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Doing Your Homework When Choosing Culinary School

March 10, 2016 by G. Stephen Jones Leave a Comment

Mistake #2: Not Doing Your Homework

Once you know what you want from your culinary education experience, you must find the right school to get you exactly that. Unfortunately, for most of us, this isn’t as easy as opening the Yellow Pages and seeing what schools are located within city limits. Choosing a culinary school that offers all the right qualifications – and at the right price – can be time-consuming.

Step One: Research Ahead of Time

No matter what else you do, research culinary schools ahead of time. There are several great resources online, and we suggest you check out our site, which breaks down each school’s qualities and enables you to make a more informed decision. It doesn’t matter if you’re looking at a major international name or a small school located nearby – these resources get you the information you need quickly and effectively.

Step Two: Consider Location, Location, Location

Location is more important in culinary school than you might think. While you can get a good education in almost any U.S. state, the reality is that New England (New York in particular) and California are the best two places to get a top-tier culinary education.

The schools in these two locales are almost always more expensive than you’ll find in the middle of the country, but if you want to become one of the elite, there are a few better ways to go. This is especially true if you want to start a good career since the number and caliber of restaurants in these areas lend themselves to better job opportunities upon graduation.

If you’re fortunate enough to live in one of these culinary “hot spot” locations, you really only need to consider how far you’re willing to travel and how much you’re willing to spend on tuition. For everyone else, you have to pit the costs of moving, the costs of living, and the hassle associated with moving to an unknown location against the benefits of the school. For example, not only will a prestigious New York school have higher tuition costs, but your room and board will also likely increase.

You’ll also want to consider housing when you look at schools. Many culinary schools operate as typical four-year universities, with on-site student housing. Others have a campus located in the downtown of a major metropolis. Before you move across the country to attend culinary school, you need to ensure you’ll have a place to live – and can afford it.

Step Three: Learn the School’s Specifics

No matter how prestigious, each culinary school has its own benefits and drawbacks. Use the following list as a guide to determine the pros and cons of each. If you can’t find readily available information on these characteristics, be wary and ask around. All reliable schools should post them either on their websites or in brochure format.

Entry Requirements: Different culinary schools offer varying degrees of difficulty for getting in. Do you need a high school diploma? Is it a traditional four-year university with entrance exams? You’ll also want to watch out for large fees associated with applying, as this might indicate a less-than-reputable school.

Program Length: Culinary schools typically range from nine months to four years. If you are looking at a longer program, make sure there is some sort of Associate or Bachelor’s degree at the end.

Class Schedule: Day, night, and flexible classes are common in culinary school. Make sure you can juggle school, work, and life.

Costs: Depending on where you go, culinary school can cost from a few thousand to several tens of thousands of dollars annually – and this might not include additional expenses or room and board. Calculate the total costs annually to avoid being unpleasantly surprised.

Financial Aid: Culinary school can get expensive. Does the school have its own financial aid programs?  Does it accept federal grants and loans? What assistance does it provide, and is the information available before or after you’ve already signed on the dotted line?

Class Sizes: The hard-and-fast rule is that the smaller the class, the better your education. If a class is primarily lecture-based, a large class size is okay. For hands-on learning, you want the smallest class possible to get more one-on-one time with your instructor.

Faculty: The quality of your instructors is a large part of the quality of your education. Are there recognizable names among the staff? What degrees/accomplishments are they required to have? Do they work in the local culinary community and have contacts or networks you can tap into?

Facilities: You want a school with the most up-to-date and industry-standard equipment. While learning traditional techniques is always a good way to round out an education, you must be able to learn on what is in most restaurants and kitchens today.

Reputation: This is one of the most important parts of choosing a culinary school. Word-of-mouth and reputation are everything – no matter what the school may promise or guarantee. Always check with current students, alumni, and even area restaurants to learn the general consensus about the school.

Degrees: Some culinary schools offer certifications, while others offer Associate or Bachelor’s degrees. Most degrees are standard everywhere, but be wary of school-based certifications. Unless it’s coming from a recognized name, certifications often mean little out in the larger culinary community.

Accreditation: Schools should always be accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology or the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools. For more advanced culinary training, looking for accreditation through the American Culinary Federation Foundation Accrediting Commission is best.

If you think you might leave school before you’ve finished, you’ll also want to look for regional accreditation, which is the only way to be able to transfer credits from one school to another.

Externships/Internships: Real-world training is a must in the culinary field. Try to avoid schools that don’t offer some sort of on-the-job practice either through an externship or internship; however, don’t expect to get paid for these, since few schools offer that bonus.

Job Placement: Job placement services are sort of the icing on the cake. While no school can guarantee you’ll have a job after graduation, many schools offer career guidance in resume assistance, interview tips, or help locating jobs.

Is A Culinary Career Right For Me?

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CulinaryLore

Food Science, History, and Much More

What Will I Learn In Culinary School Besides How to Cook?

November 14, 2015 By EricT_CulinaryLore

Culinary school students expect to learn the basics of cooking, including such things as knife skills, different cooking methods, sauces, broths, seasoning, etc. You may ask, then, what will I learn in culinary school that I couldn’t learn on the job?  Learning on the job means that you will learn the ways of the particular chef you work under or the particular restaurant at which you work.

When you are hired on in a restaurant kitchen, nobody has time to teach you everything. You will learn just what you need to do a particular job, and as you gain experience, show initiative, and demonstrate your willingness to work hard and take on responsibility, you should be able to move up in the kitchen hierarchy to more skilled positions.

Along the way, you may learn a lot of valuable lessons, and make a lot of mistakes. You may also pick up some bad habits.

Food Chemistry and Theoretical Cooking Knowledge

While you may gain a practical knowledge of cooking, you may lack theoretical knowledge. To understand this, think not of how you prepare a dish, but of what happens to foods as you cook.

A great example of this that you may be familiar with is the work of Alton Brown on his long-running Food Network show,  Good Eats .

Brown not only showed how to cook many basic dishes and more exotic ones, but he also explained the chemistry of food, and why you do what you do in cooking. 

This knowledge will be invaluable to you as theoretical knowledge can be applied to everything you do, whereas you cannot always extrapolate the theoretical from practical on-the-job learning.

Can I Become a Chef’s Apprentice?

Knowledge of how a professional kitchen is run.

Foundational knowledge in cooking theory is as valuable as hands-on learning. Another thing you may lack is foundational knowledge of how a professional kitchen should be run.

While there may be many ways to cook a dish, including shortcuts, there are certain things that cannot be compromised. This is not to say that a practical knowledge of cooking born of experience is not just as valuable.

Alton Brown may know much about the chemistry of food, but, in reality, he has no practical experience as a restaurant chef. He is, in effect, an educated home cook. 

Some of the things you will learn in culinary school that will give you an advantage going into the restaurant industry are given below.

Will I Have Homework in Culinary School?

Culinary school lessons other than cooking.

• Proper food handling and food safety
• Kitchen sanitation
• Public health regulations
• Food purchasing and controlling food cost
• Food storage
• Menu planning

Those who debate whether culinary school is worth the expense and time for those wishing to become cooks in the food-service industry sometimes forget that a culinary education may not only prepare you to become a chef in a restaurant or another type of food-service establishment or institution.

It may also prepare you to enter into many other types of food-related careers without having to spend years and years working in the culinary field.

For more information, see I Want to Go to Culinary School…

Should You Work in a Restaurant Before Attending Culinary School?

Often, a culinary school graduate will tell you what they did not learn, and what they had to pick up on the job.

For example, you do not get to practice a technique hundreds of times in culinary school until you perfect it. What these graduates do not seem to realize is that what is true of culinary school is true of most vocational and/or liberal educations.

If you are looking for a culinary school with a more contemporary, hands-on approach to teaching, visit my friends at CulinaryLab School:  no books or boring lectures!

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Culinary School: The Pros and Cons of Culinary Education

Is culinary school really worth it?

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More people than ever are chasing a dream of running a kitchen or flipping an omelette on television. Culinary school enrollment has swelled in recent years, while tuition rates — and student loan debt — rise alongside it. For a profession with famously low starting wages, it's hard to know whether culinary school is worth it.

The best-known culinary schools in the country come with price tags that range anywhere from $35,000 to $54,000 for a two-year associate's degree or up to about $109,000 for a bachelor's degree. All this for a career path that traditionally starts with a $10 an hour job doing back-breaking work for insane hours and over holidays. While the salary does improve with time, cooking is rarely going to be a lucrative profession.

So is going to culinary school worth it? There's not one right answer to the long-debated question . It depends on a lot of factors, including the costs of culinary school, the alternatives, career aspirations, and temperament. There are passionate arguments on all sides.

Chefs, restaurateurs, educators, students, and newly minted line cooks from across the country shared with Eater their thoughts on the value of culinary school. They all agreed that education is valuable, but their opinions differed on how to get it for the greatest value. What lies ahead is a look at the pros and cons of going to culinary school.

San Francisco Cooking School, Photo: Patricia Chang

The most obvious pro in any debate about the worthiness of culinary school is the education itself. All the various culinary school programs vary in length, class structure, and focus, but one can have a reasonable expectation of emerging from culinary school with a foundational knowledge of terms used in the kitchen. And, if the school is any good, grads will also know how to execute dishes using those terms. Some programs might also teach the history of Paul Bocuse, the basics of table service, and elementary business classes. Schools with bachelor's degrees even have some liberal arts courses such as writing and history. Perhaps most importantly, Daniel Boulud explains that culinary school students will learn skills in a very elementary fashion without any frills or shortcuts that they might learn in a professional kitchen.

I think [culinary schools] are indispensable to a young chef who really wants to make a career in that field because I think the culinary schools give access to such a repertoire of basic knowledge one has to acquire," he says. "Because you don't always acquire that soon as you work for a chef who has too much personalization and all that. I think it's good to know the basics. You have access to libraries, you have access to time to study." He adds that he believes the U.S. is going to see "a separation between the vocational and the professional" with a higher standard for culinary schools and an increased focus on master classes for continuing culinary education.

