OSU-Okmulgee Students Tour San Francisco and California

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

(Okmulgee) -- A tour of San Francisco and the Napa Valley and Sonoma County “wine country” regions would be a classy, cultural experience for almost any college group. But for students in the OSU-Okmulgee Culinary Arts program, Instructor Jeff Howard says the California trip will play an integral part in shaping their careers.
    
“Tours like this one show students the diversity of our restaurant business,” Howard said. “They see first-hand the importance of quality and flavor as well as service.  California wines are now recognized as some of the finest in the world.”

First-hand knowledge of America’s wine country regions adds to the professional expertise students can take to the workplace, according to Howard. “In the past 10 years in Oklahoma, wine has become a much larger part of the food service industry. During this trip, our students had the chance to see production from the grapevine to the bottled product.”

Howard was one of three instructors and 10 students who made the trip to California.  Howard, along with Chef Grady Perryman, is cosponsor of OSU-Okmulgee’s Future Chefs’ Association, the group sponsoring the California tour. Chef Valarie Carter, instructor of the wine education course, also accompanied the students.      

“The Future Chefs’ Association takes a number of smaller trips each year, and we also try to take a larger trip,” Howard said. “In the past we’ve gone to schools, restaurants and trade shows in Chicago, Kansas City and Dallas.”

The tour combined education with amusement, as students toured San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf, Ghirardelli Square and took a sightseeing cruise in the bay. The group also visited the Culinary Institute of America at Graystone, located in the heart of Napa Valley.

Oklahoma State University - Okmulgee is known for its hands-on technical education, world-class equipment and active partnerships with industry.  Degree programs are developed according to emerging educational and labor market needs.  Seventeen programs of study lead to Associate in Applied Science degrees, three programs of study lead to Associate in Science transfer degrees, and three programs lead to Bachelor of Technology degrees - Information Assurance and Forensics, Instrumentation Engineering Technology and Civil Engineering Technology.  Through frequent advisory board meetings, corporate partners make significant contributions to curriculum, faculty improvement, equipment acquisition, internship experiences for students and employment opportunities for graduates.  OSU-Okmulgee also promotes economic development among small Oklahoma firms by providing training and assistance with technology deployment, financing, bidding and purchasing procedures.

For more information call 918.293.4678 or 1.800.722.4471. Information also is available online at www.osu-okmulgee.edu.