Culinary Schools

You think you got what it takes to cook with the best?  Or maybe you’ve just seen too many episodes of Hell’s Kitchen.  Either way here are some great reasons to pursue a dream of becoming a great chef. 

· Economy.  It’s the economy baby! Lets face it, as more and more manufacturing jobs are shipped off to other places, service industry is what we will have left.  Good luck trying to get someone in India to express mail you that Crème brulee.

· Money.  Show me the money.  The base salary of the head chef in a casino is about 85 k per year, starting, without bonuses or benefits.  Sounds like a heck of a living to me, and school will give you that edge to get to the top.

· Satisfaction.  When was the last time you looked in the mirror and said, I’m great, a champion in my field and appreciated for my real worth.  Yeah right, few of us live that dream, and only those willing to go out and grab it by the nose will ever know the kind of passion that comes with having such a career.

· Versatility.  What a thing, to be able to just say, I’m bored with this sushi gig, I’m going to go work in a rib shack! From pastries to southern cooking the choice is yours.  Seriously, with the right education, you can do just that and always move on to greener pastures and brighter skies instead of being locked into the same boring job forever.

· Personal Challenge.  Don’t underestimate the value of a good challenge, nothing feels better at the end of the day than working hard and knowing that you get paid the big bucks for  a reason.

· A REAL Team.  Feel like if you have to sit through one more of those four hour “What animal are you?” management exercises that your going to stick a mechanical pencil in your eye?  Come out and get the opportunity of a lifetime with a squad that knows the value of real teamwork.

· Craftsmanship.  For those of us not content to rot the rest of our existence away behind a desk staring at our boss’s forehead for the rest of our working life, getting out and getting our hands dirty can be a must do thing.  Just knowing that you made something well and can do it every time is a fabulous feeling.  Also, you get to define what doing well is from tasting great to heart healthy cooking.

· Service.  My father always said serving others was it’s own reward, and it take a few years under your belt to learn the truth of this.   When you do it’s better than the six figure salary.

· Be your own boss.  No one has to tell you why this is the perk of a lifetime.

· Your good.  You know you are, everyone believes you have talent( which is why your stuck making vats of meatballs for family weddings) so go get the deed that proves it!  Or suffer the consequence of never knowing if you might have made it or not for the rest of your life.  Have fun in those meetings…

The city of Baltimore, according to residents the “greatest city in America”, is Maryland’s largest city, and is not part of any county.  John Hopkins University and John Hopkins Hospital are the city’s biggest employers.  Students will enjoy Baltimore’s humid, sub tropic climate.   A cute city with over 300 identifiable districts, residents are not far from Mount Vernon and the Washington Monument.  Home also to a rabid selection of fans, both the NFL’s

Ravens and the MLB’s Orioles are lucky recipients of the adoration denizens lavish upon both teams.

Baltimore International College sports a highly decorated staff from around the world, notably Global Master Chef Jan Bandula.   Their goal is to prepare students for a diverse career  in hospitality from brittish classics to french cooking.  They also offer shadow days for prospective students, as well as several good open houses.  The staff averages over 25 years of experience for each chef instructor.

Not bad for a not for profit  private college, Baltimore International College is accredited through the commission on Higher Education of the United States.  They offer a Masters in Hospitality, which is a completely online program, and also pride the small classes.

Degrees offered at BIC range from certificate programs to an online masters degree.

Contact Information

-Website: www.chic.edu

-Phone: 1-800-624-9926

-Email: Admissions@bic.edu

-Address

BIC Admissions Department

17 Commerce street

 Baltimore MD 21202

Situated in the beautiful city of Scottsdale Arizona, Scottsdale Culinary Institute is in a great location for unique culture.  A warm (literally) and lively city, with a unique quality one has to experience first hand to understand. “The west’s most western town” is today a booming city boasting over 240,000 people,  and with tourism being the city’s biggest employer, there are tons of great opportunities to get out and have some fun.