"I think culinary schools are indispensable to a young chef."

It's also about how you learn these skills, though. In December, Amanda Cohen wrote a blog post on the Dirt Candy website about the pros and cons of culinary school in which she explained the importance of her own education at the Natural Gourmet Institute. Culinary school worked for her, she wrote, because she wouldn't have learned well in the high-stress scenario of a restaurant kitchen. As she explained, "I was shy and I needed to be in an environment where I could learn the basics without getting yelled at and a professional kitchen isn't a teaching-focused environment."

Pastry chef and and dean of the San Francisco Cooking School Bill Corbett skipped culinary school himself. But he echoes Cohen, saying that "it can be incredibly scary" to walk off the street and into a kitchen. What culinary school can give you, he says, is the knowledge that will make transitioning into a professional kitchen easier: knowing to say "behind" when you're moving behind another cook, how to use and take care of a knife, and more. Spending two years working in a restaurant might put a cook ahead of a culinary school student, he says, but it makes for a pretty difficult first year if you don't know how to hold a knife.

The Costs of Culinary School

It cannot be stated enough that culinary school is expensive. There are all kinds of programs in which aspiring cooks can enroll with all kinds of price tags associated with them. The California Culinary Academy in San Francisco offers a certificate in culinary arts for $19,200. The International Culinary Center in New York City offers a 600-hour Classic Culinary Arts course with flexible schedules that range from $38,500-$48,750. And schools like the Culinary Institute of America, Johnson & Wales University, and the New England Culinary Institute offer both two-year associate degree options and four-year bachelor's degrees — the former averaging around $53,000, and the latter closer to $100,000.

It's not like you're going to Harvard, where when you come out you're going to make $100,000. When you get out, you make $10 an hour, and basically are doing tasks in a kitchen reserved for beginners. So you have to start from there. You have to be humble and make that sacrifice."

"It's not like you're going to Harvard, where when you come out you're going to make $100,000."

Admissions recruiters at some of these schools don't always help make that reality clear to potential students. San Francisco pastry chef Bill Corbett recalls a seminar at the Natural Gourmet Institute that informed him he could become a sous chef upon graduation and make $60,000 within a year. "I've never met a sous chef that made 60 grand," he says. And Le Cordon Bleu's Pasadena, California campus just settled a lawsuit with alumna Annie Berkowitz, who claimed she was "fraudulently induced" to enroll in the school after having been promised she could make "$75,000 per year to start" as a pastry chef. Berkowitz won $217,000 in the settlement.

Chef Brad Spence wouldn't go culinary school if he had to do it all over again. After graduating from the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, the chef/partner of Philadelphia's Amis moved to New York City, where he made $8 or $9 an hour. Even though he was getting help from his dad to pay off the student loans, Spence says he "could barely live" between the low salary, high rent, and regular loan payments. And that's the norm for New York City line cooks. Dirt Candy's Amanda Cohen says that generally cooks can expect a raise of $1 a year, meaning one can hope to be making $20 an hour 10 years into a career. That's still not very helpful for someone who needs to pay off tens of thousands of dollars in culinary school debt.

According to U.S. News & World Report , people who owe $25,000 in student loans can expect to pay around $150 a month. $50,000 worth of debt will jack those monthly payments up to $450 a month, and $75,000 in debt brings it to $750 per month. Depending on the terms of the loan, it could be even higher. Meanwhile, line cooks made $28,485 a year per the last StarChefs.com survey . That's $2,374 a month, but even less once you take out taxes and account for rent prices in cities like New York and San Francisco that soar upwards of $1,000 a month. Even $150 a month might end up being a significant chunk of what remains of the paycheck.

These debts are only compounded for college graduates and career-changers who enroll in culinary school. Trying to pay off two loans with a job that only pays $2,374 a month is going to be a struggle.

Scholarships

"Through great education that you gain through these scholarships and mentorships... I think you're able to better propel yourself in the future."

One solution to crushing debt is finding a way to avoid paying tuition in the first place. About 90 percent of Culinary Institute of America students "receive financial aid in the form of scholarships, grants, loans, and work-study." When it comes to scholarships, there are a number of merit and need-based options both here and at other schools. The CIA has a one-time CIA alumni referral scholarship of $1,000. Its San Antonio location offers an El Sueño scholarship program for low-income students that Edible Austin reports "can provide up to half of the program tuition." The International Culinary Center offers scholarships for international students, veterans, and students studying Italian and Spanish cuisines. And so on.

Dirt Candy's Amanda Cohen argues that it's not just the schools themselves that bear some of the responsibility for drifting beyond the reach of lower income students. It's the whole ecosystem of both the educational and restaurant communities. She says she has at times considered ways that she as a chef and restaurant owner can help mitigate the costs of culinary school. "If I knew that I had a line cook who really wanted to go to culinary school, and they were going to come back and work for me for four years, it would be worth my while to pay for part of their tuition," she says, adding that it's "sort of a ludicrous idea, but I don't know how else to do it."

New Orleans chef John Besh does that in his own way. His John Besh Foundation offers full paid scholarships to the ICC (formerly the French Culinary Institute) for aspiring minority chefs in low-income communities. Dismal minority and lower-income enrollment is a significant downside of the cost of culinary school that ripples throughout the restaurant world. Besh explains, "We have this weird thing happening where we have mainly upper middle class white suburban boys that could afford to go anywhere, and they're going to culinary school and they're the ones moving to New Orleans and I'm trying to teach them how to cook Creole." His foundation seeks to balance this out.

Through great education that you gain through these scholarships and mentorships then you don't have to settle anymore. You can raise your own limits and set the bar where you want it set. And I think you're able to better propel yourself in the future."

[Photo: Daniel Krieger ]

The Realities of Restaurant Life

Career possibilities.

Any time you're throwing down tens of thousands of dollars on education, it helps to know what you're doing with it. Perhaps even more so in the case of a trade like cooking. Tuition is high and average salaries for many jobs in the food service industry are low. A cost-benefit analysis for culinary school tuition will calculate differently for the cook who plans to work his or her way up the line in a New York City restaurant and the cook who wants to take a higher-paying corporate or private chef gig.

There are all kinds of jobs available to culinary school grads: working in all facets of a restaurant, from the line to the host stand to the wine cellar, and beyond; research and development for a corporation like McDonald's; overseeing the kitchen at a hotel, resort or on a cruise liner; and so much more. During the 2011-2012 academic year at the Culinary Institute of America, about 54 percent of incoming freshmen expressed interest in working at an independent restaurant in some capacity upon graduation, according to communications director Jeff Levine . Another 27 percent were interested in working at hotels or resorts, while 17 percent were considering careers at restaurant chains or other corporate food jobs. And, according to Levine, about 70 to 80 percent of CIA graduates do go to work in restaurant or hotel/resort kitchens when they leave Hyde Park.

So what are the average salary expectations for these two career paths? Well, according to the most recent Chef Salary Report on StarChefs.com , in 2010 an executive chef could stand to make $65,983 ($81,039 in hotels); a chef de cuisine had an average salary of $51,114 ($55,405 in hotels); a sous chef made $39,478 ($42,906 in hotels); and a pastry chef made $43,123 ($46,547 in hotels). For those hotel and corporate chefs who are making more money than those who work in restaurants, culinary school may be less of a financial challenge.

It's worth pointing out, though, that it often takes years of working as a line cook for grim hourly wages before making that kind of money. And while salary levels for those who had obtained culinary degrees or certifications are higher than non-grads, the survey warns that "the salary gap — while increasing — isn't as big as you might think."

Lifestyle Realities

Too many people do not know what they're getting themselves into when they enroll at a culinary school, and the Food Network is partially to thank. What these aspiring cooks know about working in a kitchen is a fantasy promulgated by Food Network shows and competitions like Bravo's Top Chef . Some of them see cooking as a pathway to celebrity. They want to become the next Rachael Ray, but they don't know that the odds are terrible for becoming a celebrity chef who jets off to Aspen every year.

Los Angeles chef and restaurateur Suzanne Goin has seen young cooks get tripped up in that fantasy. "And then," she says, "they get into the real world and realize, wait, what do you mean I have to work the pantry station for six months, and what do you mean it pays $11 an hour, and what do you mean I have to work Saturday and Sunday?"

Culinary Institute of America director of communications Jeff Levine says that the Hyde Park campus enrollment has risen from 1,800 students to 2,800 students in the 20 years since the Food Network launched. Beyond Hyde Park, the CIA has also opened new campuses in California, Texas, and Singapore in the last two decades. So, as applications rise, it's increasingly crucial for culinary school applicants to remember that the depiction of restaurant life on reality TV shows is not what the work is like in real life.

The depiction of restaurant life on reality TV shows is not what the work is like in real life.

Even culinary school administrators will tell you that you probably shouldn't go to culinary school if you're just interested in being a famous chef or Food Network personality. Levine says that the CIA doesn't want students who just want to be on TV. They want students who are passionate about food. And so the CIA requires students to have had at least six months of experience working in a restaurant — front or back of the house — for admission. Jodi Liano at the San Francisco Cooking School says her school doesn't have that kind of requirement, but that she personally talks to applicants by telephone to gauge why they want to study cooking. If they don't convince her of their passion, they don't get in.

Some chefs argue that some culinary schools have misled or failed to educate students about these realities of restaurant life. Brad Spence of Philadelphia's Amis says that the particularly egregious programs are those that admit students who have no background at all in restaurants. "I think these culinary schools are being really irresponsible to start taking kids' money that have never worked in a kitchen," says Spence.

you'd better get ready to work 15-hour days. Mario Batali doesn't sit ."

"You'd better get ready to work 15-hour days. Mario Batali doesn't sit."

