Internships Provide Professional Kitchen Experience

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06.17.2010 --

When Anthony Barclay began his week-long internship at the Fairmont Hotel, the executive chef asked about his strengths. "I work well with hot foods," said Anthony. So the chef put him in the cold food station.

"It was a challenge, but I learned how to garnish, shave fruit, and make a variety of sandwiches. I felt like a real employee for a week," says Anthony.

Internships are meant to immerse Culinary Job Training students in a professional kitchen, providing real-life work experience as they hone their skills.

Another student, John Ebron, had his internship at Fannie Mae. "On my first day, the chef asked me to prepare tuna salad for 400 people, but he didn’t give me a recipe. I made it my own way and sent it out. Then the chef came back and asked me to make chicken salad, so I figured he must have liked the tuna salad!"

Our internship sites include:

• Fairmont Hotel – Washington DC
• Holiday Inn Capitol – Washington DC
• National Geographic Society – Washington DC
• Fannie Mae – Washington DC
• Bethesda Country Club – Bethesda, MD
• Evening Star Café – Alexandria, VA
• Gaylord National Resort & Convention
• Marriott International – Bethesda, MD
• Canadian Embassy – Washington DC
• Rustico Restaurant – Alexandria, VA

Mebrat Fenta, a Culinary Job Training student from Ethiopia, interned at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center. She learned how to use some of her traditional foods to make other cultural dishes.

"I know avocado, but not guacamole. I know cabbage, but not coleslaw. I learned to make these new items and they liked the way I worked," said Mebrat.

Students do their best to exhibit excellent work ethic. "I went in with confidence," says John Ebron, "and when the cold food chef was unavailable, they allowed me to take over his section!"

Now, students are preparing for their ServSafe exam. "I know I’m a hard worker, but when I pass the exam, I’ll have definite proof of my qualifications," says John.

Special thanks to all of our internship sites and good luck to students as they prepare for their exam.