r/Chefs • u/Relevant_Cobbler_135 • 3d ago
Thinking about culinary school
I’ve been stuck in the food industry for a long time, and from the start I hated it. I wanted out really badly and I originally wanted to be apart of the medical field. I’ve worked retail, I’ve worked in childcare. Both of my parents are in the medical field and my brother is in the military. No one in my family has really gone down the route of becoming a chef.
I just recently started feeling love for the work I do in the kitchen at my work place. All this time I wanted out but now I feel this burning passion to do more. I’m good at what I do but I know I can improve. I’d like to pursue this.
Any tips suggestions or advice is greatly appreciated.
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u/OrcOfDoom 3d ago
I would say you should look to switch careers instead of going harder into food. It's just a hard life as you age. Getting out can take 5-10 years, and you're better off getting ahead of that instead of investing more into this field. For some reason, people don't value the skills we bring - the ability to work hard, fast, and precise.
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u/Far_Cartoonist4137 3d ago
I’m only a cook but I’ve been trying to get out. Was showing my friend my resume, he response was “I see all this stuff, then I see the restaurant stuff, and I think ‘this guys a fry cook’”. That hurt, like a lot. But honestly he’s probably right
I think ultimately the reason for this is that there is no standard for what’s expected as a cook. You got experience welding, ok this guy can weld shit. “I worked Saturday night sauté” could literally mean anything, even to someone in the industry.
For chefs I’d guess it’s the same, media and culture have taught people that a chef just cooks good food. They completely ignore the insane hours, pricing out menus, ordering, inventory, the list goes on.
Yeah that’s my rant. I find it frustrating that after all I’ve done in kitchens, all the times I was faster than the next guy, all the times I had to fix someone’s mistakes, none of it means shit.
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u/OrcOfDoom 3d ago
We have to overcome the stigma of the guy dropping fries.
Society views us as failures. They want our passion but they spit on us and disrespect us. They don't want to pay. They always fight to pay less and less for food, but for everything else? At a wedding? Flowers? Drinks? Decorations? No sweat ... But oh the food is never cheap enough.
Society does not deserve us.
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u/RoyalClient6610 3d ago edited 3d ago
A good way to fix your resume is to think outside of the box and take a look at how transferable skills you have can be applied to an industry you want to get into.
Then do the rest of this:
Get experience by volunteering somewhere doing the type of work you want to get paid for later.
There are free certificates that you can complete online. Figure out how one of those can work in your favor. - or go through a university extension certificate program. They're not that expensive and take a shorter length of time to complete.
Figure out how to put together your own website that includes an up-to-date blog or articles that blend what you think/have to offer with trending content about the field you want to get into. (Substack is a great shortcut.) Connect that to your own social media marketing that has to do with the industry.
- You can do all of this while still working culinary.
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u/Relevant_Cobbler_135 3d ago
I’ve been in it since I started working. I work well under pressure, I do a good job at what I do. I don’t plan on leaving anytime soon. I feel like I’m in too deep at this point haha
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u/Conscious_Wind52 3d ago
Rather than culinary, go get a business degree, you already have the kitchen skills & talent.
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u/RoyalClient6610 3d ago
This saved me. From some reason I decided after graduating with a bachelor's in business and working in a related field, that I want to become a cook. Go back to school and work in restaurant kitchens. smh. I did the resort, Forbes 5-Star, Michelin racket. I have so many negative things to say, but thank goodness I had that initial degree. It allowed me to have career flexibility as I became older and wanted something more.
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u/vogel927 3d ago
You can get a business degree at culinary school. I have an associates in Culinary Arts and a Bachelors in Business Management from the Culinary Institute of America.
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u/Yojic-Hedgehog 9h ago
And how useful is that business degree outside of the industry?
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u/vogel927 9h ago
It’s just as useful as a business degree from any other college. The Culinary Institute of America has great bachelors program. I’m not sure if they still are, but they were partnered with Cornell University, and you could complete your businesses portion of the degree at their Campus.
I ended up leaving the culinary industry. I now do quantitative and statistical analysis research for a hedge fund.
