Memphis Culinary Academy

The is a work in progress. One has to have *infinite* patience when one's site is hosted by one's son.

I would welome any feedback from you geeks out there.

http://www.memphisculinaryacademy.net/

[Robin Garr]

The is a work in progress. One has to have *infinite* patience when one's site is hosted by one's son.

I would welome any feedback from you geeks out there.

http://www.memphisculinaryacademy.net/

It's off to a good start, Joseph. Do get the frappin' apostrophe out of "The Carey's," though.

Other than that, I like it ... readable, classic style, avoids bloat and the kind of artsy bells'n'whistles (like a local restaurant's edgy site that's printed in navy on dark brown) that hamper functionality.

As an old journo, I'd go for a snappier lead paragraph: You want to grab people, and to that end, starting out with the founders and a corporate biography might not make your product jump off the shelf. I'd try to capture in a tight, tart sentence what makes MCA special and why people should want to sign on. Hit 'em with the sizzle first. You can tell them who you are after you've got them hooked.

Thanks, Robin.

I like the site, Chef, and also the courses on offer. I would move one of the paragraphs up to make it the lead, and indicate what the benefit of the course would be for the reader.

Move this paragraph up to the lead:

Our Culinary program stresses professional kitchen skills that include sanitation, nutrition, hygiene and safety procedures. Our professional cooking program provides an American look at classical principles and procedures as well as the history of the procedures. Students are instructed in the preparation of breads, desserts, appetizers, soups, sauces and main courses. The identification and portioning of meats, poultry and seafoods.

Rewrite along these lines:

Our Culinary program stresses professional kitchen skills that will teach you sanitation, nutrition, hygiene and safety procedures. Our professional cooking program will teach you an American look at classical principles and procedures as well as the history of the procedures. You will learn how to prepare desserts, appetizers, soups, sauces and main courses. You will also become expert in identifying and portioning meats, poultry and seafoods.

I like the site generally. The qualifications of you and your wife are impressive.

Good luck with the project.

Regards, Bob

Thanks!

Thanks!

I like the site, Chef, and also the courses on offer. I would move one of the paragraphs up to make it the lead, and indicate what the benefit of the course would be for the reader.

Move this paragraph up to the lead:

Our Culinary program stresses professional kitchen skills that include sanitation, nutrition, hygiene and safety procedures. Our professional cooking program provides an American look at classical principles and procedures as well as the history of the procedures. Students are instructed in the preparation of breads, desserts, appetizers, soups, sauces and main courses. The identification and portioning of meats, poultry and seafoods.

Rewrite along these lines:

Our Culinary program stresses professional kitchen skills that will teach you sanitation, nutrition, hygiene and safety procedures. Our professional cooking program will teach you an American look at classical principles and procedures as well as the history of the procedures. You will learn how to prepare desserts, appetizers, soups, sauces and main courses. You will also become expert in identifying and portioning meats, poultry and seafoods.

I like the site generally. The qualifications of you and your wife are impressive.

Good luck with the project.

Regards, Bob

Check it out now. He actually responded - quickly. I just don't know what's gotten into him.

Well done, Chef. I'll read through it again tonight, and make a couple of other suggestions. I'm always surprised and pleased when someone accepts one of my suggetions. :-)

Regards, Bob

Well, he's spiffed it up a little. If any of you have a spare moment, I'd appreciate it if you'll take another gander.

http://www.memphisculinaryacademy.net/

Good improvements, Chef. Two suggestions:

The Appliction link returns The page cannot be found
The page you are looking for might have been removed, had its name changed, or is temporarily unavailable.

I would move the second paragraph on the Main page and make it the third paragraph. That way all the stuff about the school and benefits for the student are together; the Joseph and Eleanine stuff is together:

Our culinary program stresses the professiuonal skills need to work in a restaurant kitchen and also includes sanitation, nutrition, hygiene and safety procedures. Our professional cooking program will teach you an American look at classical principles and procedures as well as the history of the procedures. You will learn how to prepare desserts, appetizers, soups, sauces and main courses. You will also become expert in identifying and portioning meats, poultry and seafoods.

The Memphis Culinary Academy is a Private Culinary School. Admission months are January, April, June and September. Total enrollment for the year is 40 with a total of 10 enrollees per period. The MCA is accredited with the Tennessee Higher Education Commission and is located in Midtown Memphis in a turn of the century building that was at one time home to some of the Memphis elite citizens.

The Memphis Culinary Academy was established in 1984 by Joseph Carey and his former wife Elaine Wallace Carey. The Careys spent many years in the food service industry primarily on the West coast of the United States as restaurant owners, executive chef, pastry, chef, general manager, and all positions involving front and back of "the house."

According to the NRA, sales for foodservice dining will continue to increase yearly, increasing the need for skills in food preparation and service as the key to winning and keeping customers. All lunchtime meals during the course are prepared by the students and chefs and served family style, like that of a restaurant, cooking for and with one's peers.

The links to your books are great.

Regards, Bob

Thanks, Bob! Yeah, he's working on the application page. The moves you suggest make sense.

Chef, One thing that bugs me a little is that the Sommelier logo is actually bigger than the information about the Culinary Academy. I'm not sure why you are advertising the Sommelier site in any event, at least from reading the first page.

As a suggestion, I would prefer to see a logo for the Academy in the place of honor on the right side and at the top. Failing that, maybe putting your two books with live links to Amazon for ordering, or something that "sells" the Academy. Then a little intro for the Sommeliers, and then their logo and the link to their site. That would push them down and away from the major theme of your page.

At least I think your son needs to explain a little bit about the relationship between the Sommelier organization and the Academy, if there is one.

One other minor editing point: I would change "Private Culinary School" to "private culinary school", unless there is some legal reason in your state or city for capitalizing the phrase.

Regards, Bob