Monthly Archive for September, 2009

How to Tell Your Parents You Want to Go to Culinary School

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on September 29, 2009
in Culinary Schools
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culinary school discussionDeciding which culinary school you want to attend is a step in the right direction for your culinary career. From the options in Le Cordon Bleu schools, community college programs, local vocational centers, and even the prestigious Institute of Culinary Education, simply finding and being accepted into a program is a pretty big deal. However, there is one step that many students fail to consider when choosing a culinary program: telling your parents where you’re going and how much it’s going to cost.

Overall, culinary schools have a pretty negative reputation for being expensive and too focused. After all, if you attend a traditional four-year college, you explore more than just one field of study, and you  end up with a Bachelor’s degree to help you land a job.

After culinary school, there’s pretty much one thing you can do with your degree or certificate: go to work in a kitchen. This is just the sort of thing that makes parents nervous, since it limits your options and might negate those two to four years of hard work.

However, there are benefits to culinary school that even parents can support. You simply have to angle them correctly.

“I’m doing more than getting an education; I’m learning a skill.” General education courses teach a lot of the same things you learn in high school: math, English, science, and the like. When you attend culinary school, you’re going beyond simple learning to include real vocational-centered training.

“The restaurant industry is one of the fastest-growing in the United States.” Jobs in the restaurant industry are expected to increase at a higher-than-average national rate. This means that more opportunities are arising daily, and there is plenty of room for advancement.

“I won’t be spending forever at school.” One of the benefits of culinary school is that you can complete your training in as little as nine months. This means that you’ll be on your way to a job before other students have even finished their second semester.

“Most of the schools take the same kind of financial aid taken at four-year universities.” If you look for a program that falls under the FAFSA program, you may be eligible for the same loans, grants, and work-study opportunities that traditional college students get.

Remember, only you can really decide the path of your future. If you feel that culinary school is right for you, there are few careers that offer the same kind of job satisfaction as the food and restaurant industry. You may have to work harder, but in the end, you’ll be that much more satisfied with your career – and your life.

Salaries in the Culinary Industry

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on September 22, 2009
in Culinary Career
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Money seems to be one of those topics that all culinary students want to know more about. How much does culinary school really cost? How much can I expect to make after culinary school graduation? Exactly how much money does Rachel Ray bring in every year?culinary school costs

These kids of questions are valid ones; after all, becoming a chef is a life-long dream for many people, and it’s important to know exactly what to expect in pursuing that dream. Although salaries in the culinary industry vary depending on where you live (for example, a job in New York is going to pay more than a job in Iowa, simply by virtue of cost-of-living) and what type of restaurant you’re in, there are a few averages that can help you in making a decision.

  • At one end of the spectrum are the line cooks and sous chefs, who make among the lowest incomes in the culinary industry. Entry-level positions begin at $18,000 a year and work up to $28,000, depending on whether or not you have a degree and/or experience in the kitchen.
  • Baking schools tend to be less popular than culinary schools, and the starting wages in this field reflect that. That’s because those who do the hiring (commercial baking kitchens and bakeries) don’t always have as many opportunities for career growth. Graduates can expect to make between $16,000 and $26,000 to start.
  • The field of hospitality management typically offers a higher starting wage, though it often requires an Associate or Bachelor’s degree prior to hire. Most professionals can expect to make between $25,000 and $45,000 for working either directly with the food or in a more general manager’s role. Career advancement in hospitality management tends to be higher than what you can find in a more traditional culinary role, with top hotel managers exceeding the $80,000 mark.
  • At the higher end of the spectrum are the Chefs and Pastry Chefs, who can pull anywhere from $30,000 to upwards of $60,000 per year, depending on how successful they are and where they work. For those interested in opening their own restaurants, the pay can range anywhere from a modest $40,000 to over $100,000 per year, though the amount of hours worked a day (at least in the beginning) can be grueling.

Of course, there are exceptions to any and all of these rules – and there are other benefits to take into consideration, as well. Many culinary professionals find that the creative license given at a smaller restaurant makes the lower pay acceptable, while others find the weekend and evening hours at a hotel are a great trade-off for a higher income.

Benefits of On-the-Job Culinary Training

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on September 15, 2009
in Culinary Schools
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When students are gearing up to choose a culinary school, one of the biggest concerns is whether or not they could get the exact same education for free by landing an entry-level cooking job and learning as they go. After all, the “apprenticeship” concept is how people learned their trades for hundreds of years, picking up skills in exchange for doing some less-than-glamorous work.

culinary schoolEven some famous chefs have gone the on-the-job training route: Chef Mario Batali dropped out of Le Cordon Bleu to learn in the faster-paced restaurant industry; and Tim Love, who owns one of the highest-ranking restaurants in Texas, never even considered culinary school at all.

The benefits of learning on-the-job have a lot to do with your personality and learning style, so it’s certainly not for everyone. The advantages include:

  • Actually landing the job. A student fresh out of culinary school, though well-educated, might be lacking the real-world experience of someone who has spent two years working as a line cook. When it comes to the hiring process, many restaurant owners prefer the hands-on approach over theoretical learning.
  • Knowing if the job is right for you. Culinary school is an isolated and controlled environment, but real kitchens are messy, hot, dangerous, and full of stress. Working in a kitchen for a few months will give you a definite feel for whether or not it’s a career you want to continue pursuing.
  • Making money rather than spending it. When you learn on the job, you’re essentially getting paid for your learning opportunities. Culinary and cooking schools are the exact opposite, in that you’re paying for the education.
  • No worrying over school reputation. While big culinary school names like Le Cordon Bleu and the Institute of Culinary Education carry their own kind of weight, smaller schools may not be as well-respected in the restaurant industry. If you learn on the job, you never have to worry about school credentials and reputation.

Of course, this list doesn’t mean that culinary school doesn’t have its own merits. Some people learn better this way, and the education process tends to be much more personalized than if you’re churning out the same dishes day in and day out on the line at a chain restaurant. Before you make the plunge into either on-the-job culinary training or culinary school, make sure you balance all the pros and cons.

How Important is ACF Accreditation?

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on September 4, 2009
in Culinary Schools
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acf accreditationAlthough there are many different types of accreditations for cooking and baking schools, the most well-known one of all is the American Culinary Federation (ACF) accreditation. The American Culinary Federation is a professional organization for chefs and cooks. In operation for over 90 years, there is no higher place to look for quality in training, professional development, and apprenticeship programs.

If you’re serious about your culinary career, it’s probably best to look for the ACF stamp of approval on any culinary school you’re considering. This ensures that the culinary program:

  • Meets a minimum of standards
  • Is recognized by almost all employers
  • Is held accountable to a higher organization
  • Offers a curriculum that includes up-to-date practices
  • Is qualified to offer students federal funding opportunities
  • Hires faculty members who are proven professionals in the culinary field
  • Is recognized by the Council for Higher Education

A culinary school that boasts an American Culinary Federation accreditation also comes with a higher level of prestige. Students who graduate from a recognized program are usually considered more marketable from an employment viewpoint, and are more likely to work among peers of similar stature.

While it isn’t absolutely necessary for a cooking school to have ACF accreditation to be a good program, it does come with an extra layer of protection. After all, the investment in culinary training is one that can cost upwards of tens of thousands of dollars, and a program that is recognized by the culinary community as a whole can go a long way in opening doors for your future career.

If your school does not have ACF accreditation, there are other accrediting bodies that do carry some weight, including regional accreditation. Always be wary of accreditations that are funded and operated by for-profit organizations, since these types of organizations are of in the business of selling accreditations rather than enforcing quality.