Culinary Arts A.A.S.

You qualify to take the ServSafe: Food Sanitation exam, which you can pass with a score of 75% or higher. ServSafe—developed by the National Restaurant Association—is the leader in food safety training and certification. You receive food sanitation training experience that reduces risk and creates a culture of food safety.

The ServSafe certification exam is to be taken in person with a proctor.

With a C or better, you can earn National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF) ManageFirst Certificates in:

• Hospitality Supervision
• Purchasing and Inventory Control
• Menu Marketing and Management
• Controlling Hospitality Costs

Yes! Prairie at Brae Loch is a CLC student-managed restaurant located at Brae Loch Golf Club near the Grayslake Campus.  Here, you can practice all facets of running a restaurant in newly renovated, top-of-the-line kitchens.

Made possible thanks to a 20-year agreement between CLC and the Lake County Forest Preserves, the restaurant provides upscale dining at affordable prices to the local community.

Real restaurant experience: Learn hands-on in newly renovated, top-of-the-line kitchens at Prairie at Brae Loch, a CLC student-managed restaurant located at Brae Loch Golf Club near the Grayslake Campus. The restaurant provides upscale dining at affordable prices to the local community, thanks to a 20-year agreement between CLC and the Lake County Forest Preserves.

Full spectrum of training: You’ll be reading texts and doing homework, listening and participating in lectures, working on projects in teams and individually, guest speakers, field trips, discussion boards and in-person discussions, hands-on labs, quizzes/exams/testing, etc.

A better chef-to-student ratio: Your lab classes are smaller with 10-16 students, and lecture classes are capped at 24-32 students. This means your instructors get to know you better.

Hands-on lab classes: You’ll follow recipes, with chef assistance as needed. In your advanced level and capstone classes, you’ll follow recipes, with the freedom to create plates and menus.

Project-focused courses: In many lecture classes, you’ll work individually and on team projects. A great example is HCM212 Menu Marketing and Management—you’ll design a restaurant/bar/bakery incorporating what you learned in class, supported by research from other reliable sources.

Community involvement and networking: Our program participates in many CLC and community events throughout the year. During Vernon Hills Days and Taste of Grayslake, you and your classmates will create, make, present, and serve the menu with the chef’s supervision.

Yes, you can! When you meet the transfer requirements for CLC’s Guaranteed Transfer Admission partners, Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, Roosevelt University or St. Augustine University, you receive:

• guaranteed admission that confirms admission to your transfer school early
• personalized academic planning from both institutions
• thousands in tuition savings by attending CLC first

The cost is based on recommended pathway credit hours. It includes in-district tuition and fees. It does not factor in the cost of books and materials. It does not account for financial aid (grants, loans, scholarships) that you may receive.

View current tuition and fees

Some courses in this program are subject to variable tuition and course fees because they provide specialized experiences, instruction or technology/equipment.

View courses with variable tuition and fees

Many opportunities exist at CLC to get financial aid. Learn more about Cost of Attendance.