EAST BEND - Douglas Sanders knows his ABCs. He wants other people to learn theirs.

Sanders, the manager of Century Kitchen restaurant at Flint Hill Vineyards, is trying to disprove the myth that "those that can't do, teach." He's betting that Yadkin County has plenty of people who can be trained in hospitality.

With 18 restaurants opened in 22 years behind him, he knows what diners expect. He knows which fork is the salad fork and that every table needs a steak knife.

When he returned to his home county to open Century Kitchen, he ran into a problem. He had a hard time finding a trained staff for upscale dining.

He said a lack of training was to blame.

"I wasn't finding qualified applicants in Yadkin County," Sanders said, adding that some people might be intimidated dealing with wines and fine dining or feel like they don't have the experience. "I'm not sure what the reason was."

In October, he met George Sappenfield of Surry Community College while Sappenfield dined at Century Kitchen. Sanders asked him point blank if the college had any hospitality programs.

"Do you have a hospitality degree?" Sanders said. "What do you have?"

Sappenfield was interested. Sanders said the county's chamber of commerce had also been talking about training its residents to compete for local jobs.

"Maybe we do need a program, a basic knowledge of service," Sanders said. "Showing table settings and how to acknowledge a customer's needs."

Greg Smith of SCC's Continuing Education Program, said the college has offered wine and culinary classes before.

"Odds and ends," Smith said. "We've been wanting to pull those together."

Sanders said, as the county's wine industry grows, so too will its restaurants and hotel possibilities. When that happens, people's expectations grow as well, he said.

He's already seen it.

"With the wine industry we're getting well-versed patrons that appreciate wines, but also want service that compliments the wines," he said. "They've been slightly disappointed with their food service."

Sanders said he was curious if Yadkin County was ready now for larger restaurants to open.

"Will big companies find qualified people?" he said.

To make sure the county has an advantage, Sanders will teach "The ABCs of the Hospitality Industry" at the Yadkin Campus of Surry Community College.

The program is three courses for students 16 and over. Students can select one or all courses at $55 per course.

Courses highlight restaurant service, beverage and basic wines, and catering and event planning. Sanders said it's for the experienced and inexperienced student.

"The class has been geared to not be intimidating, but challenging," he said. "Its quick and fast."

He said he's hoping for a diverse group of students interested in either picking a second job to supplement income, changing a career or finding their first career.

"Hopefully I'll get some managers to come to my classes to re-excite their brains," he said.

The first course begins Jan. 8 and runs every Tuesday until Jan. 29. For more information about pre-registration, call 386-3398.