But students don't always listen to reality. Dirt Candy's Amanda Cohen was once invited to speak to a class at the Johnson & Wales Charlotte campus, where the instructors asked her to talk about the hardships of a chef's life. The students didn't believe them, the teachers told her at the time. But the students didn't believe Cohen either. "How do you get somebody to understand that part of their job is repetition?" she asks now. "You are going to do prep in my kitchen for eight hours a day and it might be one single vegetable. People say, 'Oh, well that's not why I went to culinary school.' Yes. This is exactly why you went to culinary school."

Alternatives to Culinary School

Attending a four-year college.

Chef David Chang tells the story of a retired police chief from a small town near Pittsburgh who had dedicated his entire life's savings to opening his own restaurant. But, somewhere along the line, someone had told him he could only become a restaurant owner if he first went to culinary school. He believed that was the only option. "How it that possible?" asks Chang. If there was a global movement to standardize cooking as there is with medicine, Chang says he could understand getting a culinary school degree. But, as things stand, there's no real prerequisite for getting into the restaurant business. "It's a relative free-for-all," he says.

"There are so many options that culinary school is just one of those options."

There are so many options that culinary school is just one of those options," he says. "It shouldn't be the only option."

Amis chef Brad Spence agrees. His advice for those considering culinary school — and who can afford the tuition — is to get a business degree at a four-year college while working part-time at a restaurant. "You can learn how to cook all you want, but if you don't know how to make money then you're going to go out of business," he says.

Working in a Professional Kitchen

But you don't have to go to any kind of school — culinary or otherwise — to get a restaurant job. The tenacious will be able to get a foot in the door at a top restaurant so long as they're willing to start as a dishwasher or prep cook. Some chefs even prefer to hire inexperienced cooks: Spence explains he's really looking for an employee with a good attitude and passion for the job. He can teach his line cooks the technical skills himself.

Spence has a better idea of what aspiring cooks can do with their tuition money. If he had to do it all over again, he says, he would take a fraction of what he spent on school and use it to travel to Italy. He would work in restaurants there to learn about Italian cooking. Spence didn't know that path was possible back when he applied to culinary school. It is possible.

Bypassing culinary school to work in a restaurant is really just the beginning of a different kind of culinary education. And this kind of education is often intimidating, sometimes risky, and involves a lot of self-discipline as compared to what you get at culinary school.

Line cook Sam Brennan had to learn on-the-job when Spence brought him aboard at Amis. Brennan graduated from college with a degree in political science and English, and then spent two and half years working for a life insurance company in Philadelphia. When Brennan decided he wanted to pursue cooking instead, he looked into culinary school programs and realized he couldn't afford to tack another $60,000 onto his existing student loan debt. Fortunately, he also realized he didn't need a degree to work in a kitchen.

A friend hooked Brennan up with Spence, and soon Brennan was coming into the restaurant a couple of days a week — unpaid. After a couple of months, Spence hired Brennan full-time. Spence, Chang, Corbett, and Cohen all agree that it's easily possible to learn all the necessary technical and organizational skills just by putting in the hours at a restaurant and working hard. Corbett explains that sometimes it can even be a better way to learn because "you're learning directly within the culture that you're trying to get into." But the fast pace of a professional kitchen, where failures have actual consequences, can be intimidating.

"My first day, I had to ask questions like 'How do I carry a knife around a kitchen?'" Brennan says. "I had the sense to be like, I probably shouldn't just be waving this around as I go through, but I had to ask a question that basic. Asking a question as stupid as that, it's easy to feel like what the hell am I doing here?"

Despite all that, Brennan is working his way up the line already. "He was literally selling life insurance six months ago and now he's like a rock star at his station," Spence says. But Brennan says that his rise in the Philadelphia kitchen had a lot to do with the specific dynamics of that environment. Getting his on-the-job training at Amis "was a godsend," Brennan says. Amis is not the stereotypical hierarchical kitchen. "It's about getting the job done. Not a lot of egos," Brennan says. "I think that was huge, just in feeling more comfortable."

The risk of learning on-the-job is that you don't necessarily know what kind of mentor you're going to get. (Or if you're going to get one at all.)

The risk of learning on-the-job is that you don't necessarily know what kind of mentor you're going to get.

And since even a great mentor might not have time to teach all the necessary skills to an inexperienced cook, self-motivation is especially important for on-the-job learning. Los Angeles chef and restaurateur Suzanne Goin built a solid career despite never having gone to culinary school. But when she was hired at the legendary Chez Panisse, she knew she had more to learn.

"I was really freaked out that I had not gone to culinary school," Goin says. "I was sure I was going to get to work and they were going to ask me to make a galantine or something and I wasn't going to know how to do it."

So Goin spent a month poring over cookbooks by Jacques Pépin and others to get herself ready for the job. She stayed in Alice Waters' famed kitchen for two years, and has now built herself an empire that includes the likes of Lucques and A.O.C. All that studying might not have been necessary to get to that point but, she says, it made it easier.

Attending a Community-Level Program

There's more out there for aspiring cooks than a fancy degree from one of the country's top culinary schools. Though chef John Besh sends his scholarship students to the pricey ICC, he believes that what's important is culinary education in any form. "I don't think everybody needs to go to a CIA," Besh says. "I think it's a wonderful school, but I think there's a lot of programs on the community level that are much more accessible and affordable that people should take advantage of."

These smaller schools and community college programs are likely to be far less expensive than a major culinary school. Stratford University's associate degree in culinary arts amounts to about $33,300, about $20,000 less than the average associate degree tuition cost for a bigger-name school. And, in some cases, these schools might be more hooked into their communities, too.

Four Seasons Hotel Baltimore executive chef Oliver Beckert checks in with the local culinary programs when he's hiring. His team will visit these schools, but Beckert says the schools themselves can be quite pushy about helping their students find employment. (Another potential upside of culinary schools.) Though some big-name chefs might prefer applicants from big-name schools — Eric Ripert noted last month that he likes to take students "from the good schools" such as the CIA, ICC, and ICE — attending a small school won't necessarily put one's resume at the bottom of the pile. Beckert says he does a bit of research into a school when he comes across one with which he is unfamiliar.

But, as will be explored a little more later on, it is supremely important to research a community program and to have realistic expectations of it. Not all schools will be that active in creating employment opportunities for their students, and not all employers will be impressed by a resume that consists mainly of community college courses.

Apprenticeships

Apprenticeships might be one of the best ways to get into cooking if they were not so rare in the United States. Beckert, the chef at the Four Seasons Hotel Baltimore, was born in Nuremberg, Germany, where he also apprenticed at a one-Michelin-star restaurant named Bammes. After a short time of working for one meal and one beer a day (and somewhere to rest between shifts), Beckert enrolled in a formal three-year apprenticeship program. Rather than paying for culinary school or staging without compensation, Beckert's apprenticeship was paid. It wasn't very much, Beckert says, but it was "enough to survive." And the program was hard. While Beckert started off with five apprentices in his class, there were only two of them left at the end of the three years.

Apprenticeships were once the most common way that cooks learned their trade, but aside from the more informal stage system, it hasn't quite taken root in the United States. Some programs do exist: the American Culinary Federation offers four apprenticeship options: 1,000 hours, 4,000 hours, 6,000 hours, and a hybrid program. And apprenticeships still happen in Europe, where even celebrity chef Jamie Oliver offers a yearlong program for 18 young cooks that is 65 percent kitchen time, plus some courses and other professional development like sourcing trips and team-building activities.

David Chang has long made the case for instituting apprenticeships, telling Big Think back in 2008 that he believes "the education system should probably encourage people to become cobblers, tailors, or whatever. It's like these are professions that are honorable and there's only one way you can really be great at it, and that's learning from people who have done it a long time." This is essentially what happens when one stages or secures an entry-level job in a kitchen, but without the structure to make it officially an apprenticeship.

Daniel Boulud thinks young cooks who train in a kitchen rather than a school "deserve to have a valid certification."

So if apprenticeships are already happening naturally, what's the point in institutionalizing them? Well, Daniel Boulud says that he thinks young cooks who train in a kitchen rather than a school "deserve to have a valid certification" of their experience. "I think what's important in that is then the chef has to be accredited so we know he's going to take care of that apprentice," Boulud says. "And after two years or three years, the young cook can have the full accreditation the way he can have it in school if he passes a certain degree." Boulud is putting this theory into action, too: He says he's working with online culinary education program Rouxbe to bring back apprenticeships in the United States.

Comparing Schools

I don't think damning the whole system is appropriate ." According to Corbett, there are some schools out there that are teaching the various skills beyond knowing how to wield a knife, such as how to properly season and taste food, how to organize your day, and how to master techniques using repetition.

"I don't think damning the whole system is appropriate."

These skills are precisely why Jodi Liano opened the San Francisco Cooking School — of which Corbett is one of the deans , along with Daniel Patterson and Craig Stoll — this year. Conversations with local chefs had persuaded her that some culinary schools were not really teaching their students how to taste their dishes, operate outside of recipes, and fix their mistakes. These are the basics of "culinary intuition," as she calls it. And so with the SFCS, Liano has set out to correct what she perceives as a deficiency in culinary education.

Culinary Institute of America at Hyde Park dean of culinary arts Brendan Walsh says that from their first day of school, CIA students are also tasting, touching, and feeling ingredients, and building their perceptions of seasoning. In their freshman year, students have a physiology of food class that teaches things like why comfort foods have such a profound psychological effect. "A lot of schools don't have this model, but a lot of schools try to mimic our model," he says.

We're preparing them for life, not just how to cook an egg."

Each school has its own way of building an education. The San Francisco Cooking School offers tiny classes of 14 people that culminates in a culinary certification after six months. Working chefs come in fairly frequently for full-day sessions to show students things like how to break down a pig. Students take field trips. Repetition is key, and so are the externship placements.

