It’s a common question for people who love food—should I scrap my current career and go to culinary school? Before you plunk down money and buy a white coat, hear what the pros have to say.
We all know them—burnt out IT professionals, jaded ad execs, people who love food and think it would be great to make it their career. I love throwing dinner parties, they say. Wouldn’t it be fun to do that every night?
But restaurant work is different, and culinary school is not cheap. Two chefs who also blog—David Lebovitz and Shuna Lydon—have tried to give a serious and realistic answer for people tempted by culinary school and the lure of the restaurant business.
According to David:
If you’re thinking about becoming a professional cook, whether or not to go to shool may be the ultimate question for you to ponder. There are some very good culinary schools, but in general, I think it’s worth getting some experience either in a restaurant kitchen or bakery before you decide to invest a lot of money in education. Perhaps the work is far more challenging than expected or the pay is going to be far (very far) lower than what you’re making as, say, an anesthesiologist.
Shuna’s ideas on culinary school run in a similar vein:
I have lost count of the people who wish they’d listened to me when I attempted to talk them out of culinary school. It is not that I think all culinary education outside of the workplace is a waste of time. But I think one should know all their options before signing a check for upwards of $60,000 for two years of education…It used to be that culinary schools required their future students to have at least some experience in the field before even being able to apply. Now the only skill a future cook needs to possess is the ability to sign a check.
And the price of a private culinary school education is not cheap. David mentions a friend of his who worked in admissions at one such school and was trained in some interesting recruiting techniques. “She was told to ask if they had any family pictures in their wallet. And when they opened their wallet, check to see if there were credit cards, which they could mention later as a source for the down payment.”
An article earlier this year in the Albuquerque Tribune, titled “Celebrity Chefs Inspire Cravings for Culinary Jobs”, looked at the issue of all these culinary school grads, now in debt, and unable to make the wages they need to repay their schooling. “Cameron Cuisinier’s dreams of a catering career led him to culinary school. Now he’s unemployed and $43,000 in debt, and he’s not alone.” The high profile celebrity chefs on the Food Network shows may make it all look glamorous, but that’s a misleading picture for an industry that involves long, hard hours of decidedly unglamorous work and low pay.
“It looks really fun on TV,” said Tim Ryan, president of the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y., one of the country’s premier training grounds for chefs. “You’ve got an audience adoring you. You say, ‘Bam!’ and throw some stuff on a plate and everyone goes nuts…That’s not what happens. The work is long and hard. There’s a lot of pressure.”
As Kate, at Accidental Hedonist, asks, “Do the students and graduates of these schools know what they are getting into?”
My suggestion — if you’re going to change careers, know what you’re getting into before you make a $40K – $60 commitment for school. Do you know what it means to cater or run a restaurant? Do you know how long you have to commit to grunt work before you earn a decent buck? Do you know the hours, the market, what types of client you want, what you might charge, how you might profit? If you get out of school and make $10 bucks an hour – are ya gonna be happy cause your cooking?
Chew on that for a long while before making the leap. Then, if you just can’t live unless you go to cooking school — you can jump in with a clear mind – and simply focus on your goals, not doubts.
I love to cook, and even prepare lunch daily for myself and 3 other coworkers, who pay me to feed them well. However, I am not remotely tempted by a career in restaurants. I worked in the kitchen of a pizza restaurant right out of college, and that was way too hard for this princess. Between the hard work and the potential for financial ruin, I’ll be happy to be an appreciative patron.
My former boss, a newspaper editor (not the easiest, least-stressful job) came there after culinary school, because it was “way calmer” than a kitchen, even on deadline.
So we let him handle the Food section. ;-)
I would agree with David’s point that before committing to 2 (hard and poor) years as a full-time culinary student, the best step towards considering this career leap is to get some raw, hands-on experience first. Walking into the French Laundry is probably not the best idea, but consider entry-level opportunities at some of your smaller, locally-owned establishments. Humbly accept the fact that you’ll be peeling potatoes and defrosting duck bones before you even grab a pinch from the salt cellar. Don’t even LOOK at the knives. Take notes. Ask questions. Pay attention to everything. In the meantime, buy some books, like Pepin’s “Complete Techniques” or the CIA’s own coursebook, “The Professional Chef.”
Finally, remember that some of the greatest chefs out there may not have even earned a diploma, but worked many grueling years for little or no money and certainly no prestige or honor to move up the ranks.
I’d recommend a job in the restaurant industry to see how you like the work before investing in college. A formal apprenticeship is worth more than a degree in this field. Also, look into local junior college programs, if available in your area, for a lower cost education if you find that a culinary career is right for you. Putting in plenty of practice with a chef’s knife or pastry bag helps too.
The advice I have received from C-school grads is as follows: “Get a job in a kitchen. Work there for a year or two. Then come back and I’ll tell you the other reasons you don’t want to go to culinary school.”-Reuben, and “When I hire someone at a restaurant, I don’t care where they went to school, I care what kitchens they’ve worked in.”-Chris. Pretty sound advice. I think even if the schools aren’t doing it, you should work at a kitchen for a while before deciding on culinary school.
Need help picking a school. I cooked for 4 years through college under French, and America chefs in (three) different 4 diamond restaurants. I was told to go make money with my degree. Well I did. I am thirty and retired this summer. I am already bored and have looked into heading up to SF for cooking school. I would appreciate anyone’s thoughts on the schools up that way. Thanks…
It’s not expensive to do a week’s cooking course in France. You get five days hands on learning on classic french and european cuisine and wines with wonderful hosts and delightful accommodation in the rustic french countryside close to the best food markets all for under $1500. For more information go to the website http://www.frenchdiningschool.com
NibblerDibbler
People on the board are saying go work in a resturant kitchen for a year or two to see how you like! Before decideing to go to cooking school ! I say you dont even have to do that! I say take this test!If you answer YES to bother your CRAZY! Go sign up for cooking school!
Question 1: DO you enjoy the back breaking work involved in cooking Xmas or Thanksgiving dinner from scatch and wish Xmas came more often!
Question 2: DO you enjoy back breaking cooking marathons where your cooking for two or three days straight for five or more hours each day!Not including Xmas and Thanksgiving?
If you answered NO to the above questions!Congradulations! your normal! DONT QUIT YOUR DAY JOB!