Executive Chef at the culinary school is Jon Paul Hutchins.  Hutchins has hosted the Iron Chef competition, was formerly Chef Instructor at the New York Restaurant School, was educated himself at the Culinary Institute of America (1983-1985), and has been on television a number of times.

Fostered at this culinary school is an atmosphere of professionalism in their learning

environment, with students having the freedom to express their talent and creativity.  SCI touts a real world experience so as to ensure fluidity as the student progresses from the classroom to the kitchen.  Limited class sizes and modern equipment all make this easier, and no one can deny that time served in the prestigious 3 Star (3 Star is the highest rating given to a student run restaurant.) L’ Ecole will have you on the top of your game when you are ready to make your big break and graduate.

Programs featured include the Bachelor Programs:

Le Cordon Bleu-Culinary Management

Le Cordon Bleu– Hospitality and Restaurant management

Also several Associate Programs

And two Certificate Programs:

Le Cordon Bleu– Patisseries and Baking

Le Cordon Bleu– Culinary Arts

Contact Information

-Website: www.Chefs.edu                         

 -Phone: 1-800-848-2433             

-Address:

Scottsdale Culinary Institute

8100 East Camelback road, suite 1001

Scottsdale AZ, 85251

The head honcho is Lloyd Kirsch is the CHA President at CHIC.  The facility has all of the staff listed online for viewing, and I can see why.  All highly accredited, skilled professionals making up a laundry list of extreme caliber.  Anyone privileged enough to work under the staff at CHIC (many of which were educated themselves at CHIC) would be very wise to commit every second of that experience to permanent memory.

The Cooking and Hospitality Institute of Chicago’s culture is one of cultivated excellence, all of the staff seem to take personally the ambitions of the students.  A deep vision of higher education in a variety of fields with an emphasis on well roundedness polish the sophisticated image.  As for clubs and activities, there’s no school football, but how the heck can you beat a wine tasting club?

The programs featured at the Cooking and Hospitality Institute of Chicago:

Associate of Applied Science Degree in Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Arts

Associate of Applied Science Degree in Le Cordon Bleu Patisserie and Baking

Certificate in Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Arts

Contact Information

-Website: www.chic.edu

-Phone: 1-888-295-7222

-Address

The Cooking and Hospitality Institute of Chicago

316 West Chestnut

Chicago IL 60610

Parked in one of the most desirable cities of the U.S., Orlando Culinary Academy is like a vacation while you are being educated.  Orlando keeps a playground of familiar faces, such as Walt Disney World Resort, Seaworld, Universal Studios Resort, the Epcot Center, and more gorgeous golf courses than can be counted.  A 13.4 Billion dollar technology industry piled on top of the ample tourist economy makes for a great place to learn the high end food business.  Nicknamed “the beautiful city” for good reason, Orlando is home to well over 227,000 people, and still has room for the NBA team The Orlando Magic.

      The staff at Orlando Culinary Academy work personally with the students there, and actually tutor them when necessary. They themselves are experienced professionals, and understand the career needs of the students they teach.  OCA’s Director of Career Services helps approaching graduates achieve the career they deserve, and the OCA boasts a staff with many connections and recourses for their alumni.

      The Orlando Culinary Academy wears it’s tradition of ethics, challenge, and practical application proudly.  Topics of science, culture, and history alongside the culinary arts, make for a well rounded and balanced education which prepared it’s students for whatever may come their way.  High standards, and an expectation of student involvement keep Orlando Culinary Academy running with the best.

The list of programs featured at OCA:

Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Arts (Associate of Applied Science Degree)

Le Cordon Bleu Patisserie & Baking (Associate of Applied Science Degree)     

Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Arts (Diploma)

Contact Information

-Website: www.orlandoculinary.com

-Phone: 1-888-793-3222

-Address

Orlando Culinary Academy

8511 Commodity Circle, suite 100

Orlando FL 32819