"We're preparing them for life, not just how to cook an egg."

SFCS has also tossed out some elements of the traditional culinary school curriculum, such as sous vide, which San Francisco chefs told Liano they could teach new cooks themselves in two days. Rather, she says, SFCS is teaching students things like how two fats react together or why mayonnaise breaks and how to fix it. "Every single thing students learn in this program come from that perspective of how and why things happen in the kitchen," she says. "And they're taught with repetition all the time." Corbett points out that one of the benefits of SFCS is that its class of 14 students allows it to be hyper focused.

The Culinary Institute of America is a much bigger school, but it also keeps class sizes to 16 students per chef-instructor. Each graduating class has four groups of students enrolled in the culinary arts program and one in the pastry program, so there are about 80 new students every three weeks. Classes rotate in three-week blocks, though the introductory culinary fundamentals class lasts for five three-week periods. After the culinary fundamentals course, students will begin to cook for each other and eventually even the public before graduation. The CIA program offers two sets of three-week "classes" spent operating the school's on-site and very real restaurants, and it also has an externship requirement. After the two-year associate's degree program, a student can choose to stay for a bachelor's degree that involves some liberal arts courses.

Other culinary schools overlap and differ with these programs. Prospective students should do their research into all of these options and figure out what type of curriculum best suits their own goals and temperament.

Controversy and Protests

It helps to examine a school's history with controversy, too, when deciding where to spend your money. Earlier this year, a group of undergraduate students staged a widely publicized protest of what they perceived as the school's weakened educational standards. But one student, Kwame Onwuachi , insists that the small group was not representative of the student body at large. The protestors had asked him to take part in it, too, and he refused. But it's hard to know for sure the scope of the protest. One of the walkout organizers told the New York Times back in April that "many, many more are with us, but they're afraid to publicly show their support for us."

Regardless of the incident, the CIA remains generally well-regarded within the chef community. Daniel Boulud defends the school, calling the incident "embarrassing" and "ridiculous," and explaining that the students, "should have known way before they were stepping in where they were going."

But protests and lawsuits at culinary schools in other parts of the country have not elicited such vigorous defenses. In 2011, the California School of Culinary Arts in Pasadena, the Western Culinary Institute in Portland, and San Francisco's California Culinary Academy were all sued by former students who claimed to be misled about their post-grad career opportunities. As noted earlier, the Pasadena-based Le Cordon Bleu school recently settled its lawsuit and was ordered to pay $217,000 to alumna Annie Berkowitz.

The CIA's dean of culinary arts Brendan Walsh and communications director Jeff Levine say that the for-profit culinary schools — which can afford to blast their message to a wider audience with TV ads — complicate matters for non-profits like the CIA. The difference, Walsh says, is that the CIA's core business is education, while money is the core business for the for-profit institutions. But, of course, costs are a critique for all schools. "I think nonprofit institutions really have to ask themselves are they really being nonprofit institutions?" says David Chang.

I think there are few culinary schools that actually have really talented educators within the schools . Most culinary schools are staffed by people who are done with the restaurant industry." Culinary school tuition is a lot of money to spend on learning from someone who isn't passionate about food and doesn't pay attention to what is happening in restaurants today. It's up to the schools to make sure they are hiring the right faculty, and it's also up to culinary school applicants to make sure they are seeking out the right teachers.

"I think there are few culinary schools that have really talented educators."

"Are you going to throw rocks at Juilliard because you're going to graduate and be a grunt musician?" he asks. "No. But, I mean, that brings the question, is the program you're offering the Juilliard of culinary school?"

Post-Grad Job Opportunities

Networking is an area in which culinary school has a distinct advantage over going straight to work in a kitchen. And not just for aspiring restaurant chefs, either. At culinary school, students get the opportunity to meet chefs and food service professionals from the owners of a small California vineyard to the legendary Thomas Keller. The CIA recently hosted an entire day devoted to the French Laundry chef, a huge booster of the school, that involved presentations and Q&As with Keller and some of his most famous protégés, such as Grant Achatz of Alinea:

Video: Thomas Keller Day Highlights

Many culinary programs also involve some sort of externship program that provides another opportunity to interact with professional chefs and potential employers. Through the externship program at the San Francisco Cooking School — a program which SFCS' Tony Liano says is highly curated — students are able to make contacts at the likes of State Bird Provisions, Coi, AQ, Bar Tartine, and more.

It's not that way everywhere. When Bill Corbett first arrived in San Francisco to work at its two-Michelin-star Michael Mina restaurant, he reached out to one of the local culinary schools to build connections and bring in students. The school never responded. "If my school is not even fostering those connections with the culinary community around me, then how is the student going to do that?" he asks. Now, though, he expects to take in some students from the SFCS pastry program once they reach the externship phase.

The CIA's approved externship list includes four of the top five kitchens on the World's 50 Best Restaurant list.

The CIA's approved externship list includes four of the top five kitchens on the World's 50 Best Restaurant list (Copenhagen's Noma being the exception). Students might also do their externships at the Food Network or the San Francisco Chronicle , depending on their interests. To help manage these, the school has a dedicated externship office that ensures students will be doing more than just getting coffee for the chef.

Beyond these kinds of opportunities to meet established chefs, culinary schools are also a place to meet a side swath of similarly minded fellow students. These students might someday be the key to a future job or partnership.

Applying For Jobs

While externship and networking opportunities are helpful for obtaining a job, some culinary school programs do go a little further. The CIA, for example, has a placement office that its alumni can use throughout the course of their careers to help find available positions. And the school hosts career fairs at the campus gym where independent restaurants, resorts, cruise lines, supermarkets, representatives from the New York State school system, and healthcare professionals turn up to recruit graduates. These are top restaurants, too: Daniel Boulud says his restaurants tend to tap into culinary schools such as the CIA, Johnson & Wales, ICC and ICE for entry-level jobs. So culinary school is certainly a useful leg up in job hunting.

That's especially true in the hotel or corporate chef career path, where the application process is fairly rigorous. Oliver Beckert of the Four Seasons explains that candidates have to go through four to five interviews before they land a position. He likes to hire culinary school graduates and says he would probably consider them before a candidate who didn't go to culinary school. While Beckert knows that there are plenty of cooks who learn on the job, he's looking for someone who already knows the basics. That is something that culinary school does provide.

But having a culinary school degree or certification doesn't necessarily give job applicants an edge, as several other chefs have indicated. Los Angeles restaurateur Suzanne Goin says that if she had a resume in hand from a cook who had spent a year working in a restaurant with which she was familiar, she "would take that person long before I would take the culinary school person for sure." (Goin does, however, emphasize that she has many talented culinary school grads on her team, too.)

Having a culinary school degree or certification doesn't necessarily give job applicants an edge.

I just want the guys that are going to work hard," he says. "They're always going to do better than some guy that went to culinary school with an attitude."

Kahan says that it doesn't matter whether a person went to culinary school. All that he's looking for is someone who is passionate about food and not the celebrity that has become a part of the restaurant world. "I certainly don't aspire to [being a star chef], and I don't think any of my guys in the kitchen necessarily aspire to that," Kahan says. "We all are like-minded, we want to make people happy and cook great food. The younger guys want to be rewarded for that and be a Food & Wine Best New Chef and win a James Beard Award. That comes with the territory. But the kid that comes out of culinary school and wants to have a TV career and make a million dollars is not really what our company is all about."

Switching Career Paths

Is a $50,000 school the right place or a terrible place to be discovering one's career path?

Kwame Onwuachi already had a catering business and an endorsement from the New York Daily News as an "emerging chef to the stars," but last year Onwuachi decided he was hitting a ceiling. He needed to broaden his skills and tighten his grip on the fundamentals of cooking to take his two-year-old catering business even further. And so he enrolled in the Culinary Institute of America.

The plan was always to go back to his catering business upon graduation. He even kept the business up and running during his associate's degree program in order to help pay for school. But now, Onwuachi says, his plans have changed. The 23-year-old CIA sophomore completed his mandatory externship at Thomas Keller's New York City restaurant Per Se, where he says his "mind was blown." When he graduates this year, Onwuachi plans to go out into the field of fine dining. He'd like to study kaiseki in Kyoto, or perhaps, if they'll hire him, return to Per Se. It was a discovery he may have never made had he not gone to the CIA.

Though communications director Jeff Levine doesn't have any specific numbers, he suspects that a good chunk of the CIA student body switches course at some point in their studies. Some simply may not have realized that they could make a career out of research and development or nutrition, while others might learn somewhere along the way that the difficult life of a restaurant chef is not what they want. School gives them a framework to see that there are other jobs out there that still involve cooking or food. The San Francisco Cooking School's Tony Liano puts it this way: "How will you ever discover you have a passion for pastry if you go work in an Italian restaurant for two years?

On the other hand, it's a hell of a lot cheaper to change career tracks if you figure out you don't like cooking in restaurants before you pay any culinary school tuition. Sure, you might still end up enrolling in a culinary program to enter a different field such as catering or nutrition or working in a resort, but this is why chefs like David Chang argue for aspiring cooks to get real-world kitchen experience before (or instead of) committing that kind of money.

David Chang speculates that at least 50 percent of graduates who go to work in restaurants are no longer cooking after five years.

Chang speculates that at least 50 percent of graduates who go to work in restaurants are no longer cooking after five years , pointing to record-high enrollment rates and claims of a line cook shortage in New York (a shortage which Dirt Candy's Amanda Cohen has noticed as well.) Even if the five-year attrition rate were 20 percent, Chang argues that would still be too high. It would be like finding out that 20 percent of a school's medical students were no longer practicing medicine five years later, he says.

Yes, these cooks might find work as a private chef or elsewhere that puts their degree to good use, a decision that Chang says makes absolute sense as "all are respected and very hard and God bless 'em because it's a fucking hard business." But, he says, there's something wrong with the system when that many people are leaving restaurants.

