Culinary Arts students from Columbus Tech on a food tour of Germany

Fourteen culinary arts students from Columbus Technical College are in Germany this week soaking up the local cuisine in butcher shops, bakeries and award-winning kitchens.

Joined by two Columbus Tech instructors, the students left for Stuttgart on July 20^th embarking on a special 10- day tour designed to expand their knowledge of food and culture in Germany. Instructors participating in the overseas adventure are Chef Martin Wolf, the program’s lead instructor, and Chef Tracy Flynn.

Chef Martin Wolf is the lead instructor in Columbus Technical College’s Culinary Arts program.

On their stops in various German communities, the culinary arts students are participating in hands-on learning apprenticeships with a commercial kitchen and a large caterer, along with butchers and bakers. They will work in a variety of restaurants including one run by a Michelin Star Chef.

“This is such an amazing opportunity for our students,” Flynn said. “How often do you get the chance to travel halfway across the globe to gain hands-on, real life experience for your future dream career? These students will learn from Michelin Star chefs and leaders in the restaurant and hospitality industries. All of these skills will put them ahead of the game when it comes time to start their next chapters.”

The students participating on the trip are: Tameka Colbert, Tsianna Goodgame, Shalita Hartwell, Kenneth Hill, Donald Housey, Jaylin Hubbard, Janeice Johnson, Cristina Marshall, Brakira Rhodes, Johnny Simmons Jr., Latika Smith-Downs, Niki Wilson, Danielle West, and Alexis Whitfield.

Some of the funds for a student trip to Ireland last year were raised at the Culinary Expedition, a special community dinner that was planned and prepared by culinary arts students.

Funds for the trip were raised by various community events, including Columbus Tech’s Culinary Expedition in March of this year.

In that event students prepared an international menu and served a dining room filled with community diners.

Wolf hopes the students will return from the culinary tour of Germany with a better understanding of their chosen profession.

“We expect students to return from this trip with a broad knowledge and appreciation of what the profession has to offer them,” Wolf said.

# # #

About Culinary Arts: Columbus Technical College offers both a diploma and an associate’s degree in culinary arts. The program started in summer of 2016 with four students and today there are 24 students enrolled. The average starting salary in Georgia for a chef or head cook is nearly $34,000 per year (*Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2016).