Centenary to Debut a Culinary Arts Program in 2023
Photo by Centenary College Marketing & Communication
To many Centenary students in recent months, it is no secret that the college is changing. From new dorms to the renovations to the FIT, there are a lot of controversial changes occurring on campus, and they aren’t going away anytime soon. However, with 2022 Corrington Award Recipient Jesus Christ’s visit to campus just over the horizon, there is a lot to do prior to his arrival. One of which is to invest in a culinary arts program.
“But Mackenzie,” you ask. “There is not one single person that has ever asked for this. What the hell is going on?” Or, “When did Jesus Christ get so invested in the culinary arts?” While you may be right that no person has ever asked for this, there is someone else’s judgment that you must consider.
“I am just so excited to finally get to share my cooking skills with the greater Centenary community,” said the James rat. “I’m not going to let my five-inch body get in the way of teaching the thing I love.”
As far as how this works for enrollment and registration, there are currently only four classes available to students in the Spring of 2023. CULN 101, Introduction to the Culinary Arts, will also be taught in the Fall of 2022. This class will be an introduction to the basic practices associated with the culinary arts and will give students the opportunity to begin learning hands-on skills. The next course after that is CULN 202, World Cuisine and Technique, which can be taken for a TREK Culture credit.
As far as upper-level courses go, the James rat has lots of ideas for cooking. “I cannot wait to get students into my 300-level Cheese class,” said the James rat. “Cheese is one of the greatest culinary achievements mankind has to offer. There is nothing like the smell of cheese and oh! And all of the things you can pair with it.”
Editor’s Note: the James rat proceeded to spend the entire rest of the interview, discussing the “cheese class.” When asked about additional courses or literally anything else, he refused to answer the question and continued his discussion of cheese.
“But Mackenzie,” you ask. “Doesn’t this seem very similar to a plot of a particular movie involving a rat who can cook?” Or, “Is Disney going to sue over this?” All of these are very good questions. Luckily, the James rat held a Q&A panel just last week in the Whited Room. The following are a few highlights from that panel:
Q: What are you most excited about in the upcoming year, Mr. Rat?
A: First of all, it’s Dr. Rat now, as Centenary has just given me an honorary degree as of 20 minutes ago. And to answer your question, the cheese class. I will not elaborate further.
Q: Are you worried at all about being sued by Disney, Dr. Rat?
A: No, I am not. It was recently discovered that there was extra money coming in from the Reverend Lindy’s wedding services. We are taking a portion of that money just to be prepared for the inevitable lawsuit. After all, what else could it be used for? The humanities people? They have a tent; they’ll be fine.
Q: What will happen to all of the food made during class?
A: Great question. To cut down on food waste, any student enrolled in any of the culinary arts programs will not be allowed at the Caf. Students will only be allowed to eat during class, which is currently scheduled for 6:30 through 9:30 on Tuesday nights. Part of why DPS is now in the SUB is so they can more closely monitor who goes in and out of the Caf.
Q: Wait, I want to make sure I’m getting this right. Did you say that culinary arts students can only eat during one 3-hour window on Tuesday nights?
A: Yes, I did. With students on this campus already having such an intense environmental impact due to the new CRAB golf cart racetracks, I wanted to do my part to reduce waste as much as possible.