On the flip side, he says, there's another problem with the system when cooks take jobs at hotels and resorts straight out of culinary school. While those jobs are better paid and usually located in beautiful locales, Chang says the skills cooks learn at some of these resorts don't always match up to the needs of a restaurant kitchen. So when those cooks are looking to move to New York and move up to a sous chef level at a fine dining restaurant, they're not necessarily qualified even if they have put in the years.

Culinary school is not worth it if you're just looking to fill a space on your line ," he says.

But Chang says he does recognize the value of culinary literacy. He stresses that his critiques of culinary school are to address the times when students fall through the cracks. "These schools are important," he says. "I'm not saying they're not important. What I'm trying to say is we need to look at the times for the kids that it doesn't work. The era for culinary schools is more important than ever."

Is Culinary School Worth It?

Culinary school is not always the right choice. But it can be. Culinary school can be the right choice if you can afford it. It can be right choice if you're sure you want a food-related career. (Work in a restaurant before you decide to make it your life, seriously.)

It can be the right choice if you get into a good school with great teachers and useful connections. It can be the right choice if you need or prefer a more patient and forgiving learning environment before plunging full-time into the abuse of a kitchen. And, maybe more importantly, culinary school can be the right choice if you're willing to work your ass off.

But it's even more important to be willing to work hard if you skip culinary school. While cooking skills can be picked up on the job, it's not easy. It takes years. Some would argue it never ends. Seek out a kitchen where the chef has a reputation for teaching and mentoring. Work for free or take a thankless job just to get in the door. This path has plenty of risks, but it certainly doesn't have the risk of an automatic $100,000 debt.

Culinary school can be the right choice if you're willing to work your ass off.

Some chefs believe that working in a restaurant can put a cook ahead of a culinary school student. Others agree with Le Bernardin chef Eric Ripert, who argues that, "If you are apprenticing, the first year you peel carrots, second year you peel potatoes. You don't learn as much, you're not exposed to as much knowledge as at culinary school." But Mark Erickson, provost at the CIA, perhaps comes closest to the truth when he says, "If you're looking for a shortcut to success, there is no shortcut. Even going to a great culinary school. There is a lot of hard work to do. That said, it's better than going to a bad school."

It's up to aspiring cooks to decide for themselves what kind of education they want to have. But chefs and educators have a responsibility here as well. Like it or not, they are all teachers. As Erickson argues, once students leave culinary school, it is their employers who "have an obligation to cultivate them, develop them, provide them a ladder." It's up to the entire culinary ecosystem to make an education worthwhile.

Further Reading

· David Chang on Culinary School: 'The System Is Broken' [-E-] · The Price Tags for 11 Culinary Schools Across the Country [-E-] · Chefs Weigh In: Is Culinary School Worth It? [-E-] · Interview: Eric Ripert on Culinary Schools [-E-] · All Culinary School Coverage on Eater [-E-] · All Eater Features [-E-]

Sterlin Harjo’s Guide to Dining in Oklahoma

What will be on chick-fil-a tv, a lomo saltado that amps up the effort for major reward.

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10 Things I Learned in Culinary School That Made Me a Better Home Cook

The tips and tricks I learned in culinary school can help make you a better, more efficient cook too.

Ilya Rocket/ Getty Images

It wasn’t until I was a full-fledged adult (and then some) that I got into cooking. I took a few recreational cooking classes before finally taking the plunge and attending a professional culinary school. Fast forward several years, a few jobs, and five cookbooks , and I’m the food director at REAL SIMPLE, with a goal of helping home cooks make delicious meals without a lot of fuss. Despite the fact that most of a culinary school education is geared towards people who want to be chefs in restaurants, I still remember—and use—the lessons I learned in culinary school on a daily basis. Now you can too.

Always Taste Food Before Serving

From day one, my chef-instructor drilled this rule into his students’ heads: always taste the food before serving to see if it needs a little zhuzh. Is the soup flat? Add a squeeze of lemon or spoonful of vinegar. The salad bitter? It needs salt. The pasta dry? Drizzle on some olive oil. The point is, you’ll never know what it needs unless you taste it. Confession: occasionally when I’m rushing to get dinner on the table I skip this step, and I always regret it. 

Wipe the Edge of the Plate

Spatters are inevitable when you’re transferring food from a pot to a plate or a shallow bowl. And you may think, who cares if there are drops of spaghetti sauce around the rim if it’s just my partner or kid or myself who’s eating it? But, taking two seconds to wipe off the spatters with a clean cloth or paper towel makes the dish instantly more appealing. You spent time on this food; do it proud on the plate.

Harness the Power of Salt

One of the reasons that restaurant food usually tastes so good is that the chefs understand how to use salt. Occasionally that means using a lot of it, but more often it means understanding when and how to use it. There’s no denying that salt brings out the flavor of food, so don't be afraid of using it. I could write a whole article about salt ( and I have ), but here are a few initial tips: if you’re boiling vegetables (except potatoes), the water should taste like the sea. For pasta, it can be a little less salty, but not much. And a sprinkle of flaky sea salt like Maldon on a dish before digging in can make the flavors absolutely pop.

Don’t Take the Cooking Times in Recipes So Seriously

When we got started on a recipe in culinary school one of my fellow students would inevitably ask, “How long does it take to cook?” The instructor would shrug and say, “I don’t know.” It was frustrating, but also made total sense. Cooking time depends on so many factors, including the precise heat level of your burner and pan size and material. This is why most good recipes offer both time specifications and visual or temperature cues for knowing when something is finished cooking. Use the times as a general guide and rely more heavily on the other cues.

Label Everything

It’s tempting to think you’ll remember what’s in that food storage bag or container going into the freezer (it’s obviously chili) or what that creamy concoction is that you’re stowing in the fridge (leftover salad dressing, of course). But, guess what? You probably won’t. The easy low-tech solution is to have a roll of masking or painter's tape and a Sharpie handy in the kitchen and to label everything with its name, and ideally, the date. This is also extremely useful if you’re living with other people, so they know what things are too. Maybe they’ll even label things! A girl can dream….

Use the Right-Sized Cutting Board

In the case of chopping, one size does not fit all. Chopping broccoli on a small or even medium-sized cutting board is a recipe for disorganization and mess. Tiny floret pieces will fly all over your counter, and there won’t be room on the board to slide over the already cut pieces while you move on to a second head. Instead, as we did in culinary school, just use a big board. I know it feels like a pain to wash, but trust me, it’s more efficient in the end. It’s also worth investing in a small and medium-sized board too, small for things like apples and medium for things like zucchini.

Keep Your Knives Sharp

It seems counter-intuitive, but you’re less likely to cut yourself with a sharp knife. A dull knife is more apt to skid into your thumb while you’re chopping an onion, for example. But a razor-sharp one will penetrate the onion with barely any pressure from you. It’s a win-win: intact fingers and easier, almost effortless, chopping. In culinary school we learned to sharpen and hone our own knives. I admit I have not kept up with that practice. Instead, I regularly take my knives to be sharpened, and so should you. Kitchen supply stores are often a good bet.

Skip the Oven Mitts

There are no oven mitts in culinary school. Just like in restaurants, students use (dry! always dry!) dish towels to remove roasting pans from the oven or grab the handle of a sizzling cast iron pan. Since I’ve had that training, oven mitts drive me bananas. What a waste of time, pulling them on like gloves! I want to just grab and go. I will use dry dish towels in a pinch, but more often I reach for a set of oversized pot holders. They’re about 9 inches by 6 inches, so protect my hands all the way from the wrist to the tip of my middle finger. (Don’t bother with a square pot holder. It's too easy to get burned.)

Weigh Your Ingredients When Baking

You may have heard that weighing ingredients for baked goods allows bakers to be more precise and, hopefully, end up with more successful results. Amen to that. But, as I learned in culinary school and am delighted to remember every time I bake at home, a scale also means you can skip the fuss of using measuring cups and then having to wash them. It’s much easier to drizzle a specific weight of honey into a mixing bowl than to squeeze it into a measuring cup and then have to wash said measuring cup.

Consider Texture

When we’re deciding if a dish is "good," we usually think we’re considering taste, but we’re actually considering so much more than that. Aroma, of course, and also texture. Think about a plain butternut squash soup and then butternut squash soup topped with toasted pepitas. Or Romaine lettuce tossed in Caesar dressing and then that same salad with crispy croutons mixed in. Adding an element of crispy-crunchiness makes most foods so much more exciting to eat, and it’s easy to do with a sprinkle of chopped nuts, sesame seeds, toasted breadcrumbs, or even flaky salt.

Related Articles

Thinking About Culinary School? 4 Things You Should Know

I'm constantly amazed by the number of people who, after learning I went to culinary school, confess that they’ve dreamed of doing the same. “What's it like?” they ask with puppy-dog eyes, hoping to hear about some magical kitchen that transforms decent home cooks into world-class chefs.

Usually, I bite my tongue, and instead of launching into my rant about the rigors of culinary school, I just say, "It's a lot of fun—you should do it!"

But that's not exactly true.

While culinary school can be a lot of fun—not to mention very rewarding—it can also be a trying experience that will test you emotionally and physically like nothing else. So, it's important to know what you're getting into.

If you're a casual home cook thinking about going to culinary school, here are four things you should know before going down that road to professional chefdom.

1. It's Intense

Everything about a professional kitchen (even an educational one) is easily 100 times more intense than your home kitchen. Knives are sharper, stoves are hotter, space is tighter, and everything moves at a sprint-like pace. Even simple tasks like turning on a stove are much more difficult, and you'll be expected to figure everything out very quickly.

On my second day of cooking school, I asked my chef where the pots were, because I needed to get water boiling to de-skin some tomatoes. He simply looked at me and said, “You should be done with that by now,” and walked away. He wasn’t trying to be mean—he was just letting me know that the pace in his kitchen was quick and that I needed to catch up.

