LATINO FARM TO TABLE & FOOD SAFETY CULINARY ARTS INITIATIVE @ UPRCA

a) Strengthen institutional educational capacities to develop and enhance curriculum, faculty, instruction delivery systems, and infrastructure including libraries and scientific instrumentation, to respond and serve the needs of Hispanics/Latinos in identified state, regional, national, or international educational needs in the food and agricultural sciences.- To improve student learning by 10% (based on assessment results) through revised F&B courses, enhanced teaching techniques, and the addition of participatory educational events in Spanish related to food safety and the farm-to-table movement. The Farm-to-Table Certification will enhance and develop connections with providers of locally grown and produced food. The Food Safety Certification will increase awareness and compliance with food handling and hygiene standards across the food production chain.- To increase the number of SHRA faculty members with credentials as Food Safety (NRA ServSafe) instructors from 1 to 3. In addition, 3 SHRA professors will become Latino Farm-to-Table certified facilitators, delivering the first certification of its kind in Puerto Rico.- Fifty (50) UPRCa students and fifty (50) rural foodservice workers will undergo both Food Safety and Latino Farm-to-Table certifications in a two-year period. Each certification requires the individual to pass a final test.- To develop a comprehensive, innovative curriculum with strong Food Safety and Latino Farm-to-Table components for an Associate Degree in Culinary Arts. Students who comply with UPRCa graduation requirements will demonstrate proficiency in chef skills and cooking techniques with the latest Farm-to-Table and Food Safety practices. The first class will constitute 20 Hispanic students in 2023.- All Culinary Arts courses and the certifications will be taught in Spanish, which can serve as a model for Hispanic communities in the United States and in other Spanish-speaking countries.- USDA HSI proposal funds will significantly strengthen the SHRA's library collection and educational materials needed for food production laboratories in Culinary Arts, Food Safety, and the Farm-to-Table method.b. Recruit, retain, and support undergraduate students from HSIs, especially Hispanics, who are severely underrepresented in professional jobs related to food and agricultural sciences, to prepare them for careers related to the food, agricultural, and natural resource systems of the United States.- To reshape F&B Operations Management curricula to emphasize food safety and the Latino Farm-to-Table movement in an everchanging foodservice industry. This will allow an increase in recruitment and retention of underrepresented Hispanic students by 8%. Seven (7) courses will be improved and revised with new content and instructional strategies to provide a strong foundation in both areas. The courses can be taught in person or remotely, depending on the COVID-19 pandemic.- To develop a new and innovative Associate Degree in Culinary Arts in Puerto Rico with a strong focus on Food Safety and Latino Farm-to-Table components that will increase the number of students enrolled at SHRA by 8% (20 new students) during the first quarter of the second year of the proposal.- Coordinate at least 10 educational initiatives in two years with the USDA-FNS and FIDA: a Hospitality Job Fair, a Latino Farm-to-Table and Food Safety Forum, field trips to local farms and restaurants, and a Guest Speaker Series to connect and prepare them for careers in the public and private sectors in the food and agricultural industries. Events may be in person or virtual depending on COVID-19.- To support recruitment of Hispanic students by establishing a project website linked to the UPRCa website and planning in-person and virtual promotional and outreach efforts in high schools in Puerto Rico. A minimum of four annual visits/virtual orientations for high schools will be held, with the support of the UPRCa Admissions Office.- To offer state and federal financial aid assistance for Hispanic students in need through Pell grants, student loans, and private foundation donations.- Continue to offer the Food Safety (NRA ServSafe) certification and the Latino Farm-to-Table certification to UPRCa students and the general community after the conclusion of the USDA HIS funding through the UPRCa Continuing Education Division (DECEP), both in-person and online.c. Facilitate cooperative initiatives between two or more Hispanic-Serving Institutions or between Hispanic-Serving Institutions and units of the state and federal government or the private sector such as non-profit organizations serving Hispanics, to maximize the development and use of resources and to improve the food and agricultural sciences teaching programs.- To provide certification training to 3 SHRA faculty members, 50 students and 50 rural area foodservice workers in Food Safety (ServSafe) and in Latino Farm-to-Table methods during the project's 2-two-year period. Depending on COVID-19, the trainings could be in-person or online.- To involve at least 50 SHRA students and 50 rural foodservice workers in UPRCA-USDA-FNS and FIDA educational initiatives in two years.- To increase by 100% the number of collaborative activities between the SHRA, the USDA-FNS, and FIDA, such as a Hospitality Career Day, a Guest Speaker Series, a Food Safety and Latino Farm-to-Table Forum, local farm visits, and rural community outreach.- Create digital brochures for dissemination purposes.d. Support the activities at institutions of Higher Education that strengthen the ability to serve as a role model on supporting Hispanic attainment by addressing the needs of this group and allowing the HSIs to enhance educational equity for underrepresented groups.- To expose 25% of SHRA students and 50 rural foodservice workers from the community to foodservice operation models with strong Food Safety and Farm-to-Table procedures.- To train 50 SHRA students and 50 rural foodservice workers with the latest Food Safety codes for proper food-handling and in successful Latino Farm-to-Table practices, both in Spanish, to serve as a Latino model for other Hispanic communities in the United States mainland. Volunteer work by participants in food safety processes and farm-to-table operations will be emphasized and encouraged, although the number of volunteer hours will depend partly on the pandemic. The goal is to complete at least 500 voluntary hours per year in the public and private sectors.