Chef Schools Blog

Archive for October, 2009

I suggest you to refer to some cooking books for improving your cooking.
http://www.madeinchina.com/197309/P5989612/Cooking-Book.shtml

You could buy one here with low price!

I am trying to find out what the top schools and most prestigious ones are. I’ve done a search online, but would like some more help from those who are already in this field, or in the same situation as I am. I live in California and would like to find the top schools there, as well as around the U.S., and the rest of the world. Thanks!

The Culinary Institute of America is the most prestigious, but I know people who graduated from there who can’t boil water without burning it. I think every experience is more what YOU do with it than anything. If you are looking for a degree in both Culinary and Pastry then I would research Pastry degrees. Most schools offer the degree in Culinary but not pastry – you can only get in a few pastry classes. I know there are Le Cordon Bleu schools and Art Institutes in California. They both offer good programs, but I don’t know about the pastry degree.

I am interested in being a head chef and i cant seem to find how long i have to go to culinary arts school. I need help asap

you should check to see what kind of qualifications are needed. The best would be a community college near you. It is usually the mose valuable if you have no experience. If you are have kitchen experience, check with culinary schools that you can afford and have a good placement service for graduate.

Can anyone tell me please what they think of Academia International in Melbourne Australia?
Any information on it would be good. e.g. does it have a good reputation, good qualifications etc?
I have already seen the website so just information about it in general from your personal experiences or from someone you know would be great thanks.

Also, if there are any exceptional Cooking Schools that are better than Academia International in Australia, tell me please and info?

thanks!!!

William Anglis is the premier cooking/catering school in Melbourne, particularly if you’re looking for accepted trade qualifications.

Is this school as good and prestigious as they want me to believe? The Culinary program(specifically the Restaurant Management program) is so expensive so I’m going to outside sources for some opinions. Also, would it be just as good as going to the Le Cordon Bleu program which isnt as expensive but still costs a pretty penny and may or may not offer a degree? And what are considered the Top Culinary Schools in America??? PS I can cook but I want to go back to school for my degree and gain some credentials because my ultimate goal is having my own party planning business.

The top culinary school in the U.S. is the Culinary Institute of America (CIA). Johnson & Wales is also very good. Both of these schools offer degree programs.

The Cordon Bleu programs aren’t well regarded, and have nothing to do with Le Cordon Bleu-Paris (i.e., the famous Cordon Bleu) except the fact that it licensed the name (they are not branches of the same school, in other words).

As for the standing of the Art Institute of Dallas in culinary programs, I’m in the business and have never heard of the place. Personally, I’d take the money and go someplace more prestigious.

I’m a senior in college at UC Santa Cruz in california. As a side job, I tutor elementary through high school age students through a private company. My favorite student is in tenth grade at the local high school and earns poor grades. However, she is a wonderful person–very personable, sweet, and loyal–and she wants to be a chef when she "grows up." In what ways can I help her gain more knowledge and experience with the being a professional class? Classes, shadowing chefs, etc? What kind of grades does she need to earn in high school in order to get into a good cooking school (one in San Francisco is probably her best bet)? Any other suggestions? I really want to help her, because she’s very discouraged about high school and college and education, yet I’m sure she could make a great chef! Thanks so much
instead of professional "class" I meant to say professional "chef." sorry!, and thanks.

Make sure she takes or has taken a Home Economics class. See if her school offers the equivalent of Vocational Office Education except for the food industry(can’t remember name of program). It is set up to let her attend school in the morning while a Junior and/or Senior and then go to work 1/2 day afternoons in the field of her choice. This could give her exposure to the industry. Although she might start out as clean up help, or secretarial, etc., it’s a chance for her to have an insight to the business and see if she really wants to be a part of it. If she does, it’s also her foot-in-the-door for a permanent job and the employer may have a partial or full-scholarship available!

She can also check around with local colleges in your area and talk to professors or students in the food service area. I’m sure there are some that would be willing to spend 15-30 min. with her to answer questions.

She can also read recipe books, look online(if computer is available) for chef and food industry sites, as well as some of the culinary school websites. If she has access to cable tv….you can’t beat seeing the Food Network!

Hope some of this helps!

I am semi-retired, 55 yo. I love cooking and have an indiscriminate taste. I would like to learn professional cooking as I am thinking of starting my own food business concentrating on healthy food only. Home/office delivery is also an option. I am looking for a good school that will get me initiated and trained on becoming a bona-fide chefe, any suggestions? Thanks a lot for your help.

<>There are plenty of them out there, from the prestigious CIA in Long Island on down to local Cooking Schools. Try searching the internet, the yellow pages (on paper or on-line), and any of the popular food and home magazines. Good luck to you. I wouldn’t mind trying that myself!

I’m currently a 16 year old Sophomore and I’m interested in pursuing a career as a Chef or Executive Chef. I’m very passionate about it, so I want to try to be at the top of the field. I’m actually wondering what are some good culinary schools, what they require for admittance, how to get your foot in the door for top jobs after graduation, and how easy it is to get a job in this field with the current economic situation (like you can always find a job in the medical field). I’ve also wanted to travel around as an adult so my mom mentioned becoming a Chef on a cruise line. When I was looking at the Top Culinary Schools in America, it said that the Institute of Culinary Education in NYC was the best. Anyone familiar with it? If not what is the best school? Oh and what do I need to take in high school right now to prepare for Culinary school?

Thank you,
Summer

I started working in restaurants at the age of 12, before child labor laws were so strictly enforced. I was earning adult wages, washing dishes on weekends, to give my aunt two days off from her job. Washing dishes, and busing tables is entry level for restaurants. I learned a lot from the owner and cooks at the restaurant I worked at.

Prep cooking is a natural step up from dishwasher. I cut the end of my thumb off more than once slicing tomatoes. The job of Chef or Cook in a restaurant involves more than just an eduction in a culinary school. It requires a general knowledge of how a kitchen operates.

Go for your culinary school, and in the mean time, learn how the kitchen in a restaurant operates. Get a job. Wash dishes, bus tables, greet customers learn to operate a cash register. Learn a proper table setting. Observe methods and operations, including ordering of supplies, and scheduling of employees for busy times.

Being a head chef is a management position. It includes knowledge of all areas in the restaurant operation. The head chef doesn’t just make great food, and plate it in an appetizing way. The head chef does the ordering, the hiring and firing of the kitchen staff, the scheduling often for the entire restaurant. Most training done in any top notch restaurant is overseen by the manager, (head chef)

Start now, gathering the information you will need to fill that position, and count culinary school as one stop along the path.

Home economics, (for the experience in planning meals and ordering supplies)
Art (for the experience in making a plate of food appear appetizing)
Social studies (for the ability to recognize trends in peoples eating habits, and provide what they want)
Foreign Languages, (so you can fluently converse with kitchen staff who don’t speak English)
Mathematics (So you will recognize the reasoning behind food costs, and labor costs in percentages of sales)
English and public speaking (you need very good communication skills to keep your staff happy and working together.)

I am wanting to become a chef, and am wondering what do I need to do after I graudate high school. As in, will I need to go to a culinary school first or normal college. Any help on what I need to prepare for and what to do would be helpful.

some Colleges offer culinary courses

what are the best schools in Europe i wanna be a master in cooking and running a kitchen

The most famous is the Cordon Bleu in Paris. There’s nothing wrong with the CIA in New York, either.

However, recently I’ve seen newspaper articles indicating that perhaps the best way to become a top chef isn’t to go to culinary school, but to just start at the bottom in a real restaurant kitchen and work your way up.

Good luck to you whichever way you go.