Is Culinary School for You?

Are you passionate about food and cooking? Why not turn your passion into your career? There are hundreds of culinary apprenticeships, vocational schools, and college and university programs out there offering culinary instruction. You can find culinary schools near you by searching SearchByDegree.com.

How do you pick the right culinary school?

Ask yourself these questions:

• What you want to cook?
• What is your educational budget? Is there financial aid?
• Does the school offer the certificate you desire?
• What is the faculty size, qualifications, and experience?
• What is the Length of the Program?
• What kind, size, and modernity of kitchens are on campus?
• Have graduates/alumni achieved noteworthy positions or significant industry recognition?
• What culinary awards have been won by the school in local, national and international competitions?

Culinary Majors

After you've done your research, you need to know which culinary road to go down. Here are the most common majors available in most culinary arts schools:

The Culinary Arts Major Is popularly considered the official "chef" cooking program, as opposed to the baking and pastry arts degree. Depending upon the cooking school, this major could be Bachelors, Associates, Diploma or a Certificate program.

• Diplomas and Certificates in Culinary Arts bring culinary technique and skills. Building off of these most schools will then prepare you for entry-level restaurant jobs that could require you have experience as station chef.
  
  
• Associates degrees in Culinary Arts usually involve a two-year time investment if you go full-time. Expect to be steeped in kitchen skills, especially knife and cutlery skills, all types of professional cooking equipment, various cooking styles and methods.
  
  
• Bachelors degrees in Culinary Arts take you well beyond the curriculum included in an Associates program. At this level you will learn basic kitchen management, perhaps the role played by sous chef, assist with menu development and learn what it takes to find your own creative cooking personality.
  
  

Baking and Pastry Arts Major, sometimes called Patisserie and Baking in classic French programs, is distinct from a straight up culinary arts major. As a baking and pastry major you will learn the art of the Pastry Chef. For example, as a student pastry chef you learn:

• Culinary arts basics including kitchen skills and how to use professional kitchen equipment
• General cuisine and food preparation and presentation
• Cost and inventory control
• Menu development
• Baking techniques, including classic and modern methods
• Breads, rolls, and various types of dough
• Design and preparation of various confections, including cakes, tarts, pies, chocolates and sugars, and cookies and bars

Top Celebrity Chefs

Want to know who the top money making celebrity chefs are according to Forbes.com? These numbers should inspire you!

Rachel Ray Wolfgang Puck Gordon Ramsay Nobuyuki Matsuhisa Alain Ducasse Paula Dean Mario Batali Tom Colicchio Bobby Flay Anthony Bourdain

$18 million $16 million $16 million $5 million $5 million $4.5 million $3 million $2 million $1.9 million $1.5 million

Whether you're pursuing a graduate degree to help with a career change, or deciding it's finally time to finish or start your undergraduate degree, you can find the tools you need at SeacrhByDegree.com.

Bookmark this on Delicious