THE CONSUMER S GUIDE TO CULINARY SCHOOL

THE CONSUMER S GUIDE TO CULINARY SCHOOL

Introduction Why Do People Go to Culinary School? What Can You Expect to Learn at Culinary School? The Pros of Going to Culinary School The Negatives of Culinary School Who is a Good Fit for Culinary School? What Types of Culinary Schools Exist? Conclusion 1

Introduction Thank you for taking the time to read The Consumer s Guide to Culinary School. In this guide, we will take a look at key information including: Why do people come to visit Culinary School? What can you expect to learn through this education? What are the pros and cons of learning in this manner? Who makes the ideal student for Culinary School? What types of Culinary Schools exist? Is this right for you, personally? While this can feel like a lot to take in, reading this guide should make it much simpler for you to know if this is the right choice for you, personally. We all have our own strengths and weaknesses; for some of us, going to Culinary School would be a no-brainer. For others, it may be a challenge beyond what you are willing to cope with. This is why a brief read through this guide should help you to better understand whether or not time spent in Culinary School would be in your best interest. So, let s start by taking a look at the reasons why people attend culinary school. If you are interested in finding out why this happens, then read on; we ll cover the key details as to why someone might decide to take on the commitment of attending Culinary School. There are many reasons as to why someone makes this decision, so let s investigate what those reasons might be. 2

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Why Do People Go to Culinary School? Of course, everyone has their own personal reasons for choosing to attend Culinary School. However, the first and almost only required reason for attending Culinary School is a passion for food. If you have a passion or interest in food, then you will likely enjoy going to Culinary School. It might not mean that you will automatically excel, but it 100% means you can make the most of this learning opportunity if you are willing to put in the work. So, what are some of the main reasons that might draw someone to take part in Culinary School? Experience. Frankly, some people just lack culinary expertise. If you want to change that and become someone who can create top quality meals, then you may find the culinary school experience is the ideal learning path for you. Experimentation. You will find that Culinary School is good for someone who enjoys cooking, but has a limited range of foods they have the experience and knowledge to make. Employment. Many people see a viable route for themselves in the culinary world, and are happy to complete their education first to make sure they have the best chance to succeed in this new and exciting line of employment. Environment. Another good reason for attending culinary school is the fact that people want to work in a kitchen environment. The high-pressure, high-reward nature of kitchen work creates a hugely 4

exciting experience; one that you can easily enjoy if you are willing to put in the time and effort. Celebrity. Work hard enough at Culinary School, and you could be on the pathway to becoming a celebrity! From a celebrated chef of a top kitchen to running your own social media channel promoting good food, the options are wide and varied. Earnings. Lastly, being a good chef with a wide variety of skills learned in Culinary School can be the pathway to making a much better living, financially. These are some of the primary reasons why you might decide to pursue a culinary education but what will you actually learn? 5

What Can You Expect to Learn at Culinary School? You will learn a whole lot when you come to Culinary School. While many see it as a journey that allows them to become better at cooking Michelin-star meals, it s not just about that. There is so much more that comes to learning about cooking amazing food. Often, the #1 most important thing you will learn in Culinary School is the power of Food Preparation. As we all know, true culinary masterpieces have been prepared, planned and practiced time and time again. The chefs who have undergone extensive education and experimentation often produce the best results, for this reason. This is why, for many people, learning how to master their craft at Culinary School is so important. Food prep is often a massively undervalued part of being a great cook. This can help you overcome such limitations and fully understand why taking care of your food matters more than you might think. Of course, not even experts can get the job done without the proper Kitchen Management. From the correct delegation of tasks, to staff, to making sure the layout of the kitchen is conducive to success, many parts of kitchen management will become apparent by those who are willing to put in the effort to better understand what a good kitchen needs to be better managed. As you work in a kitchen, you need to become used to the importance of teamwork, communication and togetherness. This is also why Personal Development plays such a critical role in your growth. Culinary School is 6

not just about making you a better chef, but a better person. The reality is that culinary careers are stressful and extremely hard to be good at; you need the right personality to deal with the myriad of challenges involved on a dayto-day basis. At this point, you should be ready to be a bit more ambitious with what you take on. If you are interested in trying to become a better person, professional, and culinary expert, then, Culinary School is the ideal place to start. As you work on your ability to fit into a team as well as your ability to work with people in a professional capacity without wasting time, you can become a better asset to any kitchen environment. This has the additional benefit of keeping you mentally able to handle the stresses of being in a culinary environment. Now, let s take a look at the pros and cons of going to Culinary School: is it worth it? 7

