Author: blogger

Baking Arts Management Programs In Canada

Posted on by blogger

The job of pastry bakers is no longer limited to turning raw ingredients into baked treats. Instead it extends to quantity bakery production, labour cost controls, purchasing for commercial kitchen, menu planning, practices of nutrition, and human resource planning.

Traditionally, pastry bakers were expected to just bake pastries, cookies, breads, cakes and chocolates. However, times have changed. Now, the industry offers them more legitimate career options in the areas of supply management, hospitality management, human resource planning, and sanitation, hygiene and safety, marketing of baked goods, and kitchen management.

The professionals are now required to have excellent baking skills combined with strong business acumen. They should be able to work in state-of-the-art kitchens, while using the latest equipments and ensuring their smooth transition into the workforce. They are not only required to bake cakes and pastries, but are also expected to innovate and bring a new product or concept to the market.

Baking Arts Management Programs

Prospective pastry bakers in Canada are required to go through a formal and intensive training in baking arts management before entering the world of work. In fact, this is considered as the basic requirement to pursue an entry level job in the industry.

Previously pastry bakers were trained on-the-job and paid decently after several years of hard work. However, nowadays, structured post-secondary educational programs are available in Canada with the colleges of repute.

Bakery arts management programs are designed to provide students with the skills to effectively manage commercial bakery outlets. They learn to expand their knowledge of baking and produce commercial quantities of breads, muffins, cakes, pastries, pies, rolls, sweet dough and savoury. They also learn to mange product costs, labour costs, purchase and storage of materials, product marketing, hiring and managing personnel.

Program Details

Centennial College’s baking program runs for two years and offers a unique blend of classroom learning, hands-on baking lab and an individualized internship with industry partners. The program focuses on helping students develop pastry baking arts and business management skills.

The post-secondary program in baking arts covers a wide range of subjects including

– Baking and pastry arts theory and practical
– Hospitality accounting
– Sanitation, safety and hygiene
– Quantity bakery production
– Principles of food, beverage and labour cost controls
– Principles of hospitality management
– Purchasing for commercial kitchen
– Human resources management
– Marketing strategies
– Principles and practices of nutrition for culinarians
– Supervisory practices for Kitchen Manager

In addition, the program lays a strong emphasis on professional communication, report writing, mathematics for bakers, and knowledge in computers.

Benefits of Baking Programs

The graduates of baking arts programs are capable of

– Working on the latest baking equipments
– Producing baking goods in large quantities
– Managing commercial bakery outlets
– Managing materials purchase and storage
– Marketing baked products effectively
– Hiring and managing personnel at a commercial bakery
– Ensuring sanitation, safety and hygiene

They can find employment with hotels, restaurants, retail pastry outlets, bistros, resorts, camps, department stores, supermarkets, and other related businesses. The graduates can also start their own pastry establishment.

Students looking for better job prospects can also consider studying further by enrolling into advanced bakery arts program with associated universities.

How to Do Fa-Jing –Issuing Energy — in Tai Chi, Hsing-I and Bagua

Posted on by blogger

He was one of the greatest kung-fu masters in the world, a direct descendant of the creator of tai chi, and he was asking me to show him a punch. It was an exciting moment but also nerve-wracking. Trying not to be nervous, I settled into the posture and prepared to show him internal power. Grandmaster Chen Xiaowang stood in front of me, watching carefully.

Trying to remain relaxed, I shifted my weight from my right to my left leg and my right fist shot out, fast, relaxed, and powerful. At the same time, my left elbow thrust backward and my left hand stopped at my ribcage.

Grandmaster Chen was not impressed. He took my right hand in his left, my left hand in his right and told me to relax. Before I knew what was happening, he jerked the right hand out and pushed the left hand backward. I wasn’t quite relaxed enough and almost suffered whiplash in my neck.

Relax, he told me again, and once again he jerked my arms — hard — forcing one to punch and the other to return to my ribcage. For a minute, I was like a rag doll, completely limp as he repeatedly demonstrated how relaxed I was supposed to be when performing fa-jing.

