Is culinary school worth it? #cooking #culinaryschool

[tashoncoleman]

Gordon Ramsey said it best: culinary school is mostly training, the real experience for a chef is working in an actual kitchen.

[sombrerosaur]

Im in culinary school right now, at a fairly prestigious place. They have emphasized to us that actual experience in the kitchen is key to success, and they are just giving us the tools and knowledge to compound with that. That is why we have a mandatory externship at an actual restaurant to go along with our education. There are also many supplementary courses we take in nutrition, food science, gastronomy, and food sustainability.

[isaacrios]

I've been a chef for years and I agree 100%. I learned the most from chefs that took me under their wings. Be humble and realize everyone has something to teach you in a kitchen, even the dishwasher.

[jujub]

Every person who has went to culinary school has said it wasn’t worth it lol

[alexm]

Its funny because the local hotel has a big sign up "want to be a chef? Come work with us and learn!" Point being almost all kitchens will teach you free if your willing to start with skinning potatoes.

[QuiChiYang]

A culinary education is definitely a good place 2begin. Set's solid foundations & answers most questions one has when all they have is experience. If work & money are important then you'll get by. We chef's get further by the things we learn & do with food, no foundation creates a hodge-podge of trial & error, or no direction, which leads to burn out.

[s.a.r.am.a]

It's nice to have someone who seems to be so skilled give this advice.

[mercenaryforhire]

This is why in France (and I hope other countries), culinary schools have you do both class and apprenticeship in a real restaurant or bakery.

[Elisheva]

José tú reflejas tu estilo y personalidad en la cocina además notamos que eres intuitivo con los sabores e innovador, además de transmitir qué cocinar es divertido y tu sentido de el humor con tu talento te hacen único. Yo cocino con libros de todo el mundo desde los 12 años, y desde que te encontré hace como un mes apenas, he cocinado ya varias de tus recetas y funcionan justo como lo muestras en los videos, tus manos y corazón nos conecta con la verdadera magia de la cocina. Muy bendecido eres y trabajas excelente en esa virtud divina.

[Frosty_Canuk]

IMO working with a good chef will beat any school hands down.

[YayaValder]

My husband started working at a small local Tex-Mex fast food place in high school at 15. He's worked in kitchens for 35 years. He learned a lot in all the kitchens he ever worked in throughout the years. He worked his way up to Exec Chef in his 30s. He's now a Culinary Director. If you really want to be a chef, real world experience beats going into debt at a Culinary School. Either way you're starting out as a grunt.

[TheRorsach]

Its like basic training. I did industrial mechanic school. Was nice to know the basics, but my skill and knowledge was earned by working and learning from my mentors at work.

[applecidervinegar]

I went to Westminster Kingsway culinary college for 3 years and don't regret it. We learned so much that wouldn't get taught on the job. From sauces, knife skills, butchery, baking, menu planning, supervisory, complex dishes, reading french culinary, wine education, competitions and so much more. We were in the kitchen everyday from week 2 until the end. Even when i was on work experience the chefs were asking me to do stuff the paid chefs couldn't do because they knew I was being taught properly. But I was 16 straight out of school so for someone older with more culinary experience 3 years might not be worth it.

[karenjensen]

I learned to cook by being my mother’s souse chef in her home kitchen making food for my family. I learned even more when I had my own home. I wasn’t afraid to try new things. I collected cookbooks. If I wanted to make something new I looked it up in a couple of my cookbooks. Figured out which parts of the recipes appealed to me an sort of grafted the recipes together.

[javelar]

I love your recipes, we’re vegans so I usually veganize everything that uses animal protein.
But your energy is awesome and your recipes great! ❤

[averyclayvon]

Always regretted not going to culinary arts school, this helps me not regret it 💯

[bryanblanks]

Sir I have watched your channel cooking is in your blood! Your dishes are works of art. The only word I can think of is Beautiful!

[ldld]

Watching your cooking videos and the knowledge that you have, that wasn't all for nothing! You were given a foundation that a lot of people don't develop in a lifetime. But, it is true that practicing and cooking is where we actually learn and become great at that . Even though you think it was a waste, it wasn't! ( oh, don't waste the time dusting mushrooms off, you can definitely rinse them under water ! )

[TheCertifiedWino]

As a culinary school graduate, I think it's a matter of what you put into the experience while there AND if the culinary school in question is providing you education, not just on technical skills of cooking/baking, but also the ins/outs of the industry (F&B financials, market research, etc.).

My program also included the opportunity to gain beverage certifications (wine, beer, spirits) and network with many different leaders in the field via internships/externships.

So, yes you will always learn/develop more while working in the field but the degree I spent thousands of dollars on turned into me becoming a Corporate F&B Manager for hotels & restaurants at the age of 23.

Worth it to me. 🍷

[kechan_]

fancy restaurant and bakeries: *Minimum study requirement:* _Bachelor's degree_