The Pros of Going to Culinary School Of course, every form of education has its own positives on your life. While the obvious ones learning a new skill, opening a new career path, challenging yourself and meeting new people are universally applicable, what can you expect from going to culinary school? What kind of benefits exist from doing so? Cultural Development. One of the most interesting parts of culinary school is learning about not just food, but the whole culture behind it. Let s face it, you can t just take the foods from another culture and make them as they would without understanding the practice and the reasoning behind their thinking, could you? With culinary school, you get to enjoy the unique satisfaction of becoming more culturally diverse and socially aware. From learning about the origins of the food you cook, to understanding the skills needed to make historically-accurate food, you ll expand more than your cooking knowledge. Spicing It Up. Far from being something you can only use in your professional life, cooking allows you to benefit personally too. You ll find that those Monday night quick meals soon becoming something a touch more ambitious and exciting. You ll not only benefit from having a professional opportunity, but you ll slowly but surely develop even more of a personal passion for cooking, too! Experience Provided. Usually, when you pass a degree or course, you have the education but not the practical experience. Cooking is different; culinary school gives you the practical expertise while you 8

are in school. It might not give you workplace expertise, but having that practical experience will help you gain the workplace experience and expertise immediately after school. Doors Opened. Another interesting aspect of culinary school is that it opens up many new career paths outside of just being a chef. You could teach other students, you could run your own business you could even become a YouTube personality and run an online media business. More doors open than you might have previously thought! Travel the World. Best of all? Culinary classes help to bring out the globalist in you. You ll feel more actively engaged with foods from across the world, and will be likely end up traveling the world to find out more about the dishes that you now create for a living. There are also many culinary opportunities abroad and in the travel industries if traveling is another passion of yours. As you can imagine, all of the above will play a critical role in your personal and professional development. With all of these benefits, you can surely see that the pros outweigh the cons of getting into the culinary world. With that being said, there are of course, some drawbacks of going to culinary school. In the full aim for disclosure and authenticity, let s take a look at some of the limitations that exist in regards to going to culinary school. What negatives are there for you to think about? 9

The Negatives of Culinary School Time. So, the first and most specific challenge is the time. This is a full-time experience; something that you need to be 100% committed to giving your all to. If you have any doubts whatsoever, you should do everything that you can to find out what they are before you move any further forward; it will pay dividends to spend some time looking at the negatives of culinary school in terms of the time investment needed. If you think the time investment might be beyond what you are willing to commit to, you need to consider if this is the right option for you. Cost. Also, cost comes into the equation. Sadly, time is money. If you are spending all that time being coached into being a chef, you aren t able to work full-time. With part-time or no earnings, you might find it hard to make your financial capacity stretch. Add in the fact that the program can cost you anything from $40-100,000 depending on where you go; it is a massive financial commitment. Many people simply lack the funds to be able to invest that much into their culinary education. Unless it s accessible and affordable, many people will simply not be able to take the risk. Challenge. Another element is the challenge. Make no mistake; this is nothing like the cooking classes in high school. This is hard work; you need to be ready to invest in more than just cooking itself. Culinary culture, theory and history all play every bit as big a role in the investment as your actual cooking qualities. You can make a fine steak in theory; but do you know how best to season it? What to pair with it? Are you fully aware of both how to keep things health and safety compliant, and do it all in good time? These are the challenges. 10

As you can imagine there is a lot more to going for a culinary course than simply dipping your hands in dough and letting the lecturer do it all for you. It requires no small amount of initiative, discipline and ambition. If you feel that you might struggle to produce this level of quality, then you might want to take true stock of whether or not this is the kind of platform that you wish to be a part of as time goes on. However, do yourself a favor if you are worried about the costs, other options exist out there for you to pick from. Be sure to explore all of the options before making a decision. Other culinary schools can offer exceptional education programs without anything close to the costs typically required. The timescale for a normal course at the price plan we spoke about above is one to two years. That s a huge financial commitment in both the cost of being involved and in handling your living costs. That s a commitment many of us simply cannot make. Other programs can be as short as nine months without cutting back on the quality of the education provided. You could get the skills you seek for a fraction of the cost in both cash and time. Take a moment to consider that; if the first option is simply beyond you, would this kind of program be more applicable to your own personal situation? Before we go any further, we want to take a look at a very important part of the process. Now that you have hopefully better assessed your suitability to the culinary education, let s look at how you would fare in culinary school. Without being too general, what kind of person tends to step foot into this kind of competitive arena and come out successful on the other side? 11

Who is a Good Fit for Culinary School? As you likely know, there is a general personality fit that goes with most professions. Someone who isn t athletic, is scared of fire and of heights, for example, would make a poor fireman. Someone with little to no IT literacy would make a poor admin assistance. Those lacking in people skills would make a poor care worker, so on and so forth. Someone who is passionate about food is someone who could make a good chef. You might love food, but struggle to make a good meal at present. That s not a problem; we all need to start somewhere. The main thing that you need to enjoy culinary school, though, is a passion for making new dishes, for learning about how food is made, how it is stored and how a chef can take that plain piece of chicken breast and turn it into a masterpiece. Without a passion for the role, though, culinary school is not for you. If the only reason you want to get into culinary profession is because of the potential for job security and for making a good living, you are in the wrong mind-set. Being a chef or in any position in the culinary industry is, in a way, like being a sports star; you cannot make it without the passion. Having a genuine love for food and a longing desire to experiment and try new foods is a must! Many people believe you must be an artisan to succeed. You don t. That s why culinary school exists in the first place to help you learn! 12

