FINDING THE RIGHT CULINARY SCHOOL FOR YOU
By The Reluctant Gourmet © 2005
http://www.reluctantgourmet.com/cooking_schools.htm
Have you ever thought about the possibility of going to culinary
school to become a professional chef or start a new career in
hospitality management? Maybe you want to go to school just to
be a better cook at home? The good news is there are a lot of
great schools and colleges in every state to help you accomplish
your goals.
Based upon the number of cooking schools opening each year,
there must be a lot of folks interested in getting into the
culinary world. I recently read an article in our local
newspaper about the growth in local culinary schools, and the
numbers surprised me. It appears that supermarkets, gourmet
stores, local restaurants, colleges, ex-chefs, and just about
anyone else who has the room and expertise is putting on an
apron and opening a school.
Many of these schools are there for absolute beginners who just
want to learn how to boil water and get around in the kitchen
without hurting themselves. These classes tend to be more fun
where you watch a professional chef prepare a meal and then you
get to share it with the rest of the class. It's a good way to
meet some interesting people, learn a few culinary tricks, and
taste some delicious food.
And then there are schools for home cooks who have some
experience but want to build upon their skills and learn some
new techniques. These schools tend to have classrooms with
individual stations where the students learn by doing. Often
these classes will specialize in one particular technique or
cooking style.
But what about the individuals who wants to make cooking their
career and go back to school for a degree in culinary education?
They may want to learn about hospitality management to master
the skills needed to run a resort, restaurant, or theme park. Or
they may want to become professional chefs and cook in some of
the best restaurants in the country.
Lucky for them, there are now more than 500 vocational, college,
and university programs scattered around the country with more
schools opening each year that offer first-rate educational
degrees in this field. The bigger question is: how do you choose
the best culinary school for you?
Here are a few steps to help you narrow down the field and
simplify your decision:
Step 1 - Figure out what you want to do after you graduate.
Do you want to start a catering company, make pastries and fancy
desserts, or how about manage a restaurant? Once you have an
idea of what it is that you would like to specialize in, you can
limit your search to only those schools that offer the necessary
classes.
If you have no idea what you would like to do in the culinary
field, be sure to go to a school that offers a number of choices
in every field of the industry- sort of like taking a liberal
arts' approach.
Step 2 - Determine what's most important to you in a school.
Some topics you may want to think about before choosing a school
are:
Location Entry requirements Length of program and class schedule
Costs and financial aid Class size and student-to-faculty ratio
Classroom facilities Class schedules The school's faculty and
reputation Degrees and accreditations Externship opportunities
Location and housing Schools contacts, job placement, and/or
internships
Step 3 - Create a list of schools to contact for more
information.
You can start with your local yellow pages but if you don't find
a school close enough, or one that strikes your fancy, try doing
a search on the Internet. Just type in "cooking schools in [your
state]", or "culinary schools [your state]", and you will find
hundreds of leads to schools worldwide. Type in culinary schools
with a city and it will narrow down the field even more.
There is also a listing of top schools listed by state at The
Reluctant Gourmet web site. Go to
http://www.reluctantgourmet.com/cooking_schools.htm and click on
the state of your choice and pick a city of interest.
Once you find a few schools that look promising, read a little
about them to see what they have to offer. Most sites will
provide a short form that you can fill out for more information.
Once you fill out the form and send it back to the school,
someone will call you within a day or two to answer your
questions, provide you with additional information, and offer to
send you some brochures and an application.
Be sure to have a list of questions you want answered when you
speak with a school's representative. You might also ask for a
list of current students and graduates to contact for their
assessment of the school.
This is also a good time to ask about scholarships and what the
school has to offer. If financing is going to be an issue, it's
better to find out alternatives now rather than wait until you
have been accepted. Remember, the school representatives are
there to help and most, I've found, don't push too
hard--although it is their job to sell you on the school.
Step 4 - Narrow down the field.
Once you look over what the schools have to offer and have
spoken with the representatives, start eliminating those that
just don't fit in with your needs. Maybe a school is too far,
too costly, or just doesn't offer the courses you are interested
in taking.
Step 5 - Visit the schools that fit best.
In my opinion, this is one of the most important steps you can
do to make sure that you are going to be happy at any cooking
school. You want to see the actual classrooms you will be
attending, see some of the teachers and students in action, and
get a feel for the surroundings to make sure you will fit in.
I once made the mistake of taking a new job on Wall Street with
a competitor without ever seeing the offices I'd be working in.
Sure the money was better and I thought I would make faster
advancement, but when I arrived for my first day of work, I
couldn't believe the conditions they wanted me to work in. The
office space was old, dirty, and outdated compared to where I
was working. I was horrified and only lasted about four months!
So, make sure that the school in which you are thinking of
investing your time and money is as good, if not better, than
the brochure they send to you.
Step 6 - Apply to your top picks.
After you make your visits, narrow down the field to your top
choices and prepare the applications you were sent. Be sure to
be neat and complete, and provide the schools with everything
they ask you for. If you have any questions about the
application, pick up the phone right away and get answers. You
don't want to be sending in incomplete forms.
Step 7 - Choose your school.
Once notified by the schools of your acceptance, you can decide
which school works best for you. Because you did your homework
and followed the steps above, this final choice should be easy.
Be sure to inform the school of your choice that you will be
attending, and find out what steps are required to get you
enrolled and what you will need to start school.
Although this article was written for those of you interested in
going to culinary school, you can follow these same procedures
when choosing any continuing education degree. If you think
about it, it's just like getting everything prepped and ready to
go (mise en place) before starting to prepare a meal.
Copyright © 2005 G. Stephen Jones, The Reluctant Gourmet
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