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The Culinary Institute of America, and other schools.

Amanda_Cuik_55491

Lately I have been doing research on different schools and I've heard that CIA is one of the best. I was wondering if any of you have gone to CIA and what your experience was like. Also, if not I would like to hear about what culinary school you went to and the pros and cons of the school. Thank you!

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mike.minasian

I haven't been to any, but there i a book called beaten seared and sauced written by a guy who decided to go later in life.

Also, Bourdain's book kitchen confidential has some good, though dated experiences.

Might be a good starting point.

Amanda_Cuik_55491

Thanks for the help! I really appreciate it

Tim_Sutherland_52834

A few starting articles to read:

So You Wanna be a Chef, Anthony Bourdain, Medium Raw - read all his books too.
Culinary School: Pros and Cons of a Culinary Education, Eater.com
Should You Go to Culinary School? David Lebovitz.

Letters To A Young Chef, Daniel Boulud

Why do you want to go to culinary school? If you want to be the next TV Chef Star - wrong motive. If you want to open your own restaurant - do a business degree and work in restaurants on the side.

I went to Culinary School but only after working in a few other careers. My goal from culinary school was to improve my home cooking not work in the industry. I was lucky enough to have the means and the time to graduate with no debt and I work in the culinary field as a private chef to keep myself occupied a few hours a week and in beer/toy money - far from a typical culinary graduate's life.

Before going to culinary school work in a restaurant for at least a year - try to start in the dishpit so you see how glamorous and demanding kitchen life is. The CIA requires 6 months work experience before they will take you.

A culinary degree is one of the few degrees you can earn which gives you a blue collar, manual labour job. At best you will earn just above minimum wage (the same you would earn with out the degree - note minimum wage is far from a living wage); work stupid long hours, when everyone else is having fun (nights, holidays, weekends are peak working times) and you will be sore all the time from cuts, burns, standing for 12+hours, lifting numerous 50lb boxes.

Culinary school can be a good option, but make sure you go in with your eyes open and forewarned what is on the other side.

merridith

I think Michael Ruhlman's book The Making of A Chef is a good one to read. He does a very good job of describing how culinary folk are "different" than regular folk. I spent two weeks at the CIA taking two different "boot camp" programs offered to hobbyists - very different but enough to get a good feel for the atmosphere of the CIA and to have a lot of interaction with the students (they assisted in our classes). I was impressed with how everyone I came into contact with had such a strong passion for what they were doing and truly seemed to love the place. This was impressive to me given that I have also worked in various restaurants and catering operations and I know how grueling it can be!

Johan_Edstrom_5586

Great writeup @Tim

Jack_Mayer_85396

Very well said @Tim.

Amanda_Cuik_55491

@Tim Thanks for commenting. I'll be sure to check out those articles and really think culinary school over. But, I'm almost positive that I want to go to culinary school. Ever since I could remember, I have loved cooking. My goals are to learn all there is about cooking and also work in restaurants. Then, I hope to open my own restaurant. and @Merridith Thank you too! I'll read the book and I appreciate giving me your opinion

Brandon__67713

@Amanda have you worked in a restaurant yet? I would work for at least 2 years in a restaurant before attending school.

I graduated from the CIA, it has the best facilities in the US. While it is the most expensive, at the same time is the best value.

Be prepraed to make low wages for the first 2-5 years (if you do it right). This can make it difficult to pay back large loan debt.

Amanda_Cuik_55491

@Brandon I plan on working in a restaurant very soon. I'm actually still in High school. Hopefully by next Summer, I'll be able to work in a restaurant. But, thanks for helping me!

ren_74229

@Amanda

I always like to work backwards when thinking of problems like these. Really give serious thought to your personal goals. You've stated "learn all there is to know about cooking, work in restaurants, then open your own restaurant"...which is logical, but working forwards.

If you start with your end goal "I want to open a restaurant," ask yourself, what kind of restaurant? What food do you want to be cooking?, how big? how small? where? who do you want to cook for? The more you can answer these questions, you can then work backward and only do the things that are truly necessary for your goal.

Say for instance that what you want to do is open up a popular neighborhood Japanese restaurant specializing in Yakitori...you may be wasting lots of time and money going to a school that emphasizes a classical French background. If you want to be the head chef of a large hotel restaurant, perhaps it's more essential.

If you don't know what you want to be cooking just yet, which is perfectly fine considering you're just at the beginning of your journey, think about what restaurants you most admire/love to eat at/wish you could cook at. Then....go there! Eat there, talk to the chef, talk to the people who work there. Find out how they got there. The world, luckily, is full of great chefs, some went to school while others didn't. Your decision of whether or not to go to school and which one should be driven by what you want to do with it...If you go for the wrong reasons, you'll end up regretting it, and significantly poorer.

Good luck!

Amanda_Cuik_55491

@ren Thanks for the advice! I actually just emailed a local chef about giving me an internship or helping me out and mentoring me. Honestly, I have thought many times about what type of restaurant I would open but, I'm still not quite sure. At the moment I'm attempting to practice different kinds of cuisine and really get a feel for all styles. Hopefully, by working in a restaurant I can also gain some knowledge and decide what I want in my future. Not only that, but I have been researching all the culinary schools out there and the programs included. Anyways, I appreciate your help!

Mauro_Daniel_Rossi_73211

Hi Amanda,

I am the director of a Culinary Program here in LA. Like Tim said, and rightly so, the Food Industry is not as glamorous as one may think, but you probably heard that speech a million times. Why a degree then?

You probably noticed that there is never much mention of the "cooking experience" outside the restaurant world, and although this may be considered the more spectacular side of the food industry, you may find your calling in other areas of food production. Do not discount hotels and casinos, universities, resorts, hospitals, research and development, publishing, education, entertainment etc.etc.

Independent restaurants at times do indeed snub culinary students, but larger institutions do not overlook potential employees with formal education, on the contrary, it constitutes an advantage and in most cases, a necessary credential.

In the beginning, you may find your degree perhaps redundant, but believe me, as you become more experienced, it may turn into an indispensable tool in furthering your career.