should not only taste good, look good and be good for you — it should also be sustainable.
That mantra is heard more and more in JWU’s culinary classrooms and kitchens. Conscious cuisine is now at the top of every JWU culinary student’s mind.
Students in JWU’s College of Food Innovation & Technology are developing an understanding of the growing season, basic food costs — and how that translates into what they put on the table.
Our chef-instructors use their position of influence to help solve global issues of food security, sustainability and reducing food waste.
Dept. Chair, Culinary / Assoc. Professor
Associate Professor Makuch leads JWU's Ecolab Center for Culinary Science, where students, faculty and industry experts connect science to culinary arts through curriculum development, academic projects, forums and other activities.
Professor
Professor Lothrop teaches food science and product development at JWU’s Charlotte Campus.
Professor
Associate Professor Lewis sees it as “a moral obligation” for chefs to understand how their professional practice affects the long-term longevity of our food systems.
There’s more to sustainability than instructing students not to be wasteful, explains Assistant Dean TJ Delle Donne ’04, ’07 MAT, CEC, assistant dean of culinary relations and special projects in Providence. “We teach students to think about what they’re doing, to be aware of their ingredient choices.”
Whether produce, seafood or livestock, students learn to consider the sourcing of their ingredients: Is it local? Does it make ecological sense? What are the economic and social impacts of what is used and what isn’t? Providence students get to know local growers by touring, harvesting and even preparing meals at nearby farms.
Harnessing the Transformative Power of Food
Watch Chef Branden Lewis, Ed.D., and jwu alum Aaron Perrott (Compass Group) discuss the importance of sustainability in culinary education.
JWU students in Charlotte use ingredients grown right on campus. Charlotte’s COOP is an outdoor garden and classroom where students can compare the taste and nutritional content of picked versus trucked produce. The COOP includes heirloom varieties, herbs and North Carolina regional vegetables.
Students on all campuses are taught to incorporate every ingredient completely, so very little is thrown away and easily composted. But what about the dozens of test pies, brownies and cookies from baking and pastry classes? Or extra cuts of meat?
“Chefs have the power to make the change, especially when it comes to where they purchase ingredients,” notes Providence Associate Professor Rollie Wesen. “At the end of the day, it’s important to be proud of what you’re serving — not only in taste but also in sustainability.”
