Is A Culinary Institute Education Worth It?
Every year, thousands of aspiring chefs eagerly enroll in courses at culinary institutes of education. We have all been taught the way to a good job is though education. But if you look at the cooking shows on television, where the "self taught" cook can often "beat" down a classically trained "culinary institute" chef, you may wonder if it worth it the cost in time and money of getting a culinary education. This article will explore the pros and cons of a culinary institute education vs. a self taught culinary education.
A Culinary Institute Education - A Brief History
Cooking has been a human survival skill since the beginning of recorded human history. Cooking foods serves several practical purposes should as breaking down tough to chew or digest plant or animal matter and killing off harmful fungus or bacteria. And cooks who could make foods both safe and flavorful have always been prized and treasured. All great chefs of the past were either self taught or mentored by older cooks or family.
But the teaching of cooking skills in culinary institutes and education centers is a very modern practice. While no one is quite certain when the first culinary institute was opened, we do know the oldest running culinary institute in the world is the French based Le Cordon Bleu.
This famous school originally started out as a way for the magazine, La Cuisinière Cordon Bleu, to promote itself by offering special lessons to its readers from some the best chefs in the country. Later this grew into a culinary institute for the education of aspiring chefs and became one of the most elite culinary education schools in the world. Soon culinary institute and education centers were sprouting up everywhere.
Pros and Cons of a Culinary Institute Education
Pros 1- A culinary institute education lets the world know that you take your profession seriously. Culinary education are not inexpensive and by being willing to "put your money where your month is" (no pun intended) you are saying you want to be the best.
Pros 2- A culinary institute education can prepare you for a bigger role in the culinary and hospitality industry. By getting an education at a culinary institute, you will have the background and management skills to someday own or supervise an executive kitchen, restaurant, resort.
Pros 3- A culinary institute education can easily get you a better, paying position. As they say, once you have that "sheep's skin" diploma, new career paths may be open to you.
The only disadvantage of having a culinary institute education is in its costs in time, money and commitment a student must make towards a culinary education. Make no mistake that "cooking" school is an easy way to fame and riches. It is not. Some of the toughest and most demanding taskmasters and instructors in the world (ones who make military drill instructors blush) inhabit culinary institutes and restaurants!
Getting a culinary institute education is, excuse the pun, not a piece of cake, but if you are willing to make the effort you will be rewarded with a lifetime of skills and passion.