It’s amazing how the internal arts of China — Tai Chi, Hsing-I and Bagua — have been distorted by teachers who take what they have read too literally. The subject of fa-jing (pronounced “fah-zhing”) is one example of how a simple concept is misunderstood and misinterpreted.

Fa-jing means “issuing energy.” Unfortunately, the people who desperately need to believe in the supernatural think that in doing fa-jing, you are shooting chi out of your hands or body. They take it literally.

It’s not magical or mystical. It’s a matter of physics, and in the internal arts, it’s a matter of body mechanics.

Boxers issue energy anytime they deliver a jab, a hook, or an uppercut. If you’re into karate, you issue energy when you break a board with your foot, and if you’re into MMA, energy is issued when you drive a knee into an opponent’s face.

In the internal arts, fa-jing — issuing energy — is more complex, but the end result is the same. You knock someone into next week.

Grandmaster Chen Xiaowang, whose ancestor,Chen Wangting created Tai Chi 11 generations ago, teaches that fa-jing is a matter of proper body structure (posture) and good internal movement. From there, he says you simply “step on the gas.” He likes using automobile metaphors. In other words, if you use good structure and mechanics and then add speed, you will create the unique relaxed power of the internal arts.

I’ve studied other martial arts and have found the body mechanics of the internal arts far more difficult and complex. For high-quality tai chi you must maintain ground strength, peng jin, whole-body movement, silk-reeling (spiraling movement through the body), dan t’ien rotation and opening/closing the kua. You must connect all of these skills through the body as you deliver the strike with speed, power, and relaxation.

It takes years to learn how to do this from an internal perspective, because we all bring bad habits to the internal arts and it takes years to learn the above-mentioned skills and learn to maintain the whole-body connection as you move. It takes years for us to lose the muscular tension that we’ve developed all of our lives.

When Grandmaster Chen worked with me on the punch, I didn’t have it the first few times I did the punch and he corrected me each time. Suddenly I understood, and the next time I punched I connected the relaxed power from my foot, through my body and out my hand, exploding and shifting my weight at the same time.

“Ahh!” he said, his face lighting up. “Good.”

As a martial artist, few things are better than getting a “good” from Chen Xiaowang.

A short time later, he astonished those of us attending his Washington, D.C. workshop by doing a series of fa-jing strikes.C. With each strike, it seemed his uniform was exploding in all directions. That type of power comes from being connected and relaxing — and from a lifetime of practice. When he does fa-jing, you can almost feel the energy even standing halfway across a room. It reminded me of being on the floor right behind the basketball hoop during a University of Iowa game. When the big players were slamming into each other beneath the hoop, you could feel the body heat and almost feel the energy as they collided. I’ll never forget it, and being close to Chen Xiaowang when he does fa-jing is very similar.

There are two myths about tai chi that all martial artists should put aside. One is that tai chi is a slow motion health and meditation exercise. In truth, it’s a powerful martial art that is practiced slowly so students can learn the body mechanics and later can speed up the movements and deliver amazing power without a lot of obvious effort to the untrained observer.

The other myth people should forget is about chi. Fa-jing has nothing to do with shooting energy out of your body. Instead of focusing on chi, which has never been proven exist in independent scientific studies and which is too often the focus of tai chi teachers, you should focus on proper posture and body mechanics. Do this and you’ll be closer to developing the relaxed power of fa-jing.

——

Ken Gullette has practiced martial arts for 36 years and is best known for his high-quality instructional DVDs, his online internal arts school and his internal arts blog. He is dedicated to dispelling the myths surrounding tai chi, hsing-i and bagua, showing that the skills required for the internal arts are physical, not metaphysical.

History of Buffets, Infusions Restaurant and The Okanagan College Culinary Arts Buffets

Posted on by blogger

It was the 18th century, and in France the modern day buffet was developed which soon spread across Europe. Serving a meal to oneself has a long and interesting history, but the original term buffet referred to the sideboard where all the various types of food was served, although, eventually this style of eating was converted to modern day buffets.

