Nine Things to Avoid in Choosing a Culinary School

1. If it hasn’t been accredited, don’t go there. If it’s been in business for any period of time, it should have credentials. Culinary arts programs are accredited by 1 of 6 regional associations or by accrediting organizations like the American Culinary Federation (ACF), which evaluates schools against a rigorous set of standards.

2. Don’t opt for culinary school student financing that isn’t through a government source; it’s likely…

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Online Culinary Schools

Ashworth University

Programs offered:

Gourmet Cooking And Catering
Hotel/Restaurant Management

Stratford Career Institute

Programs offered:

Cooking and Catering
Hotel and Restaurant Management

The Art Institute of Pittsburgh - Online Division

Programs offered:

Hotel & Restaurant Management

Indiana Business College

Programs offered:

Culinary Arts
Pastry Arts

Lincoln College of Technology

Programs offered:

Culinary

New England Culinary Institute

Programs offered:

Bachelor of Arts in Hospitality and Restaurant Management

Penn Foster Career School

Programs offered:

Caterer
Hotel/Restaurant Management

Penn Foster Global

Programs offered:

Catering/Gourmet Cooking
Hotel/Restaurant Management

Campus Culinary Schools by State

Alabama
- Remington College - Mobile
  AS in Culinary Arts program
Arizona
- Arizona Culinary Institute - Scottsdale
  Diploma in Culinary Arts: Baking and Restaurant Management
Arkansas
- Remington College - Little Rock
  AS in Culinary Arts program
California
- Kitchen Academy - Hollywood
  Professional Baking and Pastry Diploma , Professional Culinary Arts
Colorado
- Johnson & Wales University - Denver
  Baking & Pastry Arts , Culinary Arts , Culinary Nutrition , Food Marketing , Food Service Management
Connecticut
- Branford Hall Career Institute - Branford
  Culinary Arts
Florida
- Florida Culinary Institute - West Palm Beach
  Culinary
Georgia
- Le Cordon Bleu Schools North America - Tucker
  Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Arts , Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Management , Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Techniques , Le Cordon Bleu Hospitality & Restaurant Management , Le Cordon Bleu Hospitality and Restaurant Management , Le Cordon Bleu Patisserie and Baking
Hawaii
- Remington College - Honolulu
  AS in Culinary Arts program
Illinois
- Kendall College - Chicago
  A.A.S. Baking and Pastry , A.A.S. Culinary Arts , A.A.S. Culinary Arts - Accelerated , B.A. Culinary Arts , Baking and Pastry , Food and Beverage Operations Concentration , Professional Catering/Personal Chef , Professional Cookery
Indiana
- Indiana Business College - Anderson
  Culinary Arts , Pastry Arts
Kentucky
- Sullivan University - Ft. Knox
  Baking and Pastry , Culinary Arts , Hotel & Restaurant Mgmt. , Professional Baker , Professional Catering , Professional Cook
Louisiana
- Remington College - Baton Rouge
  AS in Culinary Arts program
Maryland
- Lincoln Tech - Columbia
  Culinary
Massachusetts
- Branford Hall Career Institute - Springfield
  Culinary Arts
Michigan
- Baker College Campus - Allen Park
  Associate - Culinary Arts , Associate - Food & Beverage Management , Bachelor - Food & Beverage Management , Certificate - Baking & Pastry
Minnesota
- Le Cordon Bleu Schools North America - Mendota Heights
  Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Arts , Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Management , Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Techniques , Le Cordon Bleu Hospitality & Restaurant Management , Le Cordon Bleu Hospitality and Restaurant Management , Le Cordon Bleu Patisserie and Baking
Missouri
- L'Ecole Culinaire - St. Louis
  Culinary Arts , Culinary Essentials
Nevada
- Le Cordon Bleu Schools North America - Las Vegas
  Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Arts , Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Management , Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Techniques , Le Cordon Bleu Hospitality & Restaurant Management , Le Cordon Bleu Hospitality and Restaurant Management , Le Cordon Bleu Patisserie and Baking
New Jersey
- Lincoln Tech - Edison
  Culinary
New York
- Branford Hall Career Institute - Albany
  Culinary Arts
North Carolina
- Johnson & Wales University - Charlotte
  Baking & Pastry Arts , Culinary Arts , Culinary Nutrition , Food Marketing , Food Service Management
Ohio
- Bradford School Columbus - Columbus
  Culinary Arts
Oregon
- Le Cordon Bleu Schools North America - Portland
  Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Arts , Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Management , Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Techniques , Le Cordon Bleu Hospitality & Restaurant Management , Le Cordon Bleu Hospitality and Restaurant Management , Le Cordon Bleu Patisserie and Baking
Pennsylvania
- Le Cordon Bleu Schools North America - Pittsburgh
  Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Arts , Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Management , Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Techniques , Le Cordon Bleu Hospitality & Restaurant Management , Le Cordon Bleu Hospitality and Restaurant Management , Le Cordon Bleu Patisserie and Baking
Rhode Island
- Johnson & Wales University - Providence
  Baking & Pastry Arts , Culinary Arts , Culinary Nutrition , Food Marketing , Food Service Management
South Carolina
- The Art Institutes - Charleston
  Art of Cooking , Baking & Pastry , Culinary Arts , Culinary Arts & Restaurant Ownership , Culinary/Restaurant Management , Entrepreneurship & Restaurant Ownership , Food & Beverage Management , Hospitality & Restaurant Business Management , Hotel & Restaurant Management , Pastry Arts ...
Tennessee
- Remington College - Memphis
  AS in Culinary Arts program
Texas
- Le Cordon Bleu Schools North America - Austin
  Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Arts , Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Management , Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Techniques , Le Cordon Bleu Hospitality & Restaurant Management , Le Cordon Bleu Hospitality and Restaurant Management , Le Cordon Bleu Patisserie and Baking
Utah
- The Art Institutes - Draper
  Art of Cooking , Baking & Pastry , Culinary Arts , Culinary Arts & Restaurant Ownership , Culinary/Restaurant Management , Entrepreneurship & Restaurant Ownership , Food & Beverage Management , Hospitality & Restaurant Business Management , Hotel & Restaurant Management , Pastry Arts ...
Virginia
- Culinary Institute of Virginia - Norfolk
  Culinary Arts
Washington
- The Art Institutes - Seattle
  Art of Cooking , Baking & Pastry , Culinary Arts , Culinary Arts & Restaurant Ownership , Culinary/Restaurant Management , Entrepreneurship & Restaurant Ownership , Food & Beverage Management , Hospitality & Restaurant Business Management , Hotel & Restaurant Management , Pastry Arts ...