On my third day, the first thing I did as I walked into class was grab a pot. You learn to adjust to the pace, and eventually it just feels normal.

2. You're Going to Get Hurt  

With a pace like that, injury is almost inevitable (especially for beginners). Everything in the kitchen is hot and sharp, and it's just a matter of time until you cut or burn yourself pretty badly. Everyone does it, and you learn to be ready for it. Before class, I would grab Band-Aids, finger rubbers, and burn gel out of the first aid box and keep them in my pocket so I wouldn't have to waste time later while I was cooking.

You’ll face a lot of emotional trials as well, and at some point you’ll probably just want it to be over. I vividly remember calling my then-girlfriend in near tears, telling her I didn't think I could go on. I was physically and emotionally drained, my hands were burned, bloodied, and scarred beyond recognition, and at 5 PM each day, I had to leave my day job to stand in a 500 degree kitchen for six hours where an angry French gentleman would stop me every five minutes to tell me how terrible I was at cooking.

I was lucky enough to have someone in my life who was there for me emotionally and who pushed me to keep going, and it’s very helpful to have a support system . But just know that everyone feels this way, and you'll get past it. It's part of the process.

3. Cooking Will Take Over Your Life

While you might be thinking, “ Cooking already takes over my life ,” this is a little different than burying yourself in cookbooks and spending all your free time in your kitchen. You'll start to find that, slowly, all you really think about is cooking and what's happening in school. Even your language will change, as culinary vernacular slowly infiltrates your everyday life.

This is kind of a great thing, but just know that it’s less great for other people in your life who aren’t as immersed in cooking as you are. One time at my day job working for a tech startup , our CEO asked if I was prepared for an upcoming meeting. I quickly snapped, “Yes, chef,” and we both walked away slightly confused by what had just happened. Your life will just seem like a kitchen, and everything you start to do will be perfect kitchen behavior.

4. It Won’t Make You a Chef

Regardless of what school you attend, no culinary school will give you the golden ticket to becoming a chef. You will become a badass cook, but culinary school is really all about learning the basics. You’ll have the skills to continue to learn and push yourself to cooking greatness—just don't expect to be throwing down against Bobby Flay anytime soon.

But the great thing about a culinary degree is that you can use it to do so much. For example, while you may not be a top chef, you can walk into most top restaurants and get a job (the lowest job on the totem poll, but still, a job). Or you can go into catering, media, writing , whatever—the options are really endless, and having a culinary degree makes it easier for you to break in.

I decided not to go into the culinary world after graduating, but I still found the experience incredibly rewarding. It was hard for a thousand different reasons, but ultimately, I know that I have a life-long skill that will always be useful and that I was able to became the best cook I could personally become. (Just don’t call me a chef.)

Photo of culinary school courtesy of InterContinental San Francisco .

Teachers and School Counselors

Support for high school culinary arts teachers and guidance counselors.

Educators—Bring CIA Expertise to Your Students

We know you’re as committed as we are to helping students learn and succeed—and we’d like to help you. Here are some education resources from CIA to spark a passion in your students for culinary arts and pursuing careers in the food industry.

Whether for use in the classroom or simply for handing out to interested students, these materials are perfect for the aspiring young chef or food professional in your school.

Please share, and let your students know about CIA. The knowledge and skills they’ll gain here—along with the food-focused, full collegiate experience they’ll enjoy—will prepare them for an amazing life of food. And that CIA degree they’ll carry with them into the workforce is the most respected education credential in the business.

“As an alumna of CIA’s undergraduate program, I already had a deep passion for the culinary industry. When I decided to continue a path of higher education and pursue my dreams of teaching culinary arts and history, I was confident CIA’s online master’s program would give me the tools and networking opportunities to achieve my goals.” Michelle Mallett ’08/’23

CIA’s Educational Materials Are Perfect for the Classroom

These expertly detailed culinary arts lesson plans for high school students provide a general outline of your teaching goals, learning objectives, and means to accomplish them.

• Baking and Pastry Arts—Quick Breads
• Baking and Pastry Arts—Tempering Chocolate
• Knife Skills
• Shallow Poaching

These one-page handouts can be reproduced and are ideal for giving students the right ingredients to learn about a variety of foods.

• Bitter Salad Greens
• Cabbage Family
• Cephalopods
• Citrus Fruits
• Cooking Greens
• Crustacean Shellfish
• Dried Spices
• Hard-Shell Squash
• High-Activity Round Fish
• Low-Activity Round Fish
• Medium-Activity Round Fish
• Molluskan Shellfish
• Nonbony Fish
• Nuts and Seeds
• Onion Family
• Passion or Tropical Fruits
• Pod and Seed Vegetables
• Root Vegetables
• Sharpening Stones and Steels
• Shoots and Stalks
• Sieves and Strainers
• Soft-Shell Squash, Cucumber, and Eggplant
• Stone Fruits
• Tubers and Rhizomes
• Types of Knives

These expertly detailed kitchen techniques for high school students provide helpful methods, practical skills, and include recipes!

• Developing Healthy Recipes and Menus
• Egg Cookery
• Enhancing Food Presentation
• Examining Sauces
• Grilling and Broiling
• Kitchen Calculations
• The Smoking Process

Watch how CIA’s chef-instructors talk about recipes, tools, and techniques.

• Get Cooking with CIA Chef Robert: Classic Bechamel Mac and Cheese
• Get Cooking with CIA Chef Robert: Potato Gnocchi
• Get Cooking with CIA Chef Robert: Braised Brisket Grilled Cheese
• Get Cooking with CIA Chef Robert: Guacamole
• Get Cooking with CIA Chef Robert: Dry Heat Part 1
• Get Cooking with CIA Chef Robert: Dry Heat Part 2
• Get Cooking with CIA Chef Robert: Moist Heat
• Get Cooking with CIA Chef Robert: Combination
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CIA Professional Development On-Demand

Watch and learn as CIA faculty members share their expertise and then try it in the classroom!

CIA Professional Development—Versatile Flat Breads

Join Chef Genvieve Meli ’05 as she covers how to teach flat bread baking with a focaccia dough demonstration! Focaccia is one of the oldest breads in Italy’s history. Watch, learn, then try it in the classroom!

CIA Professional Development—Olive Oil: How to Build a Tasting in the Classroom

Join Chef Sean Kahlenberg ’04 as he covers how to teach Physiology of Taste with an olive oil tasting. This demonstration will not only help you define and understand taste but also challenge you to find different flavor notes from six common olive oil brands. Watch, learn, and then try it in the classroom!

Want more? Check out our on-demand library of past professional development videos.

Recommended Culinary Textbooks

Our outstanding lineup of comprehensive culinary textbooks includes:

Math for the Professional Kitchen, 1st Edition

This book contains step-by-step methods for understanding math in the kitchen and using it appropriately.

Introduction to Culinary Arts

This book provides everything needed to teach the culinary arts to high school students. More than 100 hands-on culinary skills are highlighted that include general procedures and techniques.

Earn Your Master’s Degree Online

Is there a master’s degree in your future? If you’re a culinary educator who is planning to get your graduate degree, our accredited online master’s in Food Business with a specialization in Strategy/Management has the credentials and convenience you’re looking for. With a flexible online format—earn your degree while working—and a curriculum tailored to the food industry, you’ll get the qualifications you need to prepare the next generation of culinary professionals. Perfect for culinary educators like you.

High School Counselors Info Session

Learn more about culinary college must-haves, from mouth-watering academics to résumé-building experiences, perfect ingredients—the ideal CIA applicant, and everything CIA can offer your student. Plus, a special Pan Seared Salmon demo and recipe.

One of the 50 Most Beautiful Campuses in America

Our Hyde Park, NY campus made Conde Nast Traveler’ s recent list! Discover all that CIA has to offer beyond the classroom with our full array of athletics, activities, student services, and delicious dining options.

Robert Tremblay ’10 Associate Director—Admissions [email protected] 845-451-1564

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Counselors, educators, and administrators: sign up here to receive emails, upcoming event notices, news, and information about CIA for yourself and to share with your students.

Why cooking should be taught in schools?

Cooking not only provides nourishment but also cultivates essential life skills that can benefit individuals throughout their lives. Therefore, it is imperative that cooking be included as a mandatory subject in school curriculums. In this article, we will explore the reasons why cooking should be taught in schools and address some frequently asked questions on the topic.

Why Cooking Should Be Taught in Schools?

**Cooking should be taught in schools for the following reasons:**

1. **Promoting healthy eating habits:** Teaching cooking enables students to understand the importance of wholesome ingredients and encourages them to prepare nutritious meals rather than resorting to unhealthy fast food options. 2. **Developing practical life skills:** Cooking equips students with practical skills that are relevant to their everyday lives, enabling them to become self-sufficient in preparing meals and snacks. 3. **Enhancing creativity:** Cooking allows students to express their creativity and explore different flavors, ingredients, and cooking techniques, helping to develop their culinary skills. 4. **Encouraging cultural diversity:** Cooking lessons can incorporate diverse cuisines, fostering an appreciation for different cultures and promoting diversity within the school community. 5. **Fostering teamwork and collaboration:** Cooking often requires teamwork, helping students learn how to work together, communicate effectively, and coordinate tasks, which are all important skills in various aspects of life. 6. **Building confidence and self-esteem:** Successfully preparing a meal boosts students’ confidence and self-esteem, enabling them to overcome challenges and develop a sense of accomplishment. 7. **Promoting sustainability:** Teaching cooking includes discussions on food waste reduction, sustainable sourcing, and mindful consumption, fostering responsible environmental practices. 8. **Improving academic performance:** Studies have shown that students who participate in cooking programs demonstrate improved focus, concentration, and academic performance. 9. **Teaching financial literacy:** Cooking education helps students understand the value of money by comparing the cost of homemade meals with restaurant or packaged food alternatives, fostering financial responsibility. 10. **Career opportunities:** Cooking classes can ignite a passion for culinary arts, inspiring students to pursue careers in the food industry, culinary arts schools, or even entrepreneurship. 11. **Instilling discipline and patience:** Cooking requires discipline and patience, teaching students to follow recipes, practice cooking techniques, and manage their time effectively. 12. **Encouraging family bonding:** When students learn to cook, they can share this skill with their families, fostering quality time together and creating lasting memories.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. should cooking be part of the mandatory curriculum for all students.

