Small program, big aspirations

When Rodney Farrington took over instruction for Lewis-Clark State College’s hospitality management program in 2016, he only had two students to worry about.

Five years later, the program is up to about 30 students and looking to expand even more. It’s rolling out a new culinary arts pathway this fall, as well as a new “Semester of Exploration” that will help students decide which aspect of the hospitality, travel and tourism industry most appeals to them.

The program just received a $294,000 grant through Gov. Brad Little’s “Building Idaho’s Future” initiative, which will be used to build a larger kitchen facility. It’s also developing a new curriculum focused on casino management and evaluating other opportunities for future growth.

At a time when the Idaho Legislature is jealous of every tax dollar going toward higher education, Farrington and LCSC are staying laser-focused on the connection between education, business and economic development.

“We’re trying to serve the needs of local industry first and then branch out regionally,” Farrington said. “I think it would be great if we became a hub for hospitality industry education. That’s the excitement I have for this program.”

Although he’s worked in the industry his entire life, Farrington recognizes that the phrase “hospitality management” can be somewhat ambiguous. Students and employers alike may be unclear about what all it entails.

The new “Semester of Exploration” is designed to address that. It includes core classes in math and English, as well as introductory classes in hospitality management, culinary skills and food and beverage management.

The intent, Farrington said, is to expose students to different aspects of the hospitality industry during their first semester. They can then focus on a particular area of emphasis, such as hotel/resort management, event planning or travel and tourism marketing.

Real-world application

Regardless of which pathway a student chooses, the associate degree program requires a mix of hands-on internships, industry specific projects and classroom training.

If a student wants to get into events planning, for instance, “they’ll have to design an event from the ground up,” Farrington said. “Everything in the classroom has real-world application.”

That’s equally true for the new culinary arts pathway, which will be taught by Magen Goforth, the former owner of Brock’s and Brava’s in downtown Lewiston.

“We want to open minds to the concept that education and industry are 100 percent connected,” Goforth said. “Education should mirror the industry. What our valley needs is what went into the design of the program.”

For example, students will get training in “plating design,” or how to make food look really appealing on the plate. However, it won’t be the Michelin starred restaurant version that looks like a work of art — and that may take five people 20 minutes to create. Instead, it will be something with a little more real-world application.

“They’re not going to have two hours to create a plate that looks great,” Goforth said. “They’re going to have about 30 seconds, so we’ll teach them how to make a plate that looks great in 30 seconds.”

Goforth grew up in Lewiston and started working in the restaurant industry as a teenager. She later earned an associate degree at the Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Portland, Ore.

The school taught classic French cooking techniques. The problem, she said, was it provided minimal training in how to actually run a profitable restaurant. She had to learn that on her own, through trial and error.

Correcting that oversight is something she and Farrington tried to address when creating the culinary arts pathway. The coursework includes accounting and finance, as well as practical skills such as how to butcher beef and reduce food waste.

“Our students will be getting hands-on training (through local internships) and real-world education at the same time,” Goforth said. “We want to train people to have that owner mindset. We want to create more entrepreneurs.”

Selling a product

The entrepreneurial mindset is equally evident in the way Farrington structured the entire hospitality management program.

He previously managed restaurants and catering services for Happy Day Restaurants and operated his own dinner theater and event planning firm. With that background, his vision for LCSC’s program is all about “putting butts in the seats.”

“We have a product to sell, so how do we get students and employers to buy our product?” he said.

That’s accomplished in part by offering customers multiple options.

Depending on their interests, students can earn anything from a one-year (30-credit) certificate to a two-year (60-credit) associate degree. Some of the classes qualify for dual credit, so students can start taking them in high school. The credits also count toward a bachelor’s degree, for those who want to continue their education elsewhere.

Farrington is also looking for ways to leverage the program’s core training to meet the needs of specific industry segments.

Casino management, for example, can involve everything from marketing to food and beverage operations to event planning, which are the staples of hospitality management. Add in some industry specific education and internship opportunities and suddenly you have a new pathway — a hospitality management degree with an emphasis on casino management.

Farrington sees similar opportunities with wineries and wine tasting room operations, or with institutional food prep settings such as correctional facilities and nursing homes.

Based on conversations with other industry representatives, he’s also evaluating what he describes as “onsite/online industry education,” or OIE.

‘I have goose bumps’

The OIE concept, which is still being refined, could help address the workforce needs of resort businesses. Rather than hire students in the summer and see them head back to school in the fall, the idea is to adapt LCSC’s model so students can stay in the community, continue to work and still earn a degree through a combination of on-site and online learning.

“I don’t have to teach the hands-on portion (here in Lewiston),” Farrington said. “Industry can do that. I have to be able to assess it, but I don’t have to teach it. So the challenge for me is how to create a program that can facilitate the online learning and provide benchmarks for the on-site training.”

While he sees great potential in the OIE concept, Farrington remains committed to the needs of local businesses. He’s created an industry advisory group to help ensure that the program stays grounded — and so far, it’s drawing rave reviews.

“I have goose bumps,” said Heidi Copeland, general manager of the Hells Canyon Grand Hotel, formerly the Red Lion Lewiston.

“I’m excited to see LCSC have the ability to teach these classes and prepare youth for this industry,” Copeland said. “It’s a fantastic opportunity for our community to bring students in from outside the area. And what a blessing for them to be able to get hands-on learning.”

Aubree Smith, who took over Brava’s from Goforth, is equally impressed. She’s been fortunate to have good mentors throughout her career, but much of what she knows about the restaurant industry was self-taught over a period of 10 years.

“These kids are going to have the opportunity to learn in a couple of years,” Smith said. “It gives them the tools to succeed, and may inspire them to (go into business) for themselves. There’s so much potential.”

Spence may be contacted at bspence@lmtribune.com or (208) 791-9168.