Chef in Training: What Will I Learn in Culinary School?

If you love to cook, then you might be considering a career in the culinary world. The culinary arts have never been as popular as they are these days. There are hundreds of food-related programs on TV, while the world's top chefs have gained celebrity status.

As such, there are more and more people pursuing careers as chefs, which means there's more competition. While you could work your way up by starting at the bottom at a local restaurant, the best way to get your foot in the door is by getting a degree at a culinary school.

What You Will Learn at Culinary School

The culinary world is massive and it's impossible to learn everything -- even the greatest chefs in the world are continuing to learn more about their craft on a daily basis. However, a good culinary program will provide you with the foundation you need to start a successful chef career. The following are some of the things that you can expect to learn at a culinary school:

• Kitchen organization - You will learn how a kitchen is organized, what the different stations are, who is responsible for what, and more.
• Cooking methods - You will learn how to use different cooking tools and equipment and different methods of cooking.
• Baking fundamentals - You will learn how to use baking tools and equipment and the fundamentals of baking.
• Plating - You will learn how to present your dishes in a visually pleasing manner.
• Healthy cooking - You will learn about nutrition and how to cook healthy meals.
• International cooking - You will learn how to use a variety of ingredients and how to use cooking methods from different countries and cultures.
• Recipe and menu development - You will learn how to take what you know in order to develop new recipes and create a balanced menu.
• Kitchen safety and sanitation - You will learn everything you need to know about kitchen safety and sanitation.
• Management - You will learn about purchasing and storefront management, supervision for food service, and dining room and service management.

The Benefits of Going to Culinary School

The following are some of the reasons why you should pursue a culinary degree instead of attempting to work your way up through the ranks of a restaurant:

• Learn a variety of cooking techniques: When you work at a restaurant, you're only going to learn what those ahead of you know. This could severely limit your cooking techniques. At a culinary school, you'll learn everything you need to know to build a solid culinary foundation from which to build on.
• Taste a variety of flavors: By working at a restaurant, you'll be limited to what's being served. By going to a culinary school, you're likely to be introduced to a wide variety of flavors that you may never have experienced before. This will help broaden your knowledge of what is possible and can help to develop your creativity as well as your craft. For example of you work in an Italian restaurant you might never get to learn how to make Indian cuisine in a professional setting.
• Improve your chances of landing a job: With a culinary degree in hand, you'll have a much better chance at landing a culinary-related job no matter where you are in the world. By working at a restaurant, you'll be limited to whatever experience you have -- and that experience may not be enough to get a similar job in a different country if you're attempting to travel.
• Get paid better: Post graduation, you're much more likely to secure a job with a higher salary than if you were to attempt to work your way up at a restaurant.
• Advance your career faster: There are many famous chefs that have worked their way up from busboy to head chef. However, keep in mind that it can take years to move up the ladder, especially if the people ahead of you are well established and not going anywhere. Even then, there's no guarantee that you'll be promoted along the line.
• Have more career options: When you're working your way up through a restaurant, your career options are going to be limited to the positions available in the kitchen. When you earn a degree at a culinary school, you'll have way more career paths to choose from. In addition to working as a chef at a restaurant, you could find work at a hotel, on a cruise, as a personal chef, and as a caterer, just to name a couple of options.
• Be better prepared to run a restaurant: While you could learn a lot from working in a restaurant kitchen, a culinary program is more likely to teach you about the business side of things more effectively, thereby providing more preparation for opening your own restaurant.

Are you interested in gaining formal education in the culinary arts? If you want to earn an Associate of Applied Science in Culinary Arts, ECPI University’s Culinary Institute of Virginia offers this degree program at an accelerated rate. If you’d like to learn more, connect with a friendly admissions advisor today to discuss your future.

It could be the Best Decision You Ever Make!

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Gainful Employment Information – Culinary Arts - Associate’s

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