The Natural Epicurean 900-hour program consists of:
541 classroom hours
174 hours assisting
160 hours of externship
25 hours planning and executing a final cooking demonstration

Our curriculum includes the following topics:

Cook as a Profession
• Safe food handling
• Kitchen tools and equipment including knife skills
• Recipe development and converting recipes
• Menu planning, meal costing and culinary math
• Managing stress in the culinary workplace
• Business skills and ethics for chefs
• Your path: cultivating a meaningful, fulfilling career
• Culinary aesthetics including color theory and plating

Health and Health-Conscious Cooking
• Human anatomy, physiology and nutritional needs
• What is “health” and what is a “healthy diet”?
• Diet and lifestyle
• Diet and lifestyle diseases
• Dietary change
• Making conscious dietary decisions

Macrobiotic Cooking—Theory and Practice
• Five Transformations theory, acid and alkaline, physics of food and water
• Cooking whole grains, beans, and vegetables
• Beverages, condiments, sauces, pickles
• Main dishes and desserts
• Macrobiotic seasonal meals and specialty recipes
• Hand-processing of flour products including flatbreads and noodles
• Hand-processing of soy products including tofu, tempeh and miso
• Hand-processing of macrobiotic specialties such as mochi and masa
• Advanced macrobiotic techniques such as nabe, sukiyaki, tempura, kinpira and others

Ayurvedic Cooking—Theory and Practice
• Food combining and meal planning
• Dosha and guna theory
• Health-supportive use of herbs, ghees and oils
• Breakfasts, appetizers, soups and dressings
• Main dishes and desserts
• Ayurvedic specialties including chutneys, curries and kitcheree
• Ayurvedic seasonal cooking for dosha types

Raw and Living Foods Cooking
• Techniques including dehydrating, fermentation, sprouting, nut milks, and others
• Spreads, pates, salads, appetizers
• Flatbreads and crisps
• Main dishes and desserts

Classical Vegetarian and Vegan Cooking
• Soups, salads, entrees, sauces, pastries, desserts and other recipes
• Using eggs and dairy in a health-supportive manner
• Hand-processing of dairy products including yogurt and soft cheeses