Chef Schools Blog

Archive for January, 2010

Hi guys. I’m a sophomore and I”m very interested in cooking. However, I’m not interested in BEING a cook or spending $50 a pop for one cooking class.

Is there such a thing as a cooking school that would start after five p.m three days of the week and you pay by the month for high school students?

An actual school – no

There are a lot of cooking classes though that generally last 1 week – 1 month for a fee, the majority of which take place in the late afternoon, it all depends on where you live. I’m not sure on prices near you, but they generally run 25-150 dollars for the duration.

Should i travel in Europe for a while, or stay in the U.S and try to get a job in a top restaurant?

Just coming out of a culinary school you won’t get a job at a top restaurant as a chef. You are going to have to "pay your dues" at lesser restaurants and work your way up to better and better restaurants. If you want to go to Europe, do it. The experience could be really good and benefit you in the long run.

how long does it usually takes to complete it?
and how much does it cost for an international student?

You might also want to check out the Peterson’s site. Here’s a results list from an advanced search choosing Los Angeles Metropolitan area, culinary and culinary related majors, any degree type:
http://www.petersons.com/ugchannel/code/searches/srchRslt.asp?sponsor=1&searchtype=multicrit&multicrit=y&sortcolumn=CLIENT_CHECK,ISORT&sortorder=

Here’s the search page I started on:
http://www.petersons.com/ugchannel/code/searches/srchCrit1.asp

Two I would recommend:
http://www.cookingschool-pasadena.com/?src=100009
http://wellness.lattc.edu/culinary/culinary.html

my fiance woke me up the other day with the news that he wants to go to culinary school. We currently live in washington (the state) and he wants to move down to california where his father and his fathers side of the family are. All of my family are up here in washington and I have no relatives down there.
I think it’s great that he wants to better himself, but I’m currently the one bringing home the most money as he owes child support for 2 kids from his previous marriage.

I am worried about finding a job down there, although I may be able to tranfer companies. I’m also worried about living with his family for a year as we would not be able to afford our own place. On top of this w e have a 2 year old son and we would either be relying on family members to watch him or having to find child care.

What would you do? ( currently we both work retail with just high school graduate education no college education)
I could stay here with my family, but I did try it for a week once during a rocky part in our relationship and I almost got fired because I had to rely on my family members to watch my son and they were never there in time so I was late every day of that week.

Also he would be gone for 1 full year and once he’s done with the school he doesn’t want to move back to this town. We have talked about me staying (as I may be expecting another child) and I get the impression that if I stay then our relationship is over at one point he said that I would have to choose between him and my family….I told him he can’t make me pick him over my family and that kind of dropped there.

ive been in the same situation and moved and its hell they are comfy with there family and you get to feel like the odd one out. itll be hard on the kids to youre best bet may be staying put and let him go and get his training then come back to you since youre the main one bringing home the cash ou could do it alone may be for the best

I used to want to be a pastry chef, but I dont like being in hot kitchens all day.

I worked in restaurants for many years and eventually became a sous-chef, after several years and a few restaurants with that title i went on to culinary school (CIA), when i got out for some reason i found that I just didn’t like being in a hot and high stress environment 70+ hours a week(a chefs work is never done).
I still love to cook but now it’s more of a hobby, maybe that’s what you should make it, a hobby, that way you can always get out of the kitchen when you can’t take the heat.

Do you know of any Cooking Schools in Wisconsin up in the northern part?

I like wisconsin, so i’m trying to see if there are any schools up there for me to go to. thanks for the help.

(i’m a Jr. in High school)

*offers you a cookie*
jay P- I KNOW it’s Culinary School. i’m not stupid i know the name of the type of school that i want a profession in. i don’t see how it really matters if i call it that specifically or not.

well look like the best school close to Wisconsin is in Minneapolis minnesota.not to far from hear..http://www.allculinaryschools.com/featured/culinary-arts-degree-programs/
hears a list of ones in wisconsin; http://chef2chef.net/culinary-institute/state/wisconsin-culinary-schools.htm?OVRAW=culinary%20tech.%20schools%20wisconsin

My b/f is currently in culinary school to become a chef, he has been working in restaurants to gain experience. He is now working for a restaurant that just recently opened up and he really wants to be the top cook/chef on his shift. He mentioned to me that a new guy came to work there and the new guy has less experience however the new guy sucks up to the chef and now it seems the new guy will pass him up and get the lead spot. If you are a chef, or work in a high end restaurant, do you have any suggestions on what a chef should do to move up, aside from having to totally suck up and kiss butt? He has been trying just to work hard and show what he can do, doesn’t seem to be working, he is well liked there too. Any advice would be helpful. The only thing I have noticed is that the guys the chef has been choosing are weaker and easier to order around, my b/f is strong and more of the leader type, he is respectful and would do what the chef needs to have done but I wonder if that might be a factor.

You got to be an ass kisser to get promoted…. thats why I aint ever moved up.

If hard work and dedication isn’t enough then he should probably look somewhere else to further his career….

I really want to become a chef ,but I don’t have the money to attend school. I’m a truck driver(part-time)and I will be starting a family by the end of this year. I always said I"d become a baseball player or a chef. How can I pursue either one or both of my dreams

Apply for financial aid. Fill out the FAFSA and get money that you dont have to pay back. If you don’t make very much, you can get almost all of your school paid for. Also, choose a school that uses FACTS tuition management, this allows you to pay your balance off monthly including books.

ok im senior in high skool. i wanna become a chef and i need to know "what is the best chef school in the usa" could you help me out

thanx tanner

Information is below.

I’m absolutely in love with baking, and not because i just think is fun, but its my passion as well so i can handle a serious surrounding. If you know any place i can apply for with pretty much anything to do with baking then please let me know, or give me a link to the page! I live in california, in westwood, if you know any in the area that would be even better but im willing to go somewhere around 30-45 minutes away as well. Thanks soo much for any answers!(:

You might see if there are any baking classes at a local university or community college. Maybe not for credit, but it may be under the "Adult Learning" or "Leisure Learning" or some title similar to that.

Does your family know anyone who works at or owns a bakery? Even if it’s a grocery store or Walmart bakery, you’d learn a lot, though youd have an easier time getting hired on a a mom-and-pop store than at WM or a national chain (labor laws and yoru age).

Otherwise, you may just need to practice at home all you can, and wait until you’re 16 and apply for a job at a bakery.