Has anyone on /ck/ been to cooking school? I recently graduated

Why would I go to school for something I already know how to do?

If you want to break into the food industy, you just start applying for jobs. I don't know a single cook who went to culinary school...They all became cooks by applying for cooking jobs.

>>7341117

>I don't know a single cook who went to culinary school

and so you decided you were qualified to comment huh

>>7341120

Yes, because I know cooks. None of them went to culinary school. That's very relevant to OP's question.

>>7341128

not really

what if you know the 1% of cooks who didn't go, and it turns out that 100% of everyone who passes culinary school gets a job as a cook

if you have no experience or knowledge of culinary school, stop talking shit about it

>>7341100
Get a job in a restaurant. Waiter, dishwasher, line prep, whatever. Make your way through that for a few years. If you still want to work in a restaurant, and you don't yet know how to cook, and you're prepared to drop $50k, go to cooking school. By that time, you'll know if you want to specialize in a certain area--if you want to continue at all. Keep in mind that you will probably wash out way before that, but at least you'll know.

>>7341137

Fuck off. The point is that you don't don't need to go to culinary school to get into the food industry. That answers OP's question.

>>7341145

>The point is that you don't don't need to go to culinary school to get into the food industry.

and you don't need to play the lottery to win it, maybe someone will buy a ticket for you

your unqualified opinion on the subject means fuck all you pleb

>>7341117
Ahh okay. I have a relative that went to culinary school but he pretty much flopped in the industry. I "know" how to cook, but I'm worried that I lack credentials. I'm really on the fence about school because I feel like it could earn someone some nice prestige. Yet, this person in my family really regrets even going to culinary school and is now pursuing something else to become a CPA i think. I have a strong desire to pursue the food industry, but I have never worked in a restaurant before.

>>7341144
I don't want to work in a restaurant. I want to own a restaurant/ provide a service to people directly and be my own boss.

>>7341166

what kind of food business are you talking about

if you have an idea of something in mind and it doesn't require much capital, just fucking do it

if you don't, go to catering college or something, get some contacts

or a business qualification

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>>7341166
>la cucaracha, la cucaracha, ya no puede caminar

>>7341188
It might sound ridiculous, but I've been fantasizing about starting a vegetarian oriented food truck. I don't want to sell meat, but if i have to i will. I basically want to make meat free munchie food from all over the world, with my own "modern" twist to it. School seems a bit much, but I don't know.

>>7341199
lol. everyone's gotta start somewhere.

>>7341208

look if you get the right location that could work extremely well. just have to think about where that might be.

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1) having a culinary degree pretty much guarantees you'll get a job over someone who doesn't

2) you learn mostly classic french cuisine in culinary school, which is what you need to know for the exam to be a certified chef, which gives you credibility in the industry.

3) you make connections in the industry via your instructors and fellow alumni that also help get your foot in the door when looking for jobs in kitchens where actual cooking is done, not chains where you just heat up pre-packaged things and follow recipes handed down from corporate.

4) you gain at least an introductory level of knowledge on many cooking techniques and knife skills that you may not learn just working in one place with a set menu.

I'll post more if I think of any. If you want to be a legitimate chef; unless you already have years and years of experience working in many different kitchens working under actual chefs, then you need to get sum schoolin'

>>7341219

also there are fucktons of catering college courses that incorporate actual business training and reflect that in the qualification

Food service is a crappy industry with crappy hours and hard work. A lot of people say, "Oh, I'm not afraid of hard work" without realizing this means 10 hours shifts for 21 days then a day off.

You'll work, drink, then pass out and do it all over the next day. You'll do hundreds of plates a day and god help you if you screw up even one plate.

You will make more money than you would expect because the ridiculous hours add up quick.

Basically unless you LOVE cooking and actually get off a little by putting out perfect plates you will wash out or hate yourself every day.

