Based at the Sevier County Campus,
Walters State offers hospitality degrees
in both Culinary Arts
and Hotel & Restaurant Management.
The Rel Maples Institute for Culinary Arts
was the first culinary institution in Tennessee
to receive accreditation with
American Culinary Foundation Accrediting Commission.
The Institute’s curriculum and resources
are similar to some of the most prestigious
culinary schools in the world
combining classroom education
with restaurant environment experience.
Yet, the cost of Walters State
is significantly less than a
private culinary school.
Student can earn a two-year
associate’s degree or a one-year
technical certificate
with an emphasis in either
hot foods or baking and pastry.
The program starts with sanitation and safety,
nutrition and menu planning,
knife skills and basic cooking methods,
before moving on to more advanced training,
including pastries,
baking artisan and specialty breads,
along with mastering American regional
and international cuisines.
The facilities at the Institute
include a 2100 square foot kitchen,
bake shop,
demonstration kitchen,
and dining rooms
where students test their skills
at catered events each semester.
Creating the menu,
ordering food,
and producing the meals as if
running their own restaurant.
Students learn from experienced faculty
and renowned guest chefs,
like former White House pastry chef
Roland Meisner.
As well as, additional hands-on
experience in working restaurants.
The Walters State hospitality business department
also offers an associate’s degree with a
concentration in hotel and restaurant management.
Students can choose either the hotel track
or restaurant track.
Located in one of the most popular
tourist destinations in the country,
hospitality students gain real-world experience
through an internship program with
area hotels and restaurants.
Students learn first-hand about the many
aspects of hotel and restaurant management.
Hotel management students assist in the coordination
of such services as registration,
housekeeping,
special events,
banquets and conventions.
Restaurant management students
arrange and initiate food orders,
ensure quality of inventory
and maintain sanitation standards
in the kitchen and dining areas.
Walters State’s hospitality business students
also receive a broad-based education in business,
preparing them to oversee the accounting,
personnel,
purchasing,
and customer service operations
of hotel and restaurant management.
