Culinary schools, not only for chefs

2024-09-30 14:32:57

More people are becoming interested in going tocooking school to basically learn the art of cooking. The high cost of culinary arts, however, keeps many from pursuing this path.



Those who were able to finish the course can say that it is worth the money they invested, but some think it is much like a luxury, something that is not absolutely necessary. Indeed, there are many ways to learn cooking without going to expensive schools.

Many people who are successful in cuisine and cookery business did not go to cooking school. Many chefs in France, for instance, have learned the art in the kitchen. They did not have adequate finances to afford expensive culinary studies.

 A few chefs believe that anyone can become good in the kitchen by reading cooking books and having a true passion in cooking. Some chefs had to work for free and learn from their seniors. They became renowned in their fields by just working for free. However, learning from scratch can be difficult. Generally, experts in cooking today would not provide free training to aspirants.

The state of the economy becomes a problem for people considering cooking classes. Many students in cooking schools finish their courses with a large debt. Of course, they find jobs after graduation to pay off their debts, but there are just a few jobs that pay big enough for them to be able to settle their debts. 

For most of these debt-stricken graduates, it is impossible to pay off debts right away. Those who are well-off can establish a food business. They may start a restaurant or put up a bistro. But not all culinary arts graduates have enough finances to start out their own cooking businesses.

Those without enough funds to build restaurants will have to seek jobs at restaurants and hotels. The problem with some of these graduates is that they do not have proper work ethics and are reluctant to start from the low level. What students and even graduates of cooking courses should understand is that being an apprentice is invaluable. If you really have the passion for cooking and you want to earn a living in the field of cuisine, you have to start from somewhere.

Is going to a culinary school a requirement to becoming a chef? No, it is not a requirement to becoming a chef. As mentioned earlier, many renowned chefs started being cooks in the kitchen without having to go through formal education. There are good cooks who went through culinary education, and there are good cooks who did not. 

If you think you should attend culinary school, consider working in the kitchen to see if you have the passion for cooking. If you find chopping onions boring, you probably should not proceed to a culinary school.