Palm Beach Community College - Galleon Yearbook (Lake Worth, FL)

Page 32 text:

HOTKL The story of foodservice is a long and interesting one, going all the way back to days of ancient civilization. It began with the ne ed to sustain life, and here today we find ourselves in- dulged in a multi-faceted business. The foodservice itself has been shaped by many experiences and events. Eve- ntually they reach the countless lives ot all those who work to make the food U industry all it is today. The students at P.B.J.C. are ready to take on responsibility of being part of the food industry. Here at P.B.J.C, there are many available courses in the foodservice field. These courses are not only classroom instructed but are also taught in lab form using a huge industrial kitchen. Primarily foodservice program is a mid management course which aims at preparing the student for positions in the Hotel Motel Restaurant field and or other associated industries. In the field of Hotel Motel Rest- aurant management the student has the option of obtaining either an AA or AS degree. A student who transfers to a university and earns an AS degree could attain an executive position where as most students with an AA degree stay in management. When the course originated, fourteen years ago many thought no one would go on, but as time progressed the students began transfering to universities. Over the years, the enrollment has had a steady increase which is due to the rise in fast food industry. It appears we are becoming a subur- banized society, less meals are being served at home, and meal patterns are being broken up tremendously. The foodservice program has an overall enrollment of 280,000 students all over the country, and is the third largest employer of people in the U.S. The foodservice industry is literally overflowing with opportunities for pe- ople who want to be creative, well paid, and secure. In the foodservice industry much preparation is needed. It is not a bus- iness that you jump right into. Most people who have become accomlished in other areas feel the compelling drive to own their own restaurant. Their belief is that its an extremely lucrative business, not knowing of its many pit- falls. It is here where the student learns careful preparation, how to deal with business problems, finacial study, and other matters which seem unim- portant to the inexperienced owner. Finding and getting a good job can be done in either of two distinctly different ways. The first is very risky, because your fate is left entirely up to chance and you are usually left in bitter disappointment. The other way takes more time and work, but the chances of success are much greater. At P.B.J.C. the student is taught the very basics of the business and eventu- ally becomes more involved in their own special direction. They have a 1 MOTEL MANAGEM

Page 31 text:

ARRIVALS to wall people... and books. If you find yourself with a stack of books and manuals that are too heavy for your arms to cradle, consider yourself part of the majority. The next ques- tion in mind is, how am I supposed to hold all of these books in this line that wraps around the store three times? With all of this confusion, the bewildered freshman steps into line and waits. Then, remembering there is a checkbook somewhere in the bottom of that purse or unreachable back poc- ket, we attempt to fish it out. While balancing ten pounds of books in the crook of one elbow and the knob of one knee, we forget all about using our best handwriting and just use chicken- scratch to fill out the check. As we expect, we see our best friend on his last lap to the cashier. As we get all organized and ready to make the inconspicuous cut into line, we see five others (who you never knew he knew) replace themselves in front of him. As the loud, nasty jeers are being thrown at those awful people who had the audacity to try such a thing, we quietly slide back into our old place in line before anyone figures out we had the same idea. Finally, it ' s your turn next. As you try to get a small part of the counter ' s corner to rest your books on, you hear part of the conversation with the cashier and the present customer. But surely you must have a social security number. You needed one to get a job, didn ' t you? I-l-l don ' t have a job. Well then, write your driver ' s license number on the back of your check. Well, that ' d be ok, except th-they took away my license yesterday for speeding from the social security of- fice to the unemployment office. Now— could it be? Is it really my turn next? Yes, ti ' s true! And it ' s also true that I just spent $81.00 on books. A familiar sight is the freshman leaving the bookstore, dashing towards the nearest locker to put all these brand new (or used) books into! Whe- re are the lockers? I thought all schools had lockers. Well, a quick sprint to the nearest mapped post will help me find the lockers. Running your finger up and down the list of buildings, you hear yourself muttering, lockers, lockers, lockers. Hmmm, there are no lockers! You ' ve got to be kidding. This leads not only to ano- ther great disappointment, but anoth- er decision. Should you tote these books every day and increase your muscles, or should you live out of your car and increase your running record? Decisions, Decisions. After all these trials and tribula- tions of our first day as a freshman, we finally come to the fantastic con- clusion that this is the last first day as a confused freshman. Tomorrow will be our second day as a confused freshman! The first few weeks will go along with that sense of newness, but still, a few things will be popping up from time to time. One question that might become a frequent one is, should I go to social institutions today? An- other question is where to eat on that 80-minute break of yours and your friends ' . After trying them all out like McDonald ' s, Lum ' s, etc., you should find a favorite and become a regular. Or there ' s the cafeteria... The main thing to get used to is all of the freedom that we have. College is the place where freshman apply their knowledge of responsibility that high school taught, and utilize their freedom that college allows. Being a freshman in college, along with all of the newness , is just one more step towards that top rung of the ladder. Marleis Miller

Page 33 text:

MOTKL career-shadowing evaluation, where t- he student is sent into different hotels and restaurants and evaluates them to his her standards. Most students don ' t have any trouble being placed in a job after they ' ve been enrolled at P.B.J.C. This foodservice program is well kno- wn enough, and very rarely is there a disapointment. Students have the cho- ice as to where they want to go, and also be of value to their employer. Many students are urged to take courses in other fields, such as journ- alism and photography. These areas may become an asset to them later in their hotel, restaurant fields. To write up articles, or commercialize their own products would prove to be a great time and money saver. In the field of the foodservice, P.B.J.C. has become very popular and has a good reputation. They have students past and present who work in such places as the Boca Raton Hotel and Country Club, Holiday Inns, the Breakers Hotel and hospitals. With some, they not only hold service pos- itions but in many cases they ' re the directors, co-directors, and managers. :nt Here at P.B.J.C. they have a hugh industrial kitchen which is the largest of its kind (in capacity) in the state, and among the other colleges and universities. The kitchen lab is con- sidered the nucleus of the entire pro- gram. It is here where the students learn to prepare meals to fit the large numbers of people usually pertaining to restaurant crowds. As with all labs, they experiment with each other, one week, one group cooks while the others eat and vice-versa. When there ' s food and space available, these large meals are open to students and fac- ulty. These meal s are usually pre- pared only once a week. There ' s always room for impro- vement . As far as the Hotel Motel Restaurant Management c- BB ourses go, some feel there are improvements that sh- ould be made. Courses snould be revised along with being reevaluated. T- here is a strong drive for a seminar period where the students can get away from the school type atmosphere. One important thing that has been made are the paintings donated by Home Federal Savings. They are on display now in the dining room in the Foodservice building. Six in to- tal, they all have different themes and are of significant value. This year our foodservice program is entering the National Restaurant Association (NRA) competion. Last year they took 1st place among 800 competors for the Collegiate Menu Award, which they named after the Beachcomber. This year they plan to attend again and lets hope they re tain the gold award. Much luck to you all. p. u; I u Doreen Walsh ) 1