Nine Things to Avoid in Choosing a Culinary School (continued from top)

1. If it hasn't been accredited, don't go there. If it's been in business for any period of time, it should have credentials. Culinary arts programs are accredited by 1 of 6 regional associations or by accrediting organizations like the American Culinary Federation (ACF), which evaluates schools against a rigorous set of standards.

2. Don't opt for culinary school student financing that isn't through a government source; it's likely to be an expensive loan. Accreditation for a culinary college also means that students at the school are eligible for federal and state financial aid programs. Usually, this requires that the school is accredited by a body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education

3. Avoid schools that can't help you find a job. A good culinary college should have a placement service. Most established culinary schools have some sort of placement program as well as internship programs that you can take advantage of during your course of study.

4. Don't rely solely on a school's reputation. Learn as much as you can about the faculty. Most culinary instructors will be certified by the American Culinary Federation, have a university degree, and a lot of industry experience. Learn how many have been master chefs, or bakers, or have run large kitchens. See if the faculty is going to cover the range of interests that you are bringing with you to culinary school.

5. Don't go to a culinary college that operates on the lecture hall model. A student-teacher ration for most classes should be no larger than fifteen-to-one. Culinary education is hands on, closely supervised training in many instances.

6. A completely classroom oriented culinary school won't do. Make sure that your chosen culinary college has sufficient kitchen time in its curriculum. Some even have restaurants where the kitchen is staffed by students. One of the major complaints in the industry about recent culinary school graduates is the lack of speed. You have to be able to perform your work at the pace found in professional settings.

7. Don't select a culinary program that doesn't get you the certification you need. Like every other market, in the culinary education world you get what you pay for. A short training program is likely to provide you with some sort of certificate, but it will be for an entry level job requiring little skill. There are fourteen levels of certification provided chefs by the American Culinary Foundation. Decide what level you want to achieve.

8. Don't be taken in by the name. Some culinary schools have very impressive institutional names; some are even French, seemingly implying a culinary education focused on grand European cuisine. For any culinary school, after accreditation you should look at the graduation rate and the job placement level of success. If they can't provide you with these figures, you probably shouldn't provide them with an application.

9. Don't look at culinary school as a career advancement choice. In other words, don't think you can get it done with 6-12 months of specialized training and then move into the industry. A quality culinary education that turns out well trained potential chefs is going to take a lot of your time over an extended period. It's also going to be a financial challenge for a lot of people. You know it's worth it; just be prepared to make that full commitment.

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Culinary Schools Guide

Nine Things to Avoid in Choosing a Culinary School

Online Culinary Schools

Ashworth University

Stratford Career Institute

The Art Institute of Pittsburgh - Online Division

Indiana Business College

Lincoln College of Technology

New England Culinary Institute

Penn Foster Career School

Penn Foster Global

Campus Culinary Schools by State

Alabama

Arizona

Arkansas

California

Colorado

Connecticut

Florida

Georgia

Hawaii

Illinois

Indiana

Kentucky

Louisiana

Maryland

Massachusetts

Michigan

Minnesota

Missouri

Nevada

New Jersey

New York

North Carolina

Ohio

Oregon

Pennsylvania

Rhode Island

South Carolina

Tennessee

Texas

Utah

Virginia

Washington

Nine Things to Avoid in Choosing a Culinary School (continued from top)

Latest on Culinary Careers

What to do after Culinary School - Four Professional Concerns

The Six Fastest Growing Culinary Jobs in the U.S.

Three Growth Areas for the Culinary Industry

Three Challenges You Might Meet in a Culinary Career

The Five Levels of Culinary Professionals

Degree Levels

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