How to Find a Culinary School for You
- By J Logsdon
- Published 01/21/2009
- Food and Drink
- Unrated
Once you decide to go to a culinary arts school it can be a daunting task to find one that is right for you. There are many types of culinary schools, from 4 year degree programs to month long certificate programs, in many locations both in America and over seas, and they focus on anything from baking bread to being a chef to running a hotel restaurant.
Each type of school offers its own advantages and disadvantages and different people will get different things out of each type of school. Here's several suggestions to help you find a culinary school that is right for you and will help you meet your goals.
The first step to finding a good culinary school for you is to determine what your goals are. Do you want to be a world class chef, a local caterer, a personal chef, or a baker or pastry chef? Would you prefer the business side of the food industry and rather own a restaurant, run the business side of a catering company, or do restaurant consulting? Or maybe you just are interested in learning more about cooking so you can apply it at home? Think about your goals and where you picture yourself being in 5 years and in 10 years.
Once you determine what you are trying to accomplish then you can begin to narrow down your list of culinary schools. For instance, if you want to stay on the cooking side of the food industry then you should try and focus on schools that are very hands on and have a bigger focus on the cooking itself. But if you are more interested in owning or running a restaurant you would want to learn towards programs that offer much more b
usiness side knowledge in addition to the cooking.
The next step in narrowing down your list of potential schools is to figure out how much time you are willing to take to accomplish this, and how much money you can afford to spend. Since schools often range from several months to several years you will need to find out what works for you. Look at the different programs you are interested in and how much they teach over their time span.
You will also need to look at your current life and see how much and for how long you can disrupt it. A single 21 year old aspiring chef will have much different needs than a 40 year old married person with kids who hopes to use their management experience in the food industry.
Location is also another big factor that is determined by you current place in life. Some people will only consider schools that are close enough for them to commute to while others are willing to relocate across the county (or even to Europe!) for the school they love. Figure out how far you are willing and able to go.
Now that you have narrowed the list down it is time for the fun part! Go visit the different schools you are interested in. Most schools have tours that you can take and will give you a peek into how they are run. Talk to the staff members, see how they like teaching there and what their graduates are doing. Also talk to the students, see how they like their teachers, if they like the teaching techniques, and what they plan on doing when they graduate.
Once you been to all the schools on your list you should have a pretty good idea of where you would like to go. It is then time to make the leap and get your culinary career started!
Each type of school offers its own advantages and disadvantages and different people will get different things out of each type of school. Here's several suggestions to help you find a culinary school that is right for you and will help you meet your goals.
The first step to finding a good culinary school for you is to determine what your goals are. Do you want to be a world class chef, a local caterer, a personal chef, or a baker or pastry chef? Would you prefer the business side of the food industry and rather own a restaurant, run the business side of a catering company, or do restaurant consulting? Or maybe you just are interested in learning more about cooking so you can apply it at home? Think about your goals and where you picture yourself being in 5 years and in 10 years.
Once you determine what you are trying to accomplish then you can begin to narrow down your list of culinary schools. For instance, if you want to stay on the cooking side of the food industry then you should try and focus on schools that are very hands on and have a bigger focus on the cooking itself. But if you are more interested in owning or running a restaurant you would want to learn towards programs that offer much more b
The next step in narrowing down your list of potential schools is to figure out how much time you are willing to take to accomplish this, and how much money you can afford to spend. Since schools often range from several months to several years you will need to find out what works for you. Look at the different programs you are interested in and how much they teach over their time span.
You will also need to look at your current life and see how much and for how long you can disrupt it. A single 21 year old aspiring chef will have much different needs than a 40 year old married person with kids who hopes to use their management experience in the food industry.
Location is also another big factor that is determined by you current place in life. Some people will only consider schools that are close enough for them to commute to while others are willing to relocate across the county (or even to Europe!) for the school they love. Figure out how far you are willing and able to go.
Now that you have narrowed the list down it is time for the fun part! Go visit the different schools you are interested in. Most schools have tours that you can take and will give you a peek into how they are run. Talk to the staff members, see how they like teaching there and what their graduates are doing. Also talk to the students, see how they like their teachers, if they like the teaching techniques, and what they plan on doing when they graduate.
Once you been to all the schools on your list you should have a pretty good idea of where you would like to go. It is then time to make the leap and get your culinary career started!
J Logsdon
J Logsdon is a home chef and caterer who makes following your culinary dreams easy for the aspiring chef. Get even more great culinary school information.
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