VIDEO: Should You Go to Culinary School?
15 years ago, I went to culinary school. Here’s what I learned.
Pluses of Going to Culinary School
- It’s a fun, hands-on school environment. You get to make all kinds of food and eat all kinds of food and that is fun.
- You might try eating a whole bunch of things you never tried before.
- You learn all about the science of ingredients and how they interact chemically. Once you understand that, you can troubleshoot recipes and spot problems in advance, which are great skills to have in the kitchen.
- You learn all about proper food handling and safety, which is another valuable skill. It means the difference between making people sh*t their pants and puke their brains out versus feeding them a healthy meal.
Minuses of Going to Culinary School
- It’s expensive. And the return on your investment is not as substantial compared to many career choices that cost about the same in terms of time and training such as dental hygienist, nurse, physical therapist, administrative assistant, massage therapist, automotive technician. If any of those careers sound appealing to you, you might consider heading in that direction instead.
- It does not guarantee work. If you have never worked in the food industry before, a culinary degree is not necessarily the best way into the kitchen door. In a pool of job applicants, someone who has commercial kitchen experience but no culinary degree is almost always going to edge out someone with a degree and no commercial experience.
- It does not replace job experience. The skills you learn in culinary school aren’t the same as what you learn in a commercial environment. For instance, at culinary school, I learned how make delicious cakes one cake at a time but I did not learn how to do it quickly or efficiently or in large volume. I had to learn that kind of thing on the job.
Recommendations
Get a food industry job before you enroll in culinary school. It doesn’t matter what kind of job (dishwasher, busboy, hostess, expeditor). You want to be sure it’s the right kind of work environment for you before you invest in a culinary education. Not everybody can hack it. Not everybody likes it.
Small schools rule. I went to a small culinary school. It was a one year, part-time program, which was a lot cheaper and more efficient than some of the 2-year programs that come paired with associates or bachelors degrees. I’m really happy I made this choice.
Work in a commercial kitchen while you’re in school, if you can. In my class, the students who were already employed in the food industry seemed to be squeezing a bit more out of the culinary school experience. Just like how it’s easier to learn a new language when you’re immersed in a culture, your culinary expertise grows when you are putting your knowledge to practice in a kitchen every day.
Share Your Homework. In culinary school, when you learn how to make things like croissant and Danish, you will probably want to go home and practice. Just, don’t eat it all by yourself. Share your homework. One of my classmates ate all his homework and ended up getting gout.
Think Long Term. One thing to keep in mind about the food industry is that it’s extremely physical, labor-intensive work. The older you get, the harder it is to maintain the pace and the rigor of kitchen life so it’s a good idea to factor that into your long term career trajectory.
Low Impact Ways to Use a Culinary Degree
- Food Writer/Blogger
- Restaurant/Bakery Critic
- Culinary School Instructor
- Product Developer
- Consultant
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WhooRay! to another informative video. I truly appreciate all of the information.
I have kicked back and forth the idea of culinary school for years. This video put some new perspective on that vision. I think when I do go I will specialize in pastry only.
Truth on the hours and toll one’s body takes in F&B. That said, the knowledge from those “cub years” working in commercial kitchens and venues has been instrumental as a self-employed baker today. Great info.
Thanks Kristen, as a self taught baker/cake decorator I have often feel it would be advantageous to have gone to culinary school, but I’m not feeling so bad about it after watching your video 😉 Thanks, I so enjoy your website, just filled w/valuable information!1
Thanks for the insight. Gives me a lot to think about as I was laid off from my job and am considering a change. Always find your videos helpful.
Hi, thanks for this video! It was very informative! Look forward to more of your videos, I’ve learned so much about professional baking from them.
I couldn’t agree more with hands on teaching. It’s the best! Thanks for a great video.
Thank you for the information 🙂 I decided to go back to school and go for my Professional Baker Certificate. In the last eight years, I have self-taught myself and realized that it’s easier going back to school when self-taught. The books I have picked up along the way have helped but learning that it’s best to scale baked items is even better. So, I am trying to convert the recipes I love from cups to ounces and grams. Thank you for being you and providing such helpful information on your blog. Much success to you. ~ Diana
So enjoyed the video. Very informative, thank you for sharing this with us.
Thanks for the informative video on culinary school. I too went to culinary school and I feel
Exactly what you said about it. There are the good things, eg learning the science of food but let’s not forget the long hours and heaving lifting . It’s great profession but very hard and labor intensive.
Another great video! 🙂 Informative as always!