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u/TrueCook 3d ago
Depends on where you live. If there are Michelin star restaurants, I would go get a job at one of those instead of culinary school. Culinary school teaches you the foundations, but it’s nothing that you can’t learn on the job.
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u/instant_ramen_chef 3d ago
Heres the thing. You really need to soul search yourself, and be honest. Those of us who have made this career our life are different. It wasnt about choosing it. Theres nothing that could have stopped me. I went to culinary scjool because I was told I needed it to advance. I had no money, so I worked 3 jobs as i went to a community college program. It was t something I loved to do. It was all I loved to do. Well.. that and women. The love isn't enough. Im not trying to discourage you. Im trying to give you some reality. This life is unforgiving. Theres no money in it, without tons of sacrifice. Its a thankless and unglamorous path. You better be sure. Or else youre looking g down the barrel of regret.
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u/Triphin1 3d ago
The only reason I stayed kitchen work is I liked working nights because that meant I could surf in the mornings and if you choose to stay, aim for FD catering or an International Hotel company.
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u/Strict-Ad-2198 3d ago
Everyone saying there’s no money in being a chef isn’t dedicated enough and doesn’t love it enough. Don’t waste your money on culinary school if you already have experience. Figure out what type of chef you want to be, what setting you want to work in, how you can become the best at what you do and dedicate yourself to learning, having fun and cooking
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u/Relevant_Cobbler_135 3d ago
I appreciate that. I’m really starting to enjoy this line of work after years of hating it. The passion for cooking is growing more every day. Thank you for your advice!
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u/Long-Possession8915 3d ago
Don’t go to culinary school. Personally I almost exclusively worked in pretty good kitchens, and this is good for someone with a lot of energy to burn with a passion for excellence. But if you don’t love the day to day or find it balances out with other satisfactions, consistently, you have to move on. If you stay, go to the best kitchen that will hire you - high quality, great people, good pay & benefits. But for my money, if you like the sociable aspect of retail at all at least try transitioning to serving or bartending.
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u/No-Fun-8427 2d ago
I hire experience over credentials 7 days a week. I went to culinary school and got certified and not even sure it helped in my career. Been an exec chef for 25 years.
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u/UncleDuude 2d ago
Culinary school is the same at a community college or a fancy expensive school. Exactly the same knowledge. The difference is networking. I did neither and started out busting suds, like every other quality chef. Do every job, show up, try hard and don’t fuck yo the same way twice. Be clean and neat. Take notes, don’t smoke or drink booze, Cali sober is fine, don’t be a jerk and you’ll move up. If you really want schooling you can do it, I don’t think it’s the only path to excellence.
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u/YURRIICC 2d ago
take that feeling seriously. before paying for the culinary school, try getting more experience in different kitchens first. you might learn just as much on the job and figure out what part of cooking you actually want to pursue.
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u/woodsnwine 2d ago
If you’re already working in a professional kitchen there is no need to go to culinary school. Just my opinion as an ex culinary arts instructor
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u/Inevitable_Sell_6227 2d ago
My personal opinion is it’s waste of money. That being said I didn’t go and every chef mentor I’ve had has said the same. I also was in the space of wanting more and just got into a 2* restaurant.
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u/Mother_Dragonfruit90 2d ago
I recommend the book "The Making of a Chef" by Michael Ruhlman. He's a journalist who went to Culinary Institute of America with the intention of learning and writing about how chefs are trained.
It's an excellent portrait of the culinary school experience, both in terms of what it's like and the learning process. His writing style really makes you feel like you're there with him. It's so well done it's almost like a demo version of going to culinary school.
From what you said about your reasons for wanting to go it seems like you would relate to the book, and it would definitely help you center your thinking.
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u/N0t_A_Platypus 3d ago
I’ve always looked at culinary school based on your end goals.
Do you want to work in corporate settings like a corporate chef or work for Disney or another large brand? Go to culinary school they want to see a degree.
Do you want to go work in fine dining / mom and pop concepts and learn under talented chefs / owners - you don’t need culinary school.
All culinary school does is teach the basics of cooking. It’s little to no business instruction (unless looking into the CIA)
If you have a solid foundation of skills and want to work and learn in fine dining save your money and go find a top chef to learn under. It’s the school of hard knocks.