Photo by Gail Bradshaw Culinary arts students gather around Chef Jon Kimbrough, at left, as he demonstrates how to make hollandaise sauce.

His personal cooking style, he admits, is a melting pot as well.

"My art is best demonstrated in French cooking, but my soul is best demonstrated in southern regional cuisine such as cajun cooking from New Orleans and traditional soul food from North Carolina and Georgia."

Well-traveled, well-educated and well-experienced, he brings all that to Frederick Community College's Culinary Arts & Hospitality Institute.

Chef Kimbrough is the program manager for FCC's "cooking school."

His students attend class wearing white chef's hats, white jackets, white aprons, hound's tooth pants in black and white, and black skid-resistant shoes.

The students arrive at class armed with totes full of very sharp knives. They wash their hands and lay out the utensils they will need for the recipes they will prepare for the evening.

Each member of the class is assigned particular responsibilities and work in teams for the class cooking projects, including dish washing.

Chef Kimbrough explains that man originally ate food as he found it in its raw state.

When fire was discovered, it changed the way that man ate.

"Spices and herbs were used to mask the tastes of unrefrigerated food." The development of refrigeration again changed man's eating habits. Today, "salt and sugar are considered flavor enhancers and herbs and spices are seasonings."

French Onion Soup is on the menu for the students to prepare.

"Caramelizing onions is the only way to get the full taste of the onion into the French Onion Soup. Onions should be sliced with the grain of the onion," Chef Kimbrough instructed his students.

Frederick Community College offers a two-year associate degree in culinary arts, and a one-year culinary arts certificate. New this spring will be a 15-week accelerated certificate program. Class size is limited to 16 students due to the size of the kitchen. Classes are offered in the evenings to accommodate working students.

Others involved in the Culinary Arts Program include Dr. Richard Hirschman, pastry instructor; Robin Russo, who is a registered dietician and hospitality management instructor; and Chef Christ Standing, who teaches garde manger. Garde manger is a French term referring to the pantry, and the chef at this position often is responsible for preparing and presenting cold foods. These typically include such food items as salads, hors d'oeuvres, cold soups, etc.

Chef Eddie Hilton is one of FCC's most prominent graduates and is currently the executive chef at Schroyer's Tavern at the Maryland National Golf Course.

Chef Kimbrough is a certified executive chef with about 17 years of teaching experience. He came to FCC from a position as executive sous chef at the Marriott Hotel and Conference Center in Bethesda.

He has a blend of formal education as a graduate of both the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y. (1989) and Johnson and Wales University, Providence, R.I. (1995). Additionally, he earned his Masters of Education in 2005 from Nicholl State University, Thibodaux, La.

Chef Kimbrough has also completed undergraduate and graduate course work in occupational teacher education and business administration. He spent time in the army at Fort Bragg, N.C., where he was assigned to the Commanding General's Culinary Team where he became chef instructor and led apprentice cooks to win metals in cooking competitions. His team was awarded the title of 1998 Army Culinary Installation of the Year.