Alphabetika Posted February 28, 2008 Share Posted February 28, 2008 My dd, 13, wants to be a chef, and we're wondering if anyone here has been to cooking school or knows what the requirement would be for entrance. Of course, we know it depends on the school, but any words of advice would be welcome. Thank you! E in California Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stirsmommy Posted February 28, 2008 Share Posted February 28, 2008 I was looking the other day for ds who is 7 since he wanted to know. The Culinary Institute of America says they need six months experience in a commercial kitchen before attending. But for specifics you can request an info pack from the school. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelli in TN Posted February 28, 2008 Share Posted February 28, 2008 My 12 year old has the same aspiration!!! I do know one homeschool graduate who went to culinary school. She is now a pastry chef and loves her life. I don't think she did anything out of the ordinary, just a typical course of study. Her family leaned towards a classical methodology. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amy in Orlando Posted February 29, 2008 Share Posted February 29, 2008 My dh trained as a chef (CIA program) when we were first married. Cooking was always his first love (still is). Dh did earn a four-year college degree before he went to cooking school and it proved beneficial to his career. It really depends on what your child ultimately wants to do. If the plan includes becoming a head chef anywhere, some college is going to help. There are a lot of purchasing and managing skills that aren't really taught in most cooking schools. Having that AA or a bacheor's degree (with some basic accounting, management, human resource courses, etc.) is definitely an advantage. That said, dh worked with some people who went on to form their own catering companies/pastry companies and other specialty services and all but one had no college. All have been reasonably to fabulously successful. This has been a wonderful way for some of the women he's known to work and still be home with their kids. One woman he went to school with now owns a very exclusive catering business. She makes a very nice income and has been able to raise her kids without putting them in daycare. Dh loved working as a chef. Really loved it. However, we had three kids in rapid succession (one, followed 14 months later by twins) and he ended up taking restaurant management job in order to support our family. Beginning pay is often very low and the hours are almost always rough (especially once you have a family). The upside is you generally eat very well lol. However, if it's a real passion, your child can definitely make it work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandra in NC Posted February 29, 2008 Share Posted February 29, 2008 We have a premier cooking school in Charlotte. Johnson and Wales has other locations, too. http://www.jwu.edu/admiss/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelli in TN Posted February 29, 2008 Share Posted February 29, 2008 One thing I do know for my son is that if he wants to go to culinary school that I will want him to get at least his associate's degree through our community college first. I am a Peter Reinhart fan and in The Bread Baker's Apprentice he talks about the shock of some of the students when they spend the first few classes doing math as they learn bread formulas. I would want my son to have taken a basic core curriculum in at least community college before tackling culinary school. I think, other than the reasons Amy listed in her very informative post, having had some college classes would just increase his confidence once he got to culinary school. Of course all the reasons Amy listed just add to my resolve that he go to college for 2-4 years first. It excites me to think of my children chasing dreams that are off the beaten path. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5sweeties Posted February 29, 2008 Share Posted February 29, 2008 My dd has the same desires and was thrilled to read this thread! Thanks for the info! We also learned that we have a Culinary school only 2 hours from our house! Who knew?! It looks like entrance is rather typical, with the addition of some hands-on experience? Kelly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jodi-FL Posted February 29, 2008 Share Posted February 29, 2008 and we looked into the local one (Keiser University) as we planned her high school courses. Although it's a 2 yr degree, they require 24 of those credits to be gen. ed. courses. We hoped to have her do an apprenticeship type program before she graduated from high school, but evidently there's a state law that requires people to be 18 around certain equipment (as a safety feature). I wish we knew someone in the business that would allow her at least just a week or a month access, so she could tell if it was something she really wanted to do before starting college. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.