Businessman, educator, well-travelled and experienced chef

Yavapai Community College has announced it hired Robert Barr about a month ago to replace Jenn Jackson as the Director of the Sedona Center’s Culinary and Hospitality program.

Over the last ten years he has held a variety of positions:

He was the Chef Instructor for the Art Institutes of Phoenix from June 2015 – July 2016 (1 year 2 months).

Worked with Le Cordon Bleu at the Scottsdale Community College June 2015 – July 2016). Le Cordon Bleu began shutting down its Scottsdale program  in December 2015. Despite no longer having the Le Cordon Bleu program, the Scottsdale Community College continues to offer a wide variety of culinary courses. (To view the various courses offered at the Scottsdale facility, click here.)

Executive Chef, Fremont Golf Club June 2013 – June 2015 (2 years 1 month).

Executive Chef/Owner, Harvest Café, February 2011 – April 2013 (2 years 3 months), Omaha.

Executive Chef, No Frills Supermarkets, May 2010 – December 2011 (1 year 8 months) Omaha/Elkhorn.

Owner/Executive Cheff, Culinary Class Management and Catering Company, November 2009 – present. Greater Omaha area.  

Vice President of Food Service, Resort Lifestyle Communities, April 2007 – November 2009 (2 years 8 months).

Other positions are listed on his linkin page, which can be accessed by clicking here.

He has received several industry awards for his work as a chef.

You may read more about Mr. Barr in the College’s press release to the local newspapers (here the Verde Independent) by clicking here.    

Huge loss to future of culinary program in Sedona

The College has yet to issue a press release, however, the Blog was reliably informed and believes that the Sedona Culinary Institute’s Director Chef Jennifer Jackson’s last day as a College employee was Thursday, August 9. She is most likely returning to South Carolina. The Blog also believes a replacement has already been hired.  Formal word from the College is expected in the next several days.

The College had  announced on May 15, 2018 that Chef Jen Jackson was the new Director of Culinary and Hospitality programs. She had served as the interim Director since August 2017.

 Jackson recently became one of fewer than 20 people annually to earn a prestigious Level II Chef Rating from the Culinary Institute of America, the world’s premier culinary college. Level II is equivalent to a master’s degree in the culinary industry. The rating is bestowed only on students who apply and are accepted to the Institute and who complete four days of rigorous examination and kitchen practice.

Dr. James Perey, Yavapai College Executive Dean and Campus Executive Officer of the Verde Valley campus, expressed pride in Jackson’s accomplishment.

Ms. Jackson will be greatly missed!  As she leaves, the culinary program at the Sedona Center is reportedly “thriving” and will soon offer more culinary courses. The Center may also soon offer an Associate degree in Culinary and Hospitality.

Culinary Enrollment at 169; College considering adding another section; Hospitality enrolls 24; 14 obtain culinary certificates

Enrollment at the Sedona Center for its new Culinary programs is doing well.  According to Dean James Perey, who updated  the District Governing Board on February 13 about the Verde Campus and Sedona Center, enrollment in culinary courses for the spring semester is at 169 students.  He is considering adding another section in fall 2018 to accommodate the demand for the culinary offerings. 

He noted that 14  high school culinary students recently received their culinary certificates. Those that were already holding  jobs received an immediate increase of from $1 to $2 and hour.

The hospitality program was successfully launched this spring with an initial enrollment of 24 students.  He is working with the Yavapai-Apache Nation that has just completed the large hotel addition in Camp Verde to assess how the College and the Nation can use the facility for training.

Dean Perey’s report to the District Governing Board on February 13 on the culinary and hospital program is on the video clip below.

Wills’ seems to suggest that it will happen: Some view her remarks as a “pledge”

Although Yavapai Community College President Penelope Wills may later change her mind, it appears she is going in the direction of locating a culinary school in the Yavapai College Sedona Center.  The College already has a small culinary offering that is run from Camp Verde in the evening. The college’s offerings there do not appear to constitute a “whole-hearted effort” to house a permanent culinary program.

The Sedona Redrock News interpreted Dr. Wills comments made to the Verde Valley Board Advisory Committee February 3, 2016  as a “pledge.”  In an article written by Zachary Jernigan on February 10, he quotes Wills’ as saying “What is the best use of that building? It could be very good for culinary …. We’ve got all the data.”  Wills’ was referring to the Sedona Center when making those comments.

You may read all of Mr. Jernigan’s article by clicking here.

In an interview given to Tom Tracey of the Verde Independent on January 21, 2016, Verde Campus Executive Dean James Perey said that “”When we get community input to Sedona programming, the major areas are Culinary and Hospitality; Arts and Music; Community Enrichment and Core Curriculum/General Education.”

Perey also told Mr. Tracey that the over 15,000 square-foot Sedona Center is roomy enough to accommodate a commercial kitchen, teaching kitchen and pastry lab. Funding for a redesign of the former cultural center had been previously planned for July of this year. According to Perey,  “Sedona is a number one tourist destination. What can we do to partner with resorts? We could also put on week-long ‘Edu-Cations’-an education plus a vacation. And if Red Rock High School students want to get involved, all they have to do is walk across the street.”

Perey also said that the popularity of Yavapai College culinary classes held evenings at Camp Verde High School has resulted in a waiting list.

You may read all of Mr. Tracey’s article in the Verde Independent by clicking here.