You wouldn t go to art school after you ve already become a mini Picasso. You go when you have the foundation down but need help refining your skills and honing in on your passion. The same is true for culinary school; you need to: Fully understand and have a genuine passion for food, and its rich culture and history. Have an appreciation for experimentation and a taste for failure. That s right; you need to be willing to fail and then learn from your failures: do you think Gordon Ramsay got everything right on the first try!? You have to be willing to be innovative, too. To not rely on having a recipe sheet or having someone telling you what to cook and when. There has to be a love for teamwork, too; of working as a group to make meals. Most importantly, though, you need to be determined to put in the hard work. If you ever sit down to make a meal, you need to be prepared to make every bit of prep perfect. Lastly, you need to be creative. You cannot always rely upon a recipe being there to work with, or the prep all being done for you. If you look at the above and believe that it sounds like you, then culinary school is 100% worth your consideration. Being a creative, determined sort who has a love for food is very important. If you are someone who wants to make fast meals, cut corners on prep and use the cheapest, most easily prepared ingredients possible then you probably shouldn t be looking at going to culinary school. There s a limit on what a chef can teach you. You have to have the genuine passion and a burning aptitude to improve in order to truly succeed. 13

Also, you absolutely must be able to take criticism. You WILL be criticized; you will probably find yourself on the wrong end of a shouting match at one time or another, too. Cooking is a high-pressure environment. Laziness or a failure to follow orders can cause the chef s reputation to be damaged, or can even put someone in a position where they could be hurt. If you want to cut corners or you cannot take criticism, you might want to really consider if this is truly for you. With all of this in mind, let s take a look at the various styles of culinary schools currently out there. 14

What Types of Culinary Schools Exist? So, the last thing we need to take a look at are the three main styles of culinary schools. Where you go will determine how long you are in school for, what you will pay in fees and what kind of education you will come out of the other side with. Let s take a look at each of the three major branches of culinary school: Two-Year Programs. Usually, these programs take place at a Community College or a similar kind of learning institute. This option tends to be fairly expensive and is generally taught over a two-year period. These take a lot of investment. This is a large financial commitment and is likely to test your financial control as well as your determination. Many chefs come from this background, and it is a respected and proven pathway to make those crucial first steps into the industry. Often, training is well-rounded but since many people in the industry hold this type of degree, it is hard to stand out from the crowd. Four-Year Programs. Four-year programs are very common today, too. These programs usually take place at Universities. Often, learning in this kind of environment is far less personal and there are a lot of expectations on your shoulders to self-educate and to do as much prep work as you can to be ready. Great for beginners, but it can be a financially taxing opportunity if you are beyond an age or position where financial support exists. Private Technical Schools. This is arguably the ideal option. Since you get a much more personalized experience while courses are much more dedicated, specific and not to mention shorter, they make an obvious starting point. Private technical schools are fun, satisfying and rigorous experiences 15

that can make it very easy to enjoy your education. Given that they tend to last for months instead of years, you can be on the path to a professional culinary career sooner than you might have expected. With so much to think about in regards to what kind of school suits you best, it s a good idea to take a closer look at the three options above and really consider what would truly fit you best. If you tend to work better in a more specific, faster-paced environment then you might find a Private Technical School is the best place to start. If you are looking for a more typical college style education, then you might find that the two-year and four-year plans work best for you. The choice, of course, should be yours and yours alone; nobody else can make this decision for you. It s entirely down to what suits you personally, here! Conclusion We hope that you have enjoyed reading this guide. Hopefully, you now feel more comfortable with the knowledge you have regarding the options available to you when entering the culinary world. With so much information, you can find that there is now a lot of thinking to be done on you part. The decision that you make will determine your personal and professional future. Remember: nobody can make this decision for you! Ask yourself the following: Are you ready to work in an industry with lots of competition but huge rewards? Can you find success working on a team, in a very timeconscious environment? 16

Is it possible for you to see the culture and artistry in the culinary world? Do you find cooking enjoyable? Would you like to know more about culinary culture? How do you handle criticism? Do you find it easy to use it constructively and improve from it? What is your relationship with cooking? Do you find it enjoyable or do you hate it? Can you afford the time and financial investment required to reach this career goal? If you can answer all of the above with a positive response, then you should consider pursuing a culinary education. Even if you feel unsure about some of the questions, as long as you believe that you can learn, grow and develop to match the expectations, this could be something you can adjust to and learn from. So, how do you get started? If you feel like the above has helped to clarify that starting your education is the right choice for you, then you should 100% do it. However, culinary success can only come if you are ready to give it your all so take some time to think about it and be sure. Should you choose to embark on this interesting and exciting new career path, you will likely have a fantastic experience in school and learn more than you ever thought possible. Few things in life are as rewarding as knowing you have found success and accomplished your dreams by following your passion. Best of luck with your decision and your future in a hugely rewarding industry! 17