HU'S CHINESE FOOD SERVICE CERTIFICATION COURSE SEES HIGHEST ENROLLMENTS NUMBERS

Hampton, VA - Hampton University's College of Continuing Education, in partnership with the City of Virginia Beach, offers a unique course where owners, managers and any persons handling food within a Chinese restaurant can become registered Certified Food Service Sanitation Managers by the Virginia Beach Health Department. Students register through The College of Continuing Education and classes are held at HU's College of Virginia Beach location.

The Chinese Food Service Manager Certification course has 17 participants registered in the current session, the highest enrollment numbers to date. The current session will be held on Feb. 21, 22, 27 and March 1 from 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

The course provides all necessary information regarding proper hygiene and safety procedures and requirements for food handling in restaurant and institutional settings. In addition, participants learn how to communicate accurately and appropriately in basic English for common, everyday use in the restaurant industry such as taking menu orders. Classes are taught by Virginia Beach health inspectors. The College of Continuing Education is the only institution in the area to offer a certification class aimed at training Chinese food handlers.

"The important thing is that awareness in handling food is crucial to good health. And when dealing with the good health of a restaurant's customers, a restaurant must provide the factors essential to good food and know to report a problem when one occurs," said Dr. W. O. Lawton, dean of HU's College of Continuing Education.

The College of Continuing Education began offering the course in June 2005 when the City of Virginia Beach approached the university. By law a certified food handler must be on restaurant premises at all time. Since Virginia Beach has the largest number of Chinese restaurants in the Hampton Roads area, the City saw a need to partner with HU to offer specialized food service training.

Upon successful completion of the course and passage of the NAI certification exam, participants will be registered with the Virginia Beach Health Department and will receive the Food Service Manager's Certificate, which is valid for three years from time of issue. The cost of this program is $215.

A one-evening, four-hour Chinese Recertification course is also offered for individuals seeking to renew their Food Service Manager's Certificate. The cost of this program is $100.

The College of Continuing Education also offers the Food Service Manager Certification and Recertification courses. These courses are similar to the Chinese Food Service Manager Certification course, except students must already be proficient with the English language, both in speaking and writing.

For more information on the Chinese Food Service Manager Certification course, please contact Kevin Marrow, director of entrepreneurial studies at HU's College of Continuing Education, at (757) 872-6700 or kevin.marrow@hamptonu.edu.