Holiday Menus and Celeb Chefs Spark a Craving for Culinary School
ningcontentMy white-chocolate pumpkin cheesecake recipe is ready to be whipped out and put the sweet finishing note on holiday diners. That’s what I’ve been talking about in conversations with my family and friends since the Halloween costumes were put away – Thanksgiving potlucks and holiday dinners and parties.
One of my 30-something friends would love to become a personal chef, and she displays a natural talent in the kitchen, creating the most difficult Martha-esque recipes quickly, while mine are disasters. So it’s amazing to learn about the types of culinary training available for her and others pursuing that goal in the growing field.
Look at the backgrounds of celebrity chefs and restaurant owners in major cities competing on popular shows such as “Top Chef,” and you’ll find an array of education experience.
One of my “Top Chef: Las Vegas” favorites, restaurateur Kevin Gillespie of Atlanta, cooked part-time at eateries while attending the Art Institute of Atlanta.
The stars of Food Network also demonstrate different paths to a culinary career. Bobby Flay attended the French Culinary Institute while Giada De Laurentis earned a degree in anthropology from the University of California in Los Angeles before focusing on food and training at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, as did Sandra Lee.
The entertaining Guy Fieri route’s was a bachelor’s degree in hospitality management from the University of Nevada Las Vegas, then working in and owning restaurants before being named “The Next Food Network Star” a while back. Iron Chefs Cat Cora and Michael Symon are graduates of The Culinary Institute of America.
You could leave those schools with associate and bachelor’s degrees as well as the in-depth instruction and hands-on experience that will propel you to succeed in your next kitchen, whether it’s in the glare of the TV cameras or delighting small groups of diners every night.
Article by, Lori Johnston and courtesy of CollegeSurfing Insider.