Yes, cooking should be part of the mandatory curriculum for all students as it provides valuable life skills and knowledge that are essential for their well-being and development.

2. Is cooking only relevant for students interested in pursuing culinary careers?

No, cooking is relevant for every student, irrespective of their career aspirations. It equips them with practical skills, promotes healthy eating habits, and encourages creativity.

3. Can cooking education be integrated into other subjects?

While cooking education can be a stand-alone subject, it can also be integrated into other subjects like science (food chemistry), mathematics (measuring ingredients), and geography (exploring different cuisines) to enhance interdisciplinary learning.

4. What are the potential challenges in implementing cooking classes?

Implementing cooking classes may require additional resources, such as equipped kitchen facilities and trained teachers. Overcoming these challenges will ensure that students receive the necessary education.

5. How can cooking classes accommodate dietary restrictions and allergies?

Cooking classes can educate students about dietary restrictions and allergies, providing alternatives and teaching principles of safe food handling to ensure inclusivity and safety for all students.

6. At what age should cooking education begin?

Cooking education can begin at an early age, starting with basic concepts like food safety and gradually progressing to more complex cooking techniques as students mature.

7. Is it important to teach students about the cultural significance of food?

Yes, teaching students about the cultural significance of food promotes understanding, appreciation, and respect for different cultures, fostering a more inclusive and compassionate society.

8. Can cooking education benefit students’ mental health?

Yes, cooking has therapeutic properties that can benefit students’ mental health by providing them with a productive outlet for stress, promoting mindfulness, and boosting self-esteem.

9. What role does cooking play in reducing food waste?

Cooking education teaches students how to utilize leftovers, plan meals effectively, and reduce food waste, contributing to a more sustainable and environmentally conscious society.

10. How can schools involve parents in cooking education?

Schools can organize community cooking events, parent-student cooking workshops, or provide cooking resources to involve parents in their children’s cooking education.

11. What resources can schools use to implement cooking classes?

Schools can use cookbooks, online resources, cooking demonstration videos, and partnerships with local chefs and culinary institutes to provide the necessary resources for cooking classes.

12. How can cooking education adapt to remote learning?

During remote learning, cooking education can be delivered through virtual cooking classes, recipe sharing, and providing guidance on basic cooking techniques using easily accessible ingredients.

About Rachel Bannarasee

Rachael grew up in the northern Thai city of Chiang Mai until she was seven when her parents moved to the US. Her father was in the Oil Industry while her mother ran a successful restaurant. Now living in her father's birthplace Texas, she loves to develop authentic, delicious recipes from her culture but mix them with other culinary influences. When she isn't cooking or writing about it, she enjoys exploring the United States, one state at a time. She lives with her boyfriend Steve and their two German Shepherds, Gus and Wilber.

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How to Earn a Culinary Degree from Home

You can earn a culinary degree from the comfort of your own home. Explore degree options and how the online education process works.

Take the Culinary Career Survey

We’ve compiled a checklist of all of the essential questions into one handy tool: career options, culinary interest surveys, educational opportunities, and more.

Clicking the "Get the Survey Now" button constitutes your express request, and your express written consent, to be contacted by and to receive automated or pre-recorded call, texts, messages and/or emails from via phone, text, and/or emails by Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts at the number(s)/email you provided, regarding furthering your education and enrolling. You understand that these calls , texts, messages and/or emails may be generated using an automated or pre-recorded technology. You are not required to agree to receive automated or pre-recorded calls, texts, messages or emails as a condition of enrolling at Escoffier. You can unsubscribe at any time or request removal of street address, phone number, email address via Escoffier website .

Listen to This Article:

Interested in pursuing a culinary education?

You don’t necessarily have to choose between your current responsibilities and achieving your culinary goals. Every day, people from all walks of life are moving one step closer to a culinary career by earning a degree from home.

If you are looking to gain a culinary education, but can’t afford to spend your days on campus–or maybe can’t find a campus near you–you might be considering an online education instead.

As you read about the advantages of online learning and how it works, you may find that it’s never been easier to earn a culinary degree from home.

How Does Online Culinary School Work?

Online culinary school is more like traditional learning than you might think. Much like in a classroom, online students at Escoffier can complete coursework, receive personalized feedback, attend live sessions, and participate in hands-on activities, including a hands-on industry externship.

How Are Online Courses Taught?

The image of impersonal instruction that online school might conjure is often an antiquated one. In reality, online culinary education at Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts is highly personal. Students can access live, online instruction from industry experts. These sessions can often include demonstrations where students ask questions and receive answers in real time. Plus, you can interact with other students, building a nationwide network from wherever you are.

Online lessons are often supplemented with reading and video content, and arguably the most important piece–practice! Each week, students can complete assignments from their own kitchens, documenting progress with photos and notes.

“The chef instructors are all amazing. They have tutoring and workshops and they answer all of your questions with so much dedication.”* Elizabeth A., Online Bakery & Pastry Student

What About Grading and Feedback?

You may be wondering how chef instructors grade dishes without tasting or seeing them in person. For each assignment, students carefully record their cooking process and describe the flavor profile they are building. They also submit photos, plus an analysis of the taste, texture, and overall outcome of their dish to their instructor.

Chef Instructors then analyze students’ work and may provide personalized feedback and suggestions for improvement. Because of their experience and expertise in the field, Chef Instructors are able to determine the success of a dish through the information students provide, as well as visual cues.

This process can help equip students with technical culinary skills, as well as an opportunity to practice the analytical and communication skills that are often valued highly in the culinary field. In fact, online students can often become especially well-practiced in culinary communication because they rely on this skill for grading and coaching.

This one-on-one feedback has been crucial for students like Waverly Boyce, an online Culinary Arts graduate. “The Chef Instructors at Escoffier, especially online, put in a lot of effort and time to connect with us students. I’m a graduate of the online program. It really works.”*

Online students can practice culinary techniques and receive instructor feedback at home.

What’s the Schedule Like?

While a day in the life of an online culinary student varies, you can expect to spend anywhere from 15 to 22 hours per week, depending on your program, credential, and individual pace. Each week, students can participate in scheduled, live video discussions and lectures. Though instructors offer live lectures, they are also recorded so students can access them on their own schedule.

Lectures must be attended (whether live or watching the recording later) and assignments are still due by a deadline, but online students can fit these into their existing schedule. Online students may have the ability to plan ahead of time and complete assignments throughout the week, where they fit best.

Chef Instructors explain how online students practice hands-on skills at home.

What Materials Might You Need for Online Culinary School?

First things first: you’ll need WiFi and a device to complete your program. A strong internet connection is important to ensure lectures and online interactions are clear and easy to understand. But when it comes to the kitchen, online culinary students receive a standard toolkit containing some essential utensils and tools for their specific program, as well as a chef’s uniform complete with a coat, apron, and skull cap.

These toolkits vary based upon your program. For example, a Pastry Arts student may receive different materials than a Culinary Arts student would. But both include many of the essentials needed for coursework.

Online students will also need to gather ingredients to complete weekly assignments. Chef Instructors provide online students with a list of ingredients and equipment needed for assignments so students can prepare in advance.

Online culinary students are equipped with a toolkit of culinary essentials.

How Can Online Students Build Industry Experience?

After so much practice, you want to put your skills into action in the real world! That is where externships come in. Just like their peers attending in-person programs, online students must complete one or two hands-on industry externships , depending on their program.

This is the one piece of the online program that cannot be completed in your home kitchen. With help from Escoffier career services , online students may be able to get help connecting with a foodservice establishment that is both convenient for them and relevant to the skills they are learning.

Externships differ from internships in that they are shorter, and more directly focused on the skills each student has been learning. Where online students have previously relied on virtual feedback and training, they can now hone their skills with in-person practice and feedback.

Students can put the skills they’ve learned online into practice during externships.

Which Degrees Can You Earn From Home?

With Escoffier’s variety of online programs, it might be simpler to ask, “What diploma or degree can’t you earn from home?” Students may choose between earning a diploma or associate degree in various disciplines.

Diploma programs are typically shorter and can help equip students with the technical skills they may need to succeed in the workplace. Associate degree programs dive a bit deeper, equipping students with not only some helpful technical skills, but also the logistical and communication skills they may need to run a food business.

Online students can choose a diploma or associate degree, depending on the program, in the following disciplines:

Culinary Arts explores culinary techniques and food preparation methods, as well as management and business skills like how to communicate effectively in the kitchen .

Pastry Arts students can practice advanced technical skills in the science of baking and pastry, as well as the business skills they may need to open their own bakery .

Food Entrepreneurship can equip students with the skills to start their own food business , including business planning, food marketing, and other core entrepreneurial abilities.

Plant-Based Culinary Arts students can discover how to use plant-based ingredients and techniques to promote healthy, sustainable cuisine.

Holistic Nutrition & Wellness can equip students to create a career in the wellness industry with knowledge in nutrition, mindfulness, and healthy lifestyles.

Hospitality & Restaurant Operations Management students can explore best business practices to help them excel in hospitality and management-related careers .

Some online students apply the skills they learn to launch their own food business.

The Benefits of Earning Your Culinary Degree from Home

Online learning can be an excellent alternative to an in-person degree program. Here are some of the benefits online students may find:

Freedom & Flexibility

The major difference between online and in-person classes is flexibility. Rather than being tied to a specific class schedule, students can complete coursework around their existing career and obligations. This may also mean more time for family, friends, or leisure. Additionally, it can free up time to practice skills related to a student’s personal or professional goals.

