4 answers
Samariyah
Student
Locust Grove, Georgia
2
Questions
Updated
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What college will best benefit my culinary skills ?
I am in my third semester in 11th grade, and i love cooking , i just don't know how to decide which college i should attend for my cooking needs. #Culinary #Cooking
#Food #professionals
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4 answers
Louis Morales
Chef
2
Answers
South Amboy, New Jersey
Updated
Louis’s Answer
What an excellent opportunity to share some of my experience. If you have a
love for cooking, which is an ideal place to start. If you are looking to make cooking a career, it could be very challenging, but if you have your heart set on becoming a professional chef, schools do matter to have good opportunities in the field. I graduated from The Culinary Institute Of America, which is the best culinary school for anyone. Many Great chefs have gone to that school, and they always have very famous guess chefs. Another one is the French Culinary Institute of New York and Le Cordon Bleu. But the one with the most prestige is the CIA. Cooking could be a challenging career; be sure to do some research online. There is so much to do in the field of culinary besides cooking. But that all depends on your interest. Careers like food brokers and food entrepreneurship could lead you to a very monetary rewarding career as well. But there are so many to be mention here. Look under culinary occupations, and you will see food writers, sommeliers, and many others that are not directly in the Kitchen. I hope this gives you some idea of what direction you could take in the culinary world.
Thank you!
Samariyah
Nicole Chirco
Higher Education
1
Answer
Rochester Hills, Michigan
Updated
Nicole’s Answer
One of the first question you should ask yourself is if you are looking to stay close to home or do you want to go away to school. There are many good culinary schools in the U.S. You would need to find the one that is the best fit for you. Right now a lot of colleges are offering virtual open houses. I would start signing up for a few of them to get a feel of what the college is about and then narrow down your search.
-Nicole
-Nicole
Thank you Nicole
Samariyah
Richard Haarala
Strategy Account Manager
5
Answers
Frisco, Texas
Updated
Richard’s Answer
Hello.
I can only answer your question based on my experience in the Industry. Keep in mind that as you enter the workforce your Goals may change as you become aware of opportunities that you were never exposed to in the past. At 22, I was a college graduate holding a degree in Hotel/Restaurant Administration from Southern Miss, which has a great program. Nationally, most look to UNLV as the top HRA Program. Michigan State, Arizona State, Cornell and Colorado State are highly rated as well. It all depends on your interest in solely Culinary or the entire Restaurant Operation.
After I graduated, 10 days later I started as a Junior Manager in the Corporate Restaurant Game. I held the degree, and I was pretty young. Later in my career, I became a great deal more passionate about Back of the House Operations and Culinary in general. In retrospect, at 22, I was well positioned to obtain a degree from a Culinary School making myself much more Marketable in the Industry, but I did not go that direction.
With serviceable Culinary Skills and Knowledge, I now work with National Restaurant Chains and Colleges in Menu Item development, Product Yield Optimization and Data and Trend Utilization. My experience in Operations not only helps me speak the language it also taught me true Work Ethic. It is a tough job, but that passion we all have to create magic in this industry trumps everything else! Good luck!
Consider a deeper dive into your true goals
research BS Degree options and Culinary School Options
If Culinary School is your chosen path, consider a regional preference or specialization (example- Cajun-Creole, New Orleans) French, Latin, etc.
If BS Degree is the chosen path, research program internship opportunities. Internships lead to jobs
If True Culinary is the path, what area of the kitchen is your preference? Pastry? Nutrition? Catering? Sommelier?
I can only answer your question based on my experience in the Industry. Keep in mind that as you enter the workforce your Goals may change as you become aware of opportunities that you were never exposed to in the past. At 22, I was a college graduate holding a degree in Hotel/Restaurant Administration from Southern Miss, which has a great program. Nationally, most look to UNLV as the top HRA Program. Michigan State, Arizona State, Cornell and Colorado State are highly rated as well. It all depends on your interest in solely Culinary or the entire Restaurant Operation.
After I graduated, 10 days later I started as a Junior Manager in the Corporate Restaurant Game. I held the degree, and I was pretty young. Later in my career, I became a great deal more passionate about Back of the House Operations and Culinary in general. In retrospect, at 22, I was well positioned to obtain a degree from a Culinary School making myself much more Marketable in the Industry, but I did not go that direction.
With serviceable Culinary Skills and Knowledge, I now work with National Restaurant Chains and Colleges in Menu Item development, Product Yield Optimization and Data and Trend Utilization. My experience in Operations not only helps me speak the language it also taught me true Work Ethic. It is a tough job, but that passion we all have to create magic in this industry trumps everything else! Good luck!
Richard recommends the following next steps:
Chef Rene Hewitt
Retired
2
Answers
Jersey City, New Jersey
Updated
Chef Rene’s Answer
I would suggest Hudson County Community College of Culinary Arts. If you go there, tell Ms. Nunez who will assign you classes, that I recommended you and I said hi. I graduated in 2017.