What makes Culinary School Worth It?
In order to get started as a culinary chef for a large restaurant or hotel, you will be required to possess a certain number of skills before the establishment trusts you with their menu. You can either acquire these skills by beginning work in smaller restaurants or attending a culinary school. Let's take a look at why culinary school would be a better option for aspiring chefs.
Benefits of Formal Training
Here are some of the reasons why attending culinary school would be greatly to your benefit:
Experienced Teachers
There are those who know how to cook well, but it is not always necessary that they also know how to teach cooking well. The problem with many apprentices training under experienced chefs can be that often you are treated as a lackey or an understudy instead of a student. If you are quick enough to pick up on all the techniques, or if the chef is feeling generous enough to explain the entire process of cooking a menu, well and good.
But considering the fact that being a chef is widely acknowledged to be one of the most stressful jobs on the planet, chances are your opportunity to concentrate purely on learning will be few and far in between.
At culinary school, on the other hand, you will be able to get the benefit of studying under chefs who are also qualified teachers. They will understand how to teach cooking, and only focus on teaching you the finer points of preparing a dish.
Scholarly Environment
A school, any kind of school, is so much more than a collection of classes and training sessions. Attending a culinary school means being among like-minded peers whose goals are the same as yours. There will be a vast number of resources available at the school whose sole aim will be to make you a better chef. These resources include teachers, books, guides, special lectures, contests, and discussion groups. At any future point in your life, once you become a professional chef and starting working, it will be difficult to experience that kind of environment especially focused on improving your cooking skills.
Stamp of Quality
There are many culinary schools on the market, and naturally, some of them are little more than cash-grab opportunities which should be avoided. However, there are many other schools which are genuinely known for producing highly-trained chefs, and have established a solid reputation in their field. Getting a degree from such a school will ensure that you have a strong advantage in the professional field. You can leverage your degree towards getting a higher paying job with the larger eateries, and the value of the degree will not lessen with age.
On-campus Placement
Many of the top restaurants and hotels nowadays require some form of professional culinary degree from the candidate before considering them for the job. With the more popular schools, on-campus placement facilities are made available for the students. If you work hard and prove yourself, there is a strong chance of being selected right at the end of your training period instead of knocking on doors trying to get the restaurant manager's attention.
A Comprehensive Curriculum
You will get a feel for the broad scope of the culinary arts and all its various aspects. While you will be allowed to choose a specialty, you will also be taught about every aspect of cooking and the work that a chef has to do in a kitchen. This comprehensive approach to cooking would not be possible in an apprentice program, but is an essential part of the culinary school's curriculum.
Networking Opportunities
You will get in touch with former chefs, current chefs and future chefs in their capacity as teachers, guest lecturers, and your fellow students. Thus, you can build up a network of contacts across the vast spectrum of the cooking industry. The bigger your network, the better your chances of getting to know about a job that you will be well suited for and can apply for. These connections will prove useful long after your student days are over.
If you think culinary school is the right choice for you, consider ECPI University's Culinary Institute of Virginia for your education. We offer an Associate of Applied Science Degree in Culinary Arts in an accelerated format. This means you could be out of the classroom and into a professional kitchen sooner! If you're ready to take the first step, contact ECPI University today to connect with a trained admissions advisor.
It could be the Best Decision You Ever Make!
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Gainful Employment Information – Culinary Arts - Associate’s
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