March 29, 2024
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Friends & Farms Partners With CAT North

PastedGraphic-2Friends & Farms announces a partnership with the Anne Arundel County based Center of Applied Technology North as it becomes a bi-monthly food source for the center’s Culinary Arts Program.  Twice a month, Friends & Farms will supply a basket of fresh, seasonal and regionally sourced ingredients to the school’s Culinary Program for the student’s use.

Each food basket will contain a few items of protein, dairy, bread and fresh produce. The students will create a menu and recipes, and will transform the raw ingredients into a family style meal. In addition to menu planning and recipe development, students will have the opportunity to learn about the food distribution system and the farms where the ingredients come from.

“This is a very timely partnership and one that we support on several levels,” said Assistant Principal Vicki Engleman.  “Not only should Culinary students know about the farm-to-table movement for career readiness purposes, but having them learn the difference between authentic and processed foods aligns with national concern about obesity and its implications on health care systems.  Educating our students along these lines will hopefully bring a shift in thinking about food preparation and consumption, not to mention the healthier, social-emotional interactivity of food preparation and meal-sharing as opposed to a fast-food approach.  Food in its raw state can’t be grown ‘fast’, nor should it be prepared and consumed in that way.  Through this kind of education, everybody wins.”

“We are thrilled to see the student’s excitement and creativity,” said Philip Gottwals, co-founder of Friends & Farms. “It’s a pleasure to be able to provide them with fresh ingredients and see their training and creativity at work.  We look forward to following their work with local foods and hope that with the support and excellent training they are getting at CAT North, that they will integrate fresh, regional foods into their futures in the culinary arts.”

The Culinary Program will receive the same food basket that Friends & Farms customers receive each week. The food basket is designed to feed four people two to three meals, and is also available to the general public in different sizes, designed for different sized households.

In addition to the bi-monthly baskets, Friends & Farms will also supply product like poultry, large cuts of beef and fresh seafood for the students to utilize in their training and education.

About Friends & Farms:

Friends & Farms was co-founded in 2012 by Philip Gottwals and Tim Hosking. The company’s mission is to rebuild a relationship between consumers and the producers of their food, and to build trust and traceability back into our food system.

Friends & Farms supports the regional economy and it’s producers by creating an alternative food system, while encouraging the public to learn more about their food source. Friends & Farms is based in Columbia, Maryland, and distributes baskets to the communities of Catonsville, Columbia, Timonium, Severna Park and Baltimore County.

Visit www.friendsandfarms.com to learn more about its mission, promise, basket contents and producers. Follow Friends & Farms on Twitter or Facebook for real time news and communications.

About the Culinary Arts Program at the Center of Technology North

The Culinary Arts program at the Center of Applied Technology North is dedicated to providing students with technical and academic skills to pursue a career in Culinary Arts or continued studies at a higher institution.

The Culinary Arts program has established articulation agreements with the following: Anne Arundel Community College for 7 credits, Johnson & Wales University for 17 credits, Baltimore International College for 7 credits, Art Institute of Washington for 7 credits, Florida Culinary $1,000 scholarship, Pennsylvania Culinary $7,000 scholarship, and Culinary Institute of America for sanitation certification.

In 2001, CAT North’s Culinary Arts program was recognized by the Maryland State Department of Education and the Governor as the Most Outstanding Technology Program in the State.  Again in 2001, CAT North Culinary Arts was designated a ‘Top Five’ program in the nation by the National Dissemination Center for Career and Technical Arts.

The program is also certified by the American Culinary Federation’s Educational Foundation (ACFEF).  Culinary Arts students earn three certifications.  They become certified in Sanitation, Nutrition and are named Certified Junior Culinarians by the ACFEF upon successful completion of requirements.

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