Kent State Geauga and the International Culinary Arts and Sciences Institution partnered to expose students to hands-on experiences with cooking while also getting a background in business and entrepreneurship.

The newly constructed partnership was designed for students whose interest stemmed further from just cooking and wanted to get a background in starting their own business.

ICASI is a vocational culinary training school that stemmed from the Loretta Paganini School of Cooking. Due to an increased demand of qualified candidates in the Northeast Ohio foodservice industry, Paganini founded ICASI, according to the ICASI website.

Students start their education in the ICASI program taking one of two routes; getting a certificate or getting a diploma. The amount of credits received at Kent State Geauga depends on what route the student takes.

Students can receive 10 credits for a certificate and 30 credits for a diploma. Students can apply at Kent State Geauga to complete their associates degree in technical studies, in which the credits will apply to.

“I always say being a chef is like a three-legged stool,” Chef Tim McCoy, education director of ICASI, said. “There is training to make good food, willingness to serve people, and being able to handle the business aspect; handling cost, managing people, and being able to communicate to people.”

Kent State Geauga is the only higher education institute in Geauga County.

“As a regional campus, our mission is to be an integral part of the community,” Susan Emens, assistant Dean of Kent State Geauga, said. “We want to give students in our community a pathway to success.”

Kent State Geauga plans to continue with partnerships like this in hopes to attract more opportunities for students to gain experience in and outside of the classroom.

Ellie is the regionals reporter. Contact her at [email protected].