Culinary School

[noneofyours25]

Have any guys attended culinary school?
Where did you go?

How did you like?

How long did it last?

What you do for work after culinary school?

Any other experiences?

 

[al audi]

waste of money

seriously

 

[noneofyours25]

Originally Posted by Al Audi

waste of money

seriously

Why do you say that?

 

[Deleted member 38182]

My buddy went to the CIA of NY. He now works in Vegas...

 

[mojodmonky1]

^ i heard the same thing.

the reason its a waste of money is that it doesnt necessarily increase your chances that much of getting a job in the restaurant industry, atleast not enough to compensate for the tens of thousands of dollars you burned.

while it has paid off for some, a cheaper alternative might be to just start from the the bottom and work your way up. if that means you start by coming in at 3-4am and doing mindless prep work, then so be it.

my wife's cousin currently works as a pasta cook at a Batali restaurant in LA, and she got there with no formal schooling. Granted shes not a sous chef or anything like that, but she has been making progress up the ladder. Heck, a year ago she was working the salad station and I think all she did was dress the salads.

 

[chichiloves5s]

I wish culinary school wasn't so damned expensive

 

[kuya7macky23]

Yikes. So, I guess I shouldn't be saving up to go to a culinary school. I was thinking about going the Le Cordon Bleu route here in Boston, but tuition is like $28,000 for a certificate and like $48,000 for a degree. Crazy amounts of money, only to have people say you can start from the bottom and work your way up. I just want to learn basic skills, kitchen etiquette, sanitary procedures and how to run the kitchen so I can have my own place or work anywhere. I guess I just need to start as a dishwasher somewhere and work my way up. The thing is, it's hard to get your foot into the door unless you know someone on the inside. And, a lot of places don't hire anyone without prior experience or a certificate/degree. IDK which way to go...

 

[ryair max 1]

i wish i could have went to culinary school. ive always loved learning to try to cook new things 

but damb at it being so expensive just to learn to cook. 

 

[chueco dtb]

The restaurant business was my first job I ever had at the age of 14. My dad is the head chef at the restaurant and first had me started washing dishes. But thats where jus about anyone starts. I recommend doing that first and then looking for any opportunities to move up. So after 1 year of washin dishes my dad asked me if I wanted to work on the grill and of course I said yeah. So 4 years later I was working full time and making good money at 18 years old. Don't waste your money on those schools because most restaurants look for peopLe who have past expirience. Keep your head up and you will learn and advance!

 

[Jim Shady]

My cousin went to culinary school at the cordon bleu here in orlando ,he took out $50,000 in student loans and when he graduated and got a job at ohanas an upscale restaurant at disney world he was making the same $9.50 per hour the guy with no education working next to him was making, culinary school is am extraordinary waste of money

 

[marcmac360]

My girl went....

And it doesnt really seem worth it. She went to the Cordon Bleu institute in Portland and completed the degree program. One thing to keep in mind, this degree program is a joke. You are told you are graduating with an associates along with your chef certificate.....but you cannot transfer that associates to ANY college or university. They do have a nice little program when you graduate that gets you an externship in which many places will keep you on after.

Worth the money? No. You will just be making the same minimum wage as some unexperienced person from the street. In the culinary world is often how much experience you have not what a paper says.

 

[coldcity]

Le Cordon Bleu cost too damn much & doesnt help you get further at all

 

[franchise3]

Try checking out your local community college. A lot nowadays offer a 2 year program, and you save a lot more money