Chef Schools Blog

Archive for October, 2009

I am 15 and i am trying to go to Culinary art school because I am interested in cooking. Do i need to know certain things before i apply, or do they teach things to people all from scratch. Aka someone that has no idea about it can attend a top Culinary school. And what should i do to learn these things if they exist?

You really should look at a different job.Cooking Sucks!!.Ive been cooking for 14 years and I hate it.Even if ur a Chef works all the time.If you like working every weekend and working HARDER on the holidays,maybe you will like it.Dont like tv shows like top chef and hells kitchen fool you.It sucks.Most people a drug users or alcoholics ,lucky Im the later..Before you really decide Please See the movie"waiting"then read the book Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly,by Anthony Bourdain.

And when it comes to schools,you just need pretty good high school grades and lots of money.I will post school links of the best.

I am 28, and have been a professional Web Designer for the past 7 years, but I really love to bake and I feel that I may want to pursue this as a career. I live in NH and would like to attend part-time classes as well as possibly apprentice/intern with a pastry chef. Any suggestions on schools/programs would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

It’s nice, yes you can do it. To be pastry chef , what I think you must be an art lover or designer or a painter in you. I know you must be a good Baker and designer. It will be a piece of cake for you, Go for it. GOOD LUCK.

Here are some links for you. I don’t know in which city in NH you live so click on these links and check schools in your city.

http://www.ctculinary.com/careerpaths/index.htm
http://www.collegebound.net/culinary-school-guide/
http://www.kingarthurflour.com/baking/instructors_3.html
http://culinary-school.org/ (School in DOVER, NH)
http://www.worldwidelearn.com/campus-culinary/baking-pastry.php (check for your city here on left side)

I would like to go there between november and december for about a month. Also, i´m a minor.
I would like to go there between november and december for about a month. Also, i´m a minor.

I do not speak any french, but i would like to go to the french part of Canada

What area will you be in? Do you speak any French?

I would like to go there between november and december for about a month. Also, i´m a minor.
I would like to go there between november and december for about a month. Also, i´m a minor.

I do not speak any french, but i would like to go to the french part of Canada

What area will you be in? Do you speak any French?

I am just looking for the Top Culinary Schools in either Ohio or North Carolina, any help is appreciated.

The top ones are in Las Vegas, New York and Rhode Island

Here’s a link to NC schools
http://www.cookingschools.com/states/north-carolina-culinary-schools-cooking-institutes.html?WT.srch=1&WT.mc_n=edu_google_cook_gscookdr_ncculschsbrd_200609&s_kwcid=north%20carolina%20culinary%20school|864653403

I am just looking for the Top Culinary Schools in either Ohio or North Carolina, any help is appreciated.

The top ones are in Las Vegas, New York and Rhode Island

Here’s a link to NC schools
http://www.cookingschools.com/states/north-carolina-culinary-schools-cooking-institutes.html?WT.srch=1&WT.mc_n=edu_google_cook_gscookdr_ncculschsbrd_200609&s_kwcid=north%20carolina%20culinary%20school|864653403

Does anyone know of cheap culinary schools or pastry schools on the East or West Coast? All I find are very expensive private culinary schools. There must be something out there that is in a community college or something that is cheaper that 20 or 30,000 yr. Anyone know of any?

No decent culinary schools are going to be under that. There’s a reason why good chefs are usually in debt.

Does anyone know of cheap culinary schools or pastry schools on the East or West Coast? All I find are very expensive private culinary schools. There must be something out there that is in a community college or something that is cheaper that 20 or 30,000 yr. Anyone know of any?

No decent culinary schools are going to be under that. There’s a reason why good chefs are usually in debt.

I’m interested in going to Culinary school, but I’m a vegetarian and don’t have a desire to prepare meat, is there an option to just learn vegetarian cooking in culinary school?

There are programs just for vegetarian cooking and some of the top Cooking Schools do offer similar programs. Keep in mind however that not having the ability to work in every station in a kitchen may limit where you can be hired and what you can do. You will basically be limited to working in vegetarian only establishments, so depending on what your goals are long term this could either be perfect for you or make things extremely challanging!

I know that CIA is the top culinary school, but JWU seems promising as well. Which in your opinion will serve a better college experience and give me the skills I need to succeed in the food industry. (also, which would I have a better chance at getting into if I would have about 1-2 years of cooking experience outside of the home during high school)

I attended CIA for my associates degree in Culinary Arts, and now i am attending JWU for my bachelors degree in food service management (in the hospitality college, seperate from the college of culinary arts). Maybe im biased, but i can tell you from my observations the CIA is leaps and bounds ahead of JWU in terms of a quality culinary education. My suggestion is to do like i did, go to CIA for the culinary education, go elsewhere for an education in business/hospitality etc. the only reasons i could think of to go to JWU culinary are that its more of a "normal" college. In a city, more people of college age etc. As far as education, CIA is king. I’ve been criticized that i sy CIA is better because i went there. In truth its the reverse, I went to CIA BECAUSE its the best. At Johnson & Wales if you dont have high enough of a GPA, or for other reasons, you can get stuck working in the school’s "dining halls" instead of going on a regular internship which is called "co-op". These dining halls are inferior to even other regular colleges, most food is bought frozen and partially prepared. Its mostly heat and eat stuff and this is supposed to be their "hands-on" education. Sad really. CIA also has more Certified Master Chefs, superior facilities, a well deserved reputation, a culture that is much more food focused and of course , numerous well renowned alumni. These alumni include Sara Moulton, Michael Chiarello, Anthony Bourdain, Roy Yamaguchi, Cat Cora, Todd English, Rocco DiSpirito, the winners of both seasons of Top Chef as well as many others. The only notable alumni of JWU is Tyler Florence and Michelle Bernstein. Eeril Lagasse isnt a true alumnus as he in fact dropped out before graduation, but was later awarded an "honorary degree". Everyone at CIA has industry experience, that means everyone there already knows this is what they want to do. These people are committed to food. At JWU many sudents dont have industry experience, and come to JWU and find out they really dont care about food, there’s no real love of food, to them its just what they do in class. Of course i speak in generalizations, but from experiencing CIA and being constantly around JWU culinary i feel i can speak rather accurately about how the experience is at both.