“I work two jobs and I’m able to get my degree while still having my chefs help me along.”* Delori L., Online Baking & Pastry Student

Career Preparation

Online and traditional students can be prepared for careers in the culinary field upon graduation. This is due in part to the externship requirements of both programs, as well as the hands-on coursework and expert instruction online students can also receive. Some students use the added flexibility of online learning to their advantage, spending more time practicing skills and working within the industry than they’d otherwise be able to do.

So if you’re wondering who hires online culinary school graduates , the answer is generally the same people who hire traditional graduates. Ultimately, employers are often more interested in your skills, regardless of the format through which you gained them.

On the other hand, many online students gain the skills to become their own employers. For Heather Arcay, Escoffier’s online Culinary Arts degree gave her the skills she needed to blaze her own path in the culinary world.*

“The school and experience sparked two exciting adventures for me–building my own allergy-friendly cookie business, Gaia Cookies, and starting a food blog for fun on the side. The program provided unlimited access to education and resources. 100% worth it in my opinion!”* Heather Arcay, Online Culinary Arts Graduate

Affordability**

Is online school really cheaper than in-person? When you weigh the length of the program, material costs, and other fees associated, sometimes online learning is moderately more cost effective! Sometimes program costs can be similar. But many students find that saving drive time, gas money, and parking costs falls in favor of online education. Additionally, online school seldom requires relocating or changing jobs.

But even with these slight differences, students should consider culinary school an investment that may bring them closer to their personal goals, and remember that online programs require the same level of commitment as in-person options.

At Escoffier, the cost differences between online and traditional programs are moderate. But just like on-campus students, online students can take advantage of federal financial aid if they apply and qualify. Financial advisors are on hand to help students identify funding sources and financial aid options available to them.

“It was a desire of mine for many years to attend culinary school. Due to where I live and my personal responsibilities, I could not attend culinary school in person since the closest onsite school was a two-hour drive. I am most proud of my ability to complete the classes and assignments while working full time, caring for loved ones, and participating in church events.”* Sharon Watts, Online Culinary Arts Graduate

Find What Fits Your Lifestyle (& Location)

Online culinary school can remove barriers for many students. As mentioned, these barriers can be busy schedules and family demands. But they can also be geographical. Earning a degree from home can enable you to attend a top-tier culinary school and be taught by industry experts, no matter where you live.

If you are unsure about what your culinary future might hold, online school can let you put a foot in the door, explore your options, and gain skills within the security of your current career and lifestyle. If you’re looking to fit culinary education into your future, it might be as close as your kitchen. Talk to someone about how to earn a culinary degree from home today!

Check out these articles to learn more about your online culinary school options:

• 5 Benefits of Online Culinary School Classes
• How Full-Time, Working Adults Can Succeed in Online Culinary School
• Is Online Baking School Right For You?

*Information may not reflect every student’s experience. Results and outcomes may be based on several factors, such as geographical region or previous experience.

**Consider your situation and resources to determine what is affordable and on budget, for you.

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We’ve compiled a checklist of all of the essential questions into one handy workbook: Career options, academic plans, financing your education, and more.

Clicking the "Get the Workbook Now" button constitutes your express request, and your express written consent, to be contacted by and to receive automated or pre-recorded call, texts, messages and/or emails from via phone, text, and/or emails by Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts at the number(s)/email you provided, regarding furthering your education and enrolling. You understand that these calls , texts, messages and/or emails may be generated using an automated or pre-recorded technology. You are not required to agree to receive automated or pre-recorded calls, texts, messages or emails as a condition of enrolling at Escoffier. You can unsubscribe at any time or request removal of street address, phone number, email address via Escoffier website .

Culinary Arts and Hospitality Degrees in Idaho

Find Culinary Programs

It is true that the official Idaho State vegetable is the potato, but there is greater d­epth to the food landscape than just French fries and mashed potatoes. Idaho has a rich and dynamic food scene that could be characterized as an emerging culinary hotbed. Plus Idaho boasts a few excellent cooking schools that help set it apart from other states.

Though Idaho is landlocked, and her terrain can be described as rugged, the natural geographic features of the state provide a unique landscape that draws thousands of tourists and adventure seekers each year.  With so many hungry mouths to feed it is no wonder Idaho is making a mark on the culinary scene.

• Resorts like the famed Sun Valley ski community are fertile grounds for budding young chefs and seasoned pros to strut their creativity for guests from around the world.  Lots of lakes for fishing and recreational opportunities lend themselves to working up an appetite, so eateries are quick to satisfy guests with hardy, rustic western fare.
• Bigger cities like Boise play host to the more sophisticated eateries the state has to offer.  Idaho cuisine is best described as an eclectic mix of several influences.  The early French Canadian trapping trade left a small impression on an Idaho food tradition that is complimented by Latin flavors, as well as a European components contributed by Germans and other ethnic Europeans.

Agriculturally, Idaho is still tied to a robust tradition of wheat and potato production.  The local crops find their way into traditional Native American meals and creatively inspired modern dishes.

Choosing a Culinary School in Idaho

Boise, Twin Falls, and upscale Coeur d’Alene are some of Idaho’s prominent culinary hotspots.   Regardless of your chosen hospitality or culinary course of study, you will find a degree program in one of these cities.  Students that want to get a job soon after graduating from culinary school should consider the myriad of employment options available to well-trained professionals.

Food service industry careers and positions cover the gamut of possibilities. Here are some hospitality opportunities that might be available in various areas of Idaho:

• Executive Chef or Sous Chef in a restaurant or bistro
• Pastry Chef
• Pantry Chef
• Food and Beverage Director
• General Manager
• Chef in a hotel, resort or spa kitchen
• Restaurant manager – front of the house
• Kitchen manager - back of the house
• Hotel manager
• Personal Chef
• Menu Consultant

Boise and Beyond: Getting a Chef’s Job

Expect the culinary school you choose to be amply armed with the tools necessary to secure you a solid job upon completion of your studies:

• Internship, externship and apprenticeship opportunities in Idaho, nationally or abroad
• Professional chef/instructors
• Guest chefs
• Professional teaching and demo kitchens
• Student-run restaurant catering to a demanding public
• Career guidance short-term and long-term
• Job placement

To increase your chances for chef work in Idaho, consider membership in the local chapter of a leading professional association, such as the American Culinary Federation’s Chefs de Cuisine – Boise Chapter or Chefs de Cuisine of the Inland Northwest – Coeur d’Alene Chapter.

Pro industry groups like those listed above bring together like minded culinary professionals committed to growth and support of their careers and the regional industry. Students gain access to valuable job boards, have occasions to interact and network (build valuable connections), and are eligible for members-only scholarships and educational events.

Look for well-paying chef’s jobs in the larger cities like Boise and Twin Falls. Salaries across the state vary depending upon your education, professional experience, and the type of establishment in which you’ll work. Average salary for a sous chef in Boise is $30,000+ and for an executive chef, $40,000+.*

List of Idaho Cooking Schools

• Boise State University - Boise
• College of Southern Idaho - Twin Falls – The culinary arts program features Associate’s of Applied Science degrees in the areas of culinary arts and hospitality management.  Technical certificates are also offered in specific specialty areas and post secondary certificates keep the educational ball rolling for chefs who have obtained a degree.
• Idaho State University - Pocatello
• Lewis-Clark State College – Lewiston – Food and beverage management and hospitality management degrees are featured obtained through the technical programs division of the school.  Hospitality Management candidates choose between Bachelor’s and Associate’s levels of achievement.  Food and beverage management students can earn a specialty certificate in the area of study.
• North Idaho College - Coeur d’Alene – Here students can obtain a Culinary Arts – Technical Certificate that provides a background in entry-level culinary skills used in restaurant kitchens. The curriculum is weighted heavily toward practical experience, with two-thirds of the instruction time being fulfilled in the kitchen.
• Ricks College – Rexburg
• University of Idaho – Moscow – Food science is emphasized alongside agriculturally focused education programs.  Students who obtain a Bachelor’s of Science degree in food science often work within the food service business as consultants or food chemists.

*Source: Indeed.com

ACF Accredited Programs

ADA Professional Technical Center Meridian School District 1303 E Central Dr., Meridian, ID 83642-7991 Secondary Baking and Pastry

Phone: (208) 350-4396 Contact: Vernon L. Hickman, CCC, CCE - [email protected] Contact: Staci Low - [email protected]

Find A Culinary School near Los Angeles With Open Eligibility Today!

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Why Schools Are Racing to Ban Student Phones

As the new school year starts, a wave of new laws that aim to curb distracted learning is taking effect in Indiana, Louisiana and other states.

By Natasha Singer

Natasha Singer covers technology in schools. She welcomes reader tips at nytimes.com/tips

Cellphones have become a school scourge. More than 70 percent of high school teachers say student phone distraction is a “major problem,” according to a survey this year by Pew Research .

That’s why states are mounting a bipartisan effort to crack down on rampant student cellphone use. So far this year, at least eight states have passed laws, issued orders or adopted rules to curb phone use among students during school hours.

The issue isn’t simply that some children and teenagers compulsively use apps like Snap, TikTok and Instagram during lessons, distracting themselves and their classmates. In many schools, students have also used their phones to bully, sexually exploit and share videos of physical attacks on their peers.

But cellphone restrictions can be difficult for teachers to enforce without schoolwide rules requiring students to place their phones in lockers or other locations.

Now state lawmakers, along with some prominent governors , are pushing for more uniform restrictions in public schools.

How Has Tech Changed Your School Experience?

Teachers, students, parents and school administrators, tell us in the form below about the technology benefits or tech-related school problems that you have observed. We’re interested in beneficial uses of school tech as well as classroom drawbacks like online learning distractions and cyberbullying.

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