GCC’s Summer Study Abroad program kicks off this June with a cultural, geographical, and culinary arts tour of Bali, Indonesia, and Southeast Asia.
Chef Andrew Feldman, the Department Chair of the Culinary Arts program, will lead students through a detailed itinerary of Bali’s cultural and culinary traditions. “It’s super well organized and everything has been vetted, we do the same things again and again. We have a whole itinerary” Chef Feldman said.
Darren Leaver, a Geologist professor at GCC, along with his wife Prof. Laura Englund-Krusee, have lived in Bali on and off for the past 20 years. Together they will help Chef Feldman lead the students through a guided tour of various spots throughout the area. Places like Uluwatu Temple, Bat Cave, and the Sacred Monkey Forest. “There are so many fun things that happen on this trip, but this may be a little different perspective,” Chef Feldman said. Leaver was formerly the director of the Study Abroad program, and recently passed the torch to instructor Kevin Mack from the Social Sciences division.
The students meet a few days before their trip to discuss Indonesian food, Balinese food sources, and influence. Once the students arrive in Bali they participate in five to six cooking classes. “And not only that, we do coffee tasting there because they grow coffee in Indonesia,” Feldman continued.
Students must enroll in the 5 credit units to take the trip overseas, which include both Geography 102: Cultural Geography (3 units) and Culinary Arts 48: Culinary Arts Field Studies (2 units).
Students interested in GCC’s traveling culinary classes can sign up for the next trip taking place in Italy in 2026. Information will be posted later this year on the GCC website.
GCC’s robust culinary program offers students a speedy pathway to working in the culinary, dietary, and hospitality fields. Classes like Fundamentals of Professional Cooking, Institutional Sanitation Practices, Basic Baking, Dessert Making, and Commercial Food Preparation are all examples of detailed classes offered to set students up for immediate career opportunities, whether they finish the program or not.
For vocational students, the culinary program offers an international cooking class that caters to food enthusiasts and hobbyists alike. “It’s just once a week for three hours, in the evening.” Chef Feldman said. The class consists of 10 different courses with each semester focusing on a different specific cuisine from various regions.
When asked what students can learn from these classes, Chef Derek Flores, adjunct instructor and former GCC student of Chef Feldman’s, said, “it really depends on what you want to do. What do you really want to learn? If you really want to learn something, but actually be in like, the fine dining space, that’s a whole different thing depending on what you want to do.”
Chef Flores explained that in the introductory class, he takes time to learn what each student would like to focus on in the kitchen and pairs that student with another who has similar goals. This strategy helps students lean on each other, learn from each other and deepen the experience of working in a professional kitchen, where professionals often work in pairs.
The Culinary Program has a low-barrier to entry, making it easy for students to jump in without needing too many prerequisite classes. Chef Feldman told El Vaquero that as far as prerequisites “I don’t want any barriers, or any hurdles for students. That’s why I’ve tried to eliminate prereqs in almost all classes. There are only two classes that we offer that have prereqs, the advanced culinary and the advanced baking class.”
GCC’s culinary program is designed to help students both solidify and expand their skills in a professional kitchen, while providing real world and competitive experience. The Culinary department is the primary caterer on campus, with student caterers under Chef Feldman’s direction responsible for cooking for events sometimes up to 300 people.
For more information on GCC’s Culinary program and cooking abroad opportunities visit the link here.Nicholas Rollins can be reached at nrollin284@student.glendale.edu.