The second half of the 19th century, especially in the English speaking world, buffets became extremely popular for meals. Lunch, or an informal luncheon which was originally a very light meal that was consumed between breakfast and dinner, and often replacing dinners. Buffets came in two styles of a meal, and started at the fashionable hour of “One O’Clock”. The “buffet” luncheon, and at which time the dining guests would stand while they eat their meal, or the luncheon served at small tables where the dining guests would be seated.

All buffet food must be eaten with a fork or a spoon, and the knife was strictly forbidden at these “buffet” lunches. The essentials of a -buffet- luncheon are covered by these following dishes. All types of beverages including coffee, tea, punch or chocolate which was poured from urns, or brought from a pantry on trays in filled cups. Hot entres of various types which was served on a platter or from a chafing dish, and preceded by hot bouillon. Cold entres such as salads, lobster, salmon, shrimp, crab, potatoes, chicken, and served with heavy dressings. Hot rolls, and sandwiches that were wafer-cut in size such as tomato and lettuce, ham, and many others. Plus desserts such as small cakes and pastries.

Buffets are very popular with people today, because, it offers plenty of food variety at a reasonable price. People with large appetites can feed themselves without waiting for their food to be served. Especially families with children, this is often a very important point when dining out. Buffets are definitely a nice dining alternative to conventional restaurants, because people can get the foods they want in the quantities they like. People can create their own dishes with more meat, less vegetables and fewer side dishes, plus creating salads with appealing ingredients that they enjoy. Buffets offer people the opportunity to try new types of food that they would not order off a menu in a restaurant.

Infusions Restaurant at the Okanagan College hosts several buffets every year, and the last “buffet” was held a week after their Okanagan Wine Festival Gourmet Dinner which attracted a sellout crowd of over 80 dining guests. Guests were treated to a “Five Course” gourmet dinner with special Okanagan Valley wines to accompany each course.

The Okanagan College Culinary Arts Buffet was prepared with the special talents of the new, up and coming future chefs of your favorite restaurants, cruise ships, hotels, ski and golf resorts, all directed and instructed by World Class Chefs. The buffet included fresh meats, poultry, seafood of all types, and of course Okanagan Valley fresh vegetables and fruits.

Infusions and the Okanagan College Culinary Arts Bakery had a spectacular dessert buffet for this special night with freshly made gourmet desserts, and with a delicious assortment of as many freshly made Pastries, Cakes, and Chocolate Confections as a person could possibly eat after the meal.

The Culinary Arts buffet offered a HUGH selection of seafood and seafood platters that were served at the buffet from Sushi Rolls, Dim Sum, Salmon, Coulibiac of Halibut to Shark and Lobster. Dishes containing Gratin of Potatoes & Yams, many types of Pasta with Grilled and Glazed Vegetables, and of course the Roast Beef and Beef Tenderloin, and ALL for $15.00!

For tourists, visitors or people in the Kelowna area and the Okanagan Valley who missed this “Spectacular Feast”, there will be another buffet held in early December at Okanagan College’s Infusions Restaurant.

Infusions Restaurant is run by future culinary chefs in the Culinary Arts program at Okanagan College with instruction from World Class Chefs, and the restaurant offers their dining guests a chance to experience fine gourmet dining at very reasonable prices. James Murray is a successful writer and online Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Search Engine Marketing (SEM) expert providing valuable tips and advice for those interested in seo and sem strategies. His numerous articles found on the Internet, provide useful and factual seo and sem information and insight. Some of his websites are : http://www.seo-worldwide.net , http://www.atclickbank.com , http://www.website-submissions-worldwide.com

Indian Art Now An Investors First Choice

Posted on by blogger

Today, the financial sector and the extravagant art galleries are playing counterparts in ensuring high stakes for Indian art in the stock market trading. Indian art has grown into a major brand and the artists have become the brand ambassadors like never before. There has been a complete change in the gears with the domestic as well as the international market finally noticing it as an investment option.

