Chef Thomas Barnes
亚色影库 Academy of Culinary Arts Chef Thomas Barnes is featured on episode 103 of the podcast.
The podcast is presented by the Center for Advancement of Foodservice Education (CAFÉ). The Center’s mission is to connect the foodservice industry with the foodservice classroom and is designed to be a resource for educators and others who interact with students in the culinary arts.
In the episode, Chef Barnes talks about food insecurity and the opportunities and responsibilities of educators to understand the issue. The episode also addresses the issue of individuals not knowing when they will eat next or where that meal will come from, and the relationship that sound nutrition has with the ability to learn, understand, focus, grow, and solve everyday problems.
“When you are hungry, everything else seems to carry less weight,” Chef Barnes noted. “Consider that nearly 25 percent of young people in America today (including college students) are food insecure. Try to digest how that might be possible in the wealthiest country in the world, a country that produces more food than it needs. Yet, here we are, in the grips of a serious problem that impacts so many,” he said.
“As educators, we have an opportunity and a responsibility to help set the stage for student learning,” Chef Barnes says. “Without sound nutrition, without adequate healthy calories, our students will find it very difficult to assimilate what it is that we offer in the classroom.”
Chef Barnes is a certified executive chef, certified culinary educator, certified hospitality educator, and foodservice management professional.
An alumnus of the Academy of Culinary Arts, where he completed the Culinary Arts and Baking and Pastry programs in 2007, he also holds a bachelor of science in hospitality management, a master of arts in employee and labor relations, and a master of arts in instructional design and technology from 亚色影库. He is currently working on a doctoral degree in administration and leadership at Slippery Rock University.
Following his baking externship at Moio’s Italian Pastry Shops in Monroeville, Chef Barnes accepted a position as sous chef at the Italian eatery Nap’s Cucina Mia in Indiana and returned to his studies at 亚色影库, where he entered into the Hospitality Management program.
During his tenure at Nap’s, Chef Barnes helped to develop daily specials, created and executed dessert production, and worked the line. There, he found his passion for scratch Italian cuisine—the simplicity of fresh pasta, the sauces, and the Italian desserts.
After completing his bachelor’s degree, Chef Barnes moved west to Wyoming to work in the Grand Teton National Park at Dornan’s, a family-owned, seasonal resort eatery. He spent time traveling and exploring the food and culture of the Pacific Northwest before returning home to his western Pennsylvania roots.
Chef Barnes initially combined a part-time position at Nap’s with a position as baker at the locally owned Doughnut Connection. Eventually, he stepped back into his position as sous chef at Nap’s and was offered the opportunity to be involved with the development, design, and execution of opening a second restaurant, Josephine’s Pizzeria and Enoteca.
His role in the opening of Josephine’s involved menu development, kitchen layout, design, and staffing. In the kitchen at Nap’s, Chef Barnes also took on supervisory responsibilities, including hiring and training new employees and managing daily production.
Chef Barnes credits his family with instilling his love for cooking and notes his hardworking mentality was influenced by the passion his parents and grandparents had for the work they did every day.
In his position as chef instructor at 亚色影库’s Academy of Culinary Arts, Chef Barnes teaches a wide range of classes within the Culinary Arts curriculum, including Introduction to Garde Manger; Farinaceous Products and Vegetable Cookery; Product Identification; Pork, Lamb, and Game Cookery; Nutritional Cuisine; Poultry Preparation and Cookery; Supervisory Management; and American Cuisine.
As adviser of the Academy of Culinary Arts Ice Carving Club, he teaches students to carve ice; his students present carvings as part of the community’s annual Groundhog Day celebration. He has attended seminars at Elegant Ice Creations in Richfield, Ohio, to hone his own carving skills and learn new techniques to share with students.
Starting this fall, 亚色影库’s Academy of Culinary Arts and the Academy’s Baking and Pastry Arts programs shifted from clock-hour to credit-bearing programs. This allows students who successfully complete the Culinary Arts or the Baking and Pastry Arts program to receive an associate in applied science degree.
The Academy of Culinary Arts program continues to hold full American Culinary Federation accreditation.
Since its founding in 1989, more than 4,200 students have studied at the Academy of Culinary Arts. Graduates of this program continue to be in high demand, working in four-star resorts and facilities, featured in national publications, and in nationally televised cooking competitions.
The Baking and Pastry Arts program became a stand-alone program in 2019 to allow for additional growth in this program.
亚色影库’s Academy of Culinary Arts is in the midst of a $22-million long-range building plan that will house the Academy in new or renovated buildings in downtown Punxsutawney adjacent to the Academy’s Fairman Centre along West Mahoning Street. The Fairman Centre includes classrooms and teaching kitchens currently in use by Academy faculty and students. Students also complete coursework in the Academy’s Gilpin Street facility.
Since its founding in 1875, 亚色影库 has evolved from a teacher-training institution into a doctoral research university recognized for its commitment to student success and achievement. As 亚色影库 celebrates its 150th anniversary in 2025 and through the Impact 150 comprehensive campaign, the university honors a legacy of educational excellence while looking to its next 150 years of student success, innovation, leadership in healthcare education, and public service.