Culinary schools or school offering culinary degrees

[momofkhm]

DD 10th grade is interested in being a chef. We've talked with people who went to Johnson and Wales and Wake Tech (CC). Of course we know about Culinary Institute of America. But we don't know anyone with experience there.

 

I'm sure there are other good schools out there, does anyone here have knowledge of culinary schools, including CIA? We are looking for the good, the bad and the ugly. So far with these two we've only heard good!

[Jen in NY]

There's a school I have always wanted to visit - just because it looks terrifically beautiful -

 

http://www.paulsmiths.edu/future/

 

Unfortunately I don't have any first hand knowledge.

[JFSinIL]

My niece got a degree from Kendall College in Chicago (she is now a pastry chef in Santa Fe) and nephew went to whatever the big school is in Pasadena (he is a chef with major fine dining experience now). http://www.chefs.edu/Los-Angeles that's the one! Our local cc (Elgin Community College) has a well-regarded (locally) culinary program, too.

 

Might add - nephew has found many folks in the fine dining business do look for the degree from his or similar schools. Of course, he has major student loans to repay now....that school isn't cheap!

[idnib]

Acquaintances of mine in the food industry say to never go to culinary school. It's extraordinarily expensive and the training focuses on perfection rather than speed. Graduates can turn out beautiful things but they don't work well under the pressure of a real restaurant kitchen. It's a liability in the hiring process and if she has loans (not sure of your situation) it will get in the way of her working cheaply for experience. Chefs like people who can produce food and move quickly. Most professions don't have such immediate feedback. Either the pasta made it to the table quickly and tasted good or it didn't. They don't care what your degree is in if you can do the work. There are plenty of people with expensive degrees working under people who banged on doors, worked as dishwashers, or did lots of stages for experience.

 

If she's more interested in academics and getting smoother introductions to people in the industry, check out http://www.acfchefs.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Education4 .

 

These programs are community college-based apprenticeship programs.

 

Also, have her try "staging" at some restaurants. This usually involves speaking with the chef (not when it's busy!), banging on some back doors, etc. It usually involves an unpaid day or week of work in which she learns and helps out. It can often turn into a job. Or stage at a few different places to get a feel for the industry and different types of cooking.

[Sunshine State Sue]

I know my nephew is considering The Art Institute of Atlanta. He is a senior in high school this year.

[*LC]

My family has been friends with a family for 40+ years, whose son if now a famous chef. He owns multiple restrauants, writes cookbooks, appears on national morning shows as the the guest chef, hosts his own cooking show, etc.

 

Anyways, he went to CIA. I do know he served in the military for a while before he went. When I saw your thread, I looked up where he went for culinary trainjng, because all I remembered was he went to culinary school. He graduated from CIA six years after he finished high school. From the family talk over the years, I do know the school/connections were instrumental in getting him started in the business and possibly some of his intrnational training. Of course, he was interested in extemely high-end cooking. (Actually, I don't know that was the goal at the start, but it is what he ended up in. I do know when he would cook for his dad when he was in high schhol, he would cook fancy food.)

 

He now sponsors scholarships for local people to go to international culinary ??, which is out of NY and CA. So, it seems that he feels culinary school is worthwhile.

 

Good luck.