Earlier, art was purchased as a luxury commodity to add to your stylized home dcor and even office dcor for that matter. But in the recent times, Indian art has become an investment in every sense of the word. There are investors flocking the Indian art scene and investing in the works of art. These artworks now also possess a strong resale value due to their demand and valuing in the market.

There are major business tycoons and corporate biggies offering and working closely with the stalwarts from the art industry. The pooling of capital and resources has been a mutually benefitting situation for the business owners as well as the art lovers and artists.

With the India art industry on its ascending curve, the increasing number of investors only spells more funds and an even better platform for the upcoming artists. The leading name in the initiation of investments and promotion of the upcoming art, Copal Art plays a significant role in bringing funds to Indian art and fortunes turn in the favor of the Indian artists. Moreover, it offers a diverse range of services to both the upcoming as well as established artists from the Indian art industry.

ONLINE EDUCATION (Bachelor of Arts in Secondary Education)

Posted on by blogger

The Secondary Education Program is committed to preparing teachers who are able to meet the challenges of today’s classrooms. The teacher education faculty provides an educational program that enables students to: develop a strong foundation of knowledge about teaching and learning; display a love of learning; value democracy and pluralism; and engage in reflective practice about one’s growth as a teacher. To accomplish this, the program offers students: A strong liberal arts education with emphasis in the particular academic discipline in which the student will be teaching; background in the foundations of secondary education; methods for instruction in the academic disciplines; background in educational psychology and human development; methods for educating culturally diverse and special needs populations; methods for effective use of technology in instructional settings; and experience teaching in public schools.

The secondary education program at Judson College offers students the possibility of a Bachelor of Arts degree in Language Arts, Social Studies and Music Education. The Bachelor of Science degrees are available in Mathematics Education and General Science Education. These programs are considered academic majors in our curriculum and fulfill current state and federal requirements for teacher certification in public secondary schools. Students receive a strong content background, as well as background in educational theory and practice. Our students have had teaching placements all over the country and the world including New York, California, New Zealand, and France. Our program not only prepares students for secondary education careers but also for graduate programs as well.

Education Specializations: Students may pursue optional Education specializations which provide in-depth study in the teaching of a specific subject or population. Specializations are designed to enhance a student’ professional qualifications, but do not lead to additional teacher licenses.

Early Care and Education Early Intervention Mathematics Education Multicultural Education Reading Science Special Education Teaching English Language Learners Technology and Teaching Individually Designed Specializations

The Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Education (Secondary) is a four year (full-time or part-time equivalent) combined degree in secondary education. The course provides a strong foundation of knowledge in teaching subjects for the secondary school curriculum and in the professional practice of teaching. The course is flexible, enabling students to complete a number of first and second teaching subjects to expand their employment opportunities in high demand areas. The core education units can be studied either on-campus or by distance education. Distance education requires students to attend two two-day workshops on campus.

Learning Objectives Upon completion of this program, graduates will be able to:

Demonstrate in-depth knowledge of the subject matter that they teach as described in professional and, institutional standards.; Effectively plan classroom-based instruction utilizing effective instructional practices; Practice evidence-based decision-making through the use of formative and summative assessments as well as the critical interpretation of research and inquiry in order to improve educational practice; Demonstrate understanding of learners and their social, cultural, and language contexts with a global perspective and intentional sensitivity to other cultures Integrate technology in instruction to support student learning and develop data-driven solutions for instructional and school improvement.

The Department of Teaching & Learning is dedicated to preparing students to excel as Secondary teachers. Students who complete this program will earn a bachelor’s degree and be licensed as a grade 6-12 teacher by the State of Nevada. Students who already have a degree and want to become a Secondary teacher, need to take course work through the teacher licensure program. Every student who intends to receive a degree in Secondary Education from is required to meet course requirements for a First Teaching Field. Second Teaching fields are optional.

You May Qualify For Financial Aid.