Herve Guillard, an adjunct culinary arts instructor at College of the Canyons, was awarded a 2017 Idaho Potato Commission (IPC) Innovation Award for Excellence in Foodservice Education for his effective use of social media in the classroom.

Guillard received
the award at the 13th
annual Center for the Advancement of Foodservice Education (CAFÉ) Leadership Conference held in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina on June 22.

Open to foodservice instructors in high schools and post-secondary schools nationwide, this year’s IPC Innovation Awards focused on the use of social media to teach and inspire students.

“I felt very honored and proud to be chosen as the nation winner for this award,” said Guillard. “As an instructor, it is always revitalizing to get some recognition for what we do. My goal is to periodically question myself and my teaching methods to stay abreast of what is available to us and to find new ways to engage my students, so this is a validation of my efforts to include new teaching tools as part of my methodology.”

Guillard chose to integrate social media in his Safety and Sanitation class to keep his students engaged and connected via Snapchat, Instagram, and Facebook.

His students asked social media users if they had ever experienced illness as a result of consuming prepared foods or ingredients that were improperly stored, handled or cooked. This information allowed students to make educated guesses about which food safety principles were violated.

“They not only enjoyed it more in the format but it was also rewarding to have people from the outside comment and participate in their education by providing comments and data,” said Guillard. “Too often our students feel alone in their educational journey so it was interesting to see how many people in their social media spheres were eager to help out. I think it really boosted their personal motivation of bettering themselves via education at COC.”

The Idaho Potato Commission (IPC) is a state agency responsible for protecting the famous “Grown in Idaho” seal, a federally registered trademark that assures consumers they are buying genuine Idaho potatoes.