Classes for Consultants
Wood Stone is a consultant-supported organization. We deeply appreciate our relationship with the foodservice consultant community and believe the best way to deepen our relationship is to share the knowledge and experience we have gained since our start in 1990 to support your business and the businesses of your clients.
Following the standards of the Foodservice Consultants Society International (FCSI) Continuing Professional Growth (CPG) Program, Wood Stone has created 4 courses to support the FCSI goal of lifelong development. Members of FCSI can earn Continuing Educational Units (CEUs) by attending these courses. But whether you’re a member of FCSI or not, these classes are valuable to any foodservice consultant.
You will not see any of our classes scheduled on the FCSI website: we give these classes on demand! Please call the factory or your local Wood Stone representative to arrange a mutually agreeable date.
We are located in Northwest Washington, 2 hours North of Seattle or 1 hour South of Vancouver, B.C., Canada. Flights are also available into Bellingham, WA (literally across the street from our factory).
For more information about the FCSI Education Provider Program, please contact Kimberly Kissel or log onto www.fcsi.org.
Wood Stone offers four courses:
(1) Hot Stuff: Venting Stone Hearth Ovens (1.5 CEUs)
After attending this class, you will be able to advise clients on safe and efficient ventilation methods for their gas-fired or solid fuel stone hearth ovens.
SYLLABUS
Why Type 1? Deck ovens don’t need it!
Fire suppression
- Realistic flue temperatures for stone hearth cooking
- Selecting the proper fusible links
- What we don’t want to mention to inspectors (exploding ovens), so use a hood
On-Demand Systems (Melink etc.)
- Don’t do it! (or do it with caveats)
lnterlock vs. Autostart
Sharing ductwork (or not)
- Does not mean direct connection to a hood canopy
- Balancing (that giant sucking sound)
MUA
- Heat gain with or without a hood
- Diffuser placement
Wood vs. Gas
- lnternational leniency
- Stick with NFPA 96
Capture just enough, not too much
- Locate facade walls (filter access)
- Different door widths
- Different duct locations
Cleaning hoods and ducts
Questions?
(2) What’s New After 6,000 Years of Stone Hearth Cooking (5 CEUs)
Attendees will learn the history and use of stone hearth ovens around the world, and how today they can be safely installed and successfully incorporated into any operation. A factory tour finishes the day, where you’ll see how our ovens are built by skilled professionals, aided by state-of-the-art robotic equipment. This class is designed for both management and equipment design consultants.
SYLLABUS
History: Great Minds Think Alike
- Various cultures, similar ovens; beehives around the world
- Science: Why food tastes good – heat transmission
- Materials and Methods: Cotto refrattario, clay, cordierite, transite, bricks, refractory – What does it all mean and should we be cooking with it?
- Masons, regional ovens and custom ovens – What are the characteristics of different kinds of ovens?
- Gas, wood, fuel oil, coal – What effect do different fuel sources have on cooking and flavor characteristics?
Fire Safety Considerations
- Creosote, sparks, clearance to combustibles, wood storage
- Venting considerations: HVAC loads (customer comfort and operator comfort)
- Cook Line considerations: Floor space, versatility, work flow; stone hearth cooking in the context of the modern kitchen
Cooking With Stone Hearth Ovens
- What can they do? What can’t they do?
- Flavor profiles, production issues, prep issues, etc.
Factory Tour
(3) Maximum Utilization of Stone Hearth Ovens (5 CEUs)
Attendees will know how their customers can do more with their stone hearth ovens than “pizza for lunch, pizza for dinner,” and be able to advise them of operational and menu possibilities to warrant the investment of dollars and floor space in their kitchens.
SYLLABUS
Hands-on utilization | Make breakfast, prep for lunch
Menu development with a stone hearth oven
- Does it have to be Italian?
- Can menu flexibility be built in?
Hands-on utilization | Prep for dinner
- What kitchen tools (cookware, pans, storage, refrigeration, etc.) are needed to fully utilize the oven?
How do you mass-produce pizza?
- Here’s how different operations use different techniques, tools and manpower
Question session with the chefs (pick their brains!)
Factory Tour
(4) Utilizing Stone Hearth Ovens in Modern Kitchens (6 CEUs)
A combination of the other three classes all rolled into one!
SYLLABUS
Breakfast in the Kitchen
History and Science of Stone Hearth Cooking
- Exploring materials and forming methods – pros and cons, kinds of ovens and their styles of cooking, etc.
Venting Stone Hearth Ovens
- Fire suppression, on-demand systems, ductwork, codes, wood vs. gas, cleaning, etc.
Lunch in the Kitchen
Utilizing your Stone Hearth Oven in the Kitchen
- Menu development, flexibility, tools and support equipment, mass-production, etc.
Factory Tour and New Products
What People Are Saying About Our Seminars…
Dear Wood Stone, I would like to personally thank you for the invitation and all your hard work to pull off such an entertaining and informative training session. Over the period of a single day I learned so much. The time was well organized and the format of mixing in learning with fun (not to mention great food) was excellent. The program is well worth the long plane ride and time away from the office. The entire “Wood Stone Family” should be very proud of this program and your fantastic facility.
– David P. Langer, Langer Consulting Group, Inc.
To the Wood Stone Gang, at the risk of being repetitious, I just have to say again that you guys ROCK! Your enthusiasm, knowledge, generosity and attitude is infectious. I love coming to your ovens. We were blown away at all of your acceptance, intelligence and humor. We had a blast. The hotel was a sheer delight, the time in the kitchen hugely informative and the conversation positively scintillating. Your program is outstanding. Memorable. Valuable. It sets the bar for other providers.
– Karen Malody, Culinary Options
Wood Stone, Thanks for your time at my recent visit to your operations. This seminar was the most informative of any factory I have visited. The agenda was so well organized, both in content and time spent. The food and accommodations were great!
– Roger Kruse, Principal of Roger Kruse Associates