>>7341166

Don't do it, you'll put yourself tens of thousands of dollars in the hole to make yourself a minimum wage worker working ridiculous hours.

http://www.slate.com/articles/life/a_fine_whine/2005/12/bitter_brew.html

>>7341217
I have a few ideas, but I'll have to move. I think it would be smarter to put the money towards renting/buying a truck rather then going to school. Both are expensive, and they cost roughly the same. Maybe I could learn overseas for a year or two in some South East Asian country?

>>7341219 I have a relative who went to cooking school. I don't know why, but he's not a cook now. I don't really want to learn French cuisine or fancy stuff, but the industry connections could be very nice. I probably should have clarified this better, but don't want to be a "chef" I want to be an entrepreneur in the food industry.

>>7341226
forgot about that. You also take a lot of courses on the hotel/restaurant management side of things. Labor laws, management, accounting, public speaking, purchasing/inventory management, micro economics etc.

>>7341243
>I don't know why, but he's not a cook now

Like other anons have said it's hard, stressful work, and the pay isn't anything to brag about until you move up enough to own your own (successful) restaurant(s). Unless you just absolutely love cooking then you'll end up saying, "fuck this" and get into a different line of work.

>don't want to be a "chef" I want to be an entrepreneur in the food industry

Starting any new business is very risky. Do you have something to offer that really stands out? If not can you do it better than anyone else in the area is doing it? Can you devote your life and finances to making it work? Are you willing to go a fuck ton into debt to get it off the ground?

>>7341281
What is something that would really stand out in this industry? I have good taste in food, and I'm pretty good at envisioning something and making it happen. I have an idea that hasn't really hit nationwide like some of the other big chains-i.e. Chipotle-style Burritos, or Jimmy John Subs. While I'm not the only person doing this style, neither were those two chains before they hit it big.

I'd be lying if I said the debt and financial aspects didn't bother me, but if I've learned anything the past 9 months out of college it's that nothing in life is easy. Literally no matter how much you dedicate yourself to something actually doing shit is fucking hard: whether its getting an interview, getting a job, keeping a job, etc. You might as well pick something you want to do and do the best you can at it.

If your family is very wealthy and possibly well educated culinary school is a great way to try to fit in without looking too dumb because sometimes you just can't hang with those type of people without a degree. a culinary degree is a great one for anybody at any IQ level to obtain and it still costs a lot of money just like a real degree

skills are learned through first hand experience and become mastered after many years. being a great chef is a skill. Making lots of money is also a skill . unless you are genius status you probably are going to be forced to have to focus on one or the other.

first thing you will learn is time management, and going to school instead of practicing your skill full time might not be the best use of your time if you really want to fit in with real chef. However if you are retired and a little bit older be a scholar start reading more books in the leisure atmosphere of a classroom rather than at the bus stop waiting to get to work

Wait...is being a chef not a nationally accredited trade outside of Australia?

>>7341166
Don't open a restaurant if you've never worked at a restaurant.

>>7341413
what do they test you on in kangarooland, how to grill shrimp on the barbie, how to batter bloomin' onions with fosters beer?

>>7341467
Well...yes.

To be called a chef you need to do a Certificate in Commercial Cookery through state based training, its a 3 year full time course. If you don't do that, rarely will an employer even consider you, even if you resume reflects you can cook.

I just assumed it was the same everywhere else.

I didn't go to cooking school.

I went to cooking.

>>7341489
i'm not aware of any sort of certification here in the us.
from my experience, most kitchens want cooks (line chefs) with experience. if you don't have experience on the line, gotta start out washing dishes or whatever and work your way up.

despite what all these faggots are saying, i don't think going to cooking school is a great idea. of course theoretical knowledge is great, but in the kitchen it really boils down to being able to stay cool under pressure, time manage/prioritize many different things at once, and maintaining quality while going as fast as possible. it's really more akin to learning a number of actions and performing them quickly, the only way to do that well is through repetition