As the tourism industry continues to grow in Lynchburg, Virginia, the service and hospitality sector plays a pivotal role in shaping the city’s identity and driving its economic and tourism growth. Tourism drives spending in food & beverage, lodging, transportation, retail, and recreation, directly supporting the service industry and hospitality jobs comprising 3,245 of our local employment within the City of Lynchburg. In this article, we are featuring a few programs in Lynchburg that are supporting the growth of the service and hospitality industry.
Lynchburg City Schools Culinary Program
Students at E.C. Glass watch a cooking demonstration
E.C. Glass High School and Heritage High School both offer curricula that support the culinary arts such as Intro to Culinary Arts, Culinary Arts 1, Culinary Arts 2, Culinary 3, and a Culinary Specialization. Both schools offer a fully-equipped commercial kitchen for lab use and a classroom space. Students are given work-based learning opportunities through catering events, classroom labs, teacher cafes, fundraisers, community competitions, CTE competitions, job shadowing, field trips, and apprenticeship opportunities
Students progressing through the program will potentially graduate with their CTECS Workplace Readiness certification, Prostart Level 1 and Level 2 Certifications, ServSafe Manager certification, and a CTE completer certificate from the VDOE. Students also leave the program with a portfolio, resume, and workplace readiness skills. Students also have the opportunity to join the National Technical Honor Society if requirements are met and a CTE student organization (CTSO).
“FCCLA is the organization for culinary, and FCCLA holds local, state, and national competitions. We just had a group of middle school students compete in Denver over the summer! Many students work in the food industry while in high school and/or during college years, and a handful continue on to pursue culinary arts on a larger scale. These courses have about 80 students enrolled each school year at each school and about 2-5 students attend college for culinary each year,” said Jessie Hunt, LCS CTE Counselor.
Mr. Tommy Phillips is the Chef and Instructor at ECG. He is a NAVY Veteran and has been in the business for 30 years. He says the only job he hasn’t tackled in the food industry is a cruise ship. He even owned and operated his own restaurant in North East China, and has cooked for Heads-of-States, Movie Stars, and Athletes, catered at masters golf tournaments for 5 years, and many more. He has a passion for cooking, education, and our youth, which makes him the perfect teacher for this program.
Future goals for the culinary programs include the addition of apprenticeships, student-based enterprises, and a student trip abroad for a food tour of Northern Italy in the summer of 2024. If you or your business is interested in supporting this program, please reach out to Robbie Dooley, Instructional Supervisor of Career & Technical Education at dooleyrg@lcsedu.net.
Central Virginia Community College Culinary Programs
CVCC Students get real-world experience, preparing food with Chef Scholly at Shoemakers American Grill
The Culinary Arts and Management programs are designed for students who want to be prepared for a career in the culinary and hospitality industries. Upon completion of the program, students will possess a technical education in culinary and food service management that will allow paths to immediate employment.
“When they first come into the program, most of my students want to open their own restaurant or bakery, the culinary program helps give them a background with the skills and experience needed to work in the food industry. I always reccomend that my students work for a resturaunt, baker or caterer for a few years so that they can understand what all goes into running a business, which includes management skills, food costs, and inventory,” said Philamena Hughes, CVCC Culinary Arts Program Director.
The Culinary Arts Program at CVCC has two career paths:
- Culinary Arts and Management Program: The associate of applied science degree program in culinary arts and management will prepare individuals for careers in culinary arts, food service management, and related occupations. There is continued industry demand for qualified, chefs and food service managers, with the restaurant industry, making up one of the major employers in the college’s service region. This program is designed to give individuals, technical education in culinary arts and food service management, and will prepare students for immediate employment upon graduation. Some of the occupational jobs might be an entry-level cook, food, service manager, or catering operations manager.
- Culinary Arts Certificate: The culinary arts certificate program option (1-year program) is designed to provide a foundation in food production in the culinary arts field. Individuals already employed in the dining and/or hospitality field may complete their certificate to upgrade their skills, develop specializations, and/or expand their career options. Some of the occupational jobs might be supervisory or managerial positions in food service, or entry-level cook in hotels, restaurants, or resort settings.
For the Culinary Arts & Management Program, students are required to intern in the food industry for a semester. Recently, one student interned with Shoemakers at the Craddock Terry Hotel and worked with Chef Scholly to host a wine and dinner pairing event, where he recruited other CVCC culinary students to gain experience working in a fine dining atmosphere. Additionally, Hughes focuses on getting her students involved locally and gain real-world experience working in the food industry. The CVCC Culinary program supports events like the Jubilee Center Top Chef Event, cooking classes for the public held at CVCC, local fundraisers, and CVCC faculty & staff luncheons and events.
“So many new restaurants have opened in Lynchburg in the last few years, there are plenty of jobs, so it’s a great field to get into because it’s one of the major employers in this area. Not every student has to be a line cook to succeed working in this industry, there’s also pastry and baking shops, and catering opportunities. You don’t have to go to a major city for this type of job, you can find a great attractive career path right here in Lynchburg,” Hughes said.
If your business is interested in hosting a CVCC Culinary Intern or has an opportunity for students to get involved, please contact Philomena Hughes at hughesp@centralvirginia.edu
Liberty University Hospitality Program
Liberty University students touring the Academy of Arts
Liberty University’s Department of Hospitality & Sport Management and the School of Business offers an exciting Bachelor of Science in Hospitality Management degree program. Classes began in the Fall 2020 semester with the first graduating class in Spring 2022. The curriculum was developed to meet the guidelines of the Accreditation Commission for Programs in Hospitality Administration (ACPHA), the premier accrediting body for academic programs in Hospitality Management. The program is approved by SACSCOC (Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges) and will pursue ACPHA accreditation when it is qualified to do so.
The Bachelor of Science degree program trains students to assume management positions in various service areas within the hospitality industry. These include conferences and events, food service, guest services, lodging management, and tourism. In addition to in-class instruction, students receive immersive practical experiences in their preferred industry segment through the required practicum and internship.
“Many of our lodging students have worked at the Fairfield and I know of one who is currently at The Virginian. Therefore, our students are getting industry experience outside of the experiential requirements of the program. Students are required to have a minimum 50-hour practicum and a minimum 400-hour internship,” according to Dr. Lance Hatfield, Associate Professor at the Department of Hospitality & Sports Management.
Program courses ensure that students will become familiar with the issues, challenges, opportunities, and nuances of the industry. The curriculum also provides a solid business foundation to foster both proactive and data-driven decision making which enhances the manager’s fiduciary responsibilities to the organization, employees, guests, and society.
Some recent local hospitality management partners include Fairfield Inn & Suites, Liberty Mountain Conference Center, LU Events, LU Athletics, The Academy Center of the Arts, and the Virginian Hotel. If you are interested in working with the LU Hospitality program, please contact Lance Hatfield lchatfield@liberty.edu
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