Culinary Schools

With the restaurant and hospitality industries experiencing significant growth in recent years, culinary schools offering degree programs have proven to be an even more vital training ground for the food industry professionals who must man the stoves as well as the desks.

Culinary schools provide specialized instruction in all aspects of cooking and industrial kitchen management. Typical course work includes training in butchery and meat selection, baking and pastry skills, sauce preparation, knowledge of wine and spirits and much more. In addition, culinary school students may decide to specialize in a certain field, such as becoming a pastry chef for a bakery or restaurant.

There are culinary schools of every shape and size in all major U.S. cities. Increasingly, the schools are part of nationwide chains, such as Le Cordon Bleu or The Art Institute. Many culinary schools are for-profit institutions that can be quite expensive to attend., The better culinary schools are staffed by respected chefs and provide excellent assistance in job placement.

Aspiring chefs need to do their homework to ensure that the culinary school they choose meets both of these criteria. Culinary schools provide a great alternative to a traditional two- or four-year school for students who lean more toward hands-on work than book learning. Many programs can prepare students for a job in the food service industry in less than a year, whereas others lead to a bachelor’s degree in food science or culinary management.

Excellent culinary schools incorporate business management into their curriculum because it is vital for students to learn that restaurants are also businesses. For those who love to cook, culinary school may be the perfect start to a future career as a chef.