Breaking a few eggs
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Monroe College culinary student Monifa Brown hopes to capitalize on hospital food”™s bad reputation.
Brown entered the program with the goal of opening up her own restaurant ”“ a bed & breakfast that would service families of hospitalized patients.
“I”™m currently a traffic enforcement agent with the New York City Police Department, and as a young female, I love to cook,” Brown, of the Bronx, said. “People need to eat whether it”™s a good or bad economy.”
This spring, Brown will enter her fourth semester at the college”™s New Rochelle campus, which offers a comprehensive culinary degree that goes beyond cooking and baking.
The program, which started off-campus at New Rochelle restaurant MacMenamin’s Grill in 2003, moved on-campus in 2006 with the addition of a four-kitchen culinary arts center.
“We are getting lots of folks who are just interested in culinary as a field,” said Saadia Del-Llano, director of adult and evening programs at Monroe. “As our program grew, (the restaurant) could no longer accommodate it.”
The culinary associate”™s degree has two tracks ”“ a standard culinary degree and a degree with a specialization in baking and pastry.
Del-Llano said many of the 264 students currently in the associate”™s degree culinary program will continue at Monroe for a bachelor”™s degree in hospitality.
Terri Lintos, associate director of adult and evening programs, said the culinary program”™s flexible class schedule appeals to working mothers.
“With weekend and evening classes, there”™s more than enough flexibility for the student,” Lintos, who is also a professor of criminal justice at Monroe, said.
Westchester Community College offers a culinary program, “but it”™s not as extensive as ours,” Del-Llano said.
The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park also competes for culinary students, but it is more expensive than Monroe”™s offerings.
Right now, Brown is still learning the fundamentals, such as knife skills and making sauces. Soon she will learn the business side of having a restaurant, including accounting, menu development and management.
Next year, Brown will graduate with an associate”™s degree in culinary arts.
“Upon my completion of the program, I am going to go for my bachelor”™s in hospitality management,” Brown said. “From there, I am going to pursue opening my own bed and breakfast. I”™m asthmatic and I”™ve been in and out of the hospital at times. I know hospitalization can be hard on traveling families, so I thought I should open next to a hospital.”