[PARSONS ASSIGNMENT] Is Culinary School Worth It?

Culinary school, the question is if it is truly worth it. There are some people that should be banned from the use of a kitchen if doing more than preparing a pitcher of ice water, in my opinion but for the most part, with the right ingredients, a good recipe and some patience I think that everyone can learn how to cook. If you want to pursue cooking professionally is it mandatory to have a degree? No, it is not according to an article I was reading on Miami News Times.

Culinary school tuition is skyrocketing, like many other fields and it is leading most to question if it is even necessary in the first place. Popular culinary schools like Johnson and Wales ($40,000), Kendall College demands $53,000+ in tuition and at the Culinary Institute of America at Hyde Park will cost you a cool $105,000+ for a bachelors degree!

Wow! However, do not be discouraged all future Chefs, it is recommended by many successful chefs to just skip school all together. Many recommend you just beg your way into kitchens, asking for your shot at the pot – (like what I did there?) as they say that you end up being in debt and you’ll probably only get a job making $10 – $12 an hour if you’re lucky.

Even Anthony Bourdain says that culinary school may not be the best route for aspiring chefs. Read an excerpt from his book “So You Want To Be A Chef?”

I am frequently asked by aspiring chefs, dreamers young and old, attracted by the lure of slowly melting shallots and caramelizing pork belly, or delusions of Food Network stardom, if they should go to culinary school. I usually give a long, thoughtful, and qualified answer.

But the short answer is “no.”

Let me save you some money. I was in the restaurant business for twenty-eight years—much of that time as an employer. I am myself a graduate of the finest and most expensive culinary school in the country, the CIA, and am as well a frequent visitor and speaker at other culinary schools. Over the last nine years, I have met and heard from many culinary students on my travels, have watched them encounter triumphs and disappointments. I have seen the dream realized, and— more frequently—I have seen the dream die.

 

I dug a little deeper, and found out few salaries for the different levels for chefs. According to Salary.com an Executive Chef salary in New York is $61,682, as of February 22, 2016, with a range usually between $52,545–$74,663. The median annual Executive Chef salary in Los Angeles, CA is $67,628, as of February 22, 2016, with a range usually between $57,611–$81,861.

Either which way, I’m sure that we can all agree that if you have a talent for cooking and a determination to be successful at your craft, you will become a success. Best of luck to all recent culinary graduates and best wishes to aspiring chefs. I am looking forward to grubbing on your delicious future meals!!

#PARSONS #ASSIGNMENT