Slice the Fat A Taste Test of Culinary Arts Education

Do economics courses leave you craving a little more crunch? Find yourself wanting to take a bite out of bio? Are your literature courses a touch too sweet, and your poly-sci courses a touch too sour? Maybe a traditional liberal arts education isn't exactly your cup of tea... What is? Culinary study.

The Call of the Kitchen

If you'd rather spending some time studying a cookbook when compared to a chem book, you almost certainly know it already - most culinary schools appear to have an inclination toward your kitchen before they graduate senior high school. What you might not know is your passion can translate to an extremely exciting and lucrative culinary career.

"I spent my freshman year at New York University (New York, NY)," say Debbie Shure. "I had a kitchen in my dorm and I would always cook for my friends. It was a great hobby, but I never knew that I wanted to produce a career from it." Things have since changed, as Debbie recently graduated from Johnson ... Wales' (Providence, RI), a world-renowned culinary school, and today has a successful culinary career at Chocolatier magazine.

Exactly the same held true for Nathan Rhodes, who worked in Enterprise Rent-A-Car's corporate office after high school. "I always had a passion for food, and I found on that in early stages," says Nathan, now 24 and studying at The Culinary Institute of America (CIA, Hyde Park, NY)."I was working a corporate job, because that's what I thought I was 'supposed' to do. I QUICKLY saw a television special on WOLFGANG PUCK [a famous chef and restaurant owner]. It inspired me to apply to culinary school, and today I love it to death!" Well - death by chocolate, maybe.

Nathan could find just the right recipe for his culinary career dreams. How to begin? By finding the right culinary school for you.

Culinary Schools: Not Your Average Classroom

You could have a knack for whipping up late-night mac n' cheese or adding just the right amount of cream and sugar in your morning coffee, but culinary school is going to be a little more demanding.

"CIA's associate's program is approximately 85 percent hands-on learning," says Nathan. "The day starts with a lecture that reviews recipes and answers questions, and for the next five hours you're in the kitchen. Then there is a lecture to close your day."

But the effort pays off. "The thing about culinary school is you obtain out what you devote," says Debbie. "If you work hard, you'll learn a ton. Your instructors are completely ready to help you as long as you're motivated."

The Real (Culinary) World

Because the recent reality show, "The Restaurant" showed, the day-to-day operations of a culinary career - particularly inside a popular eatery - are frantic, fast-paced, demanding, and most importantly, exciting. Most culinary schools involve some kind of externship program, where you focus on site, to help offer you a taste of what a culinary career is similar to.

"CIA's externship lasts 21 weeks and you can go to the 1,700 approved sites," explains Nathan. "It's sort of like a resume, where the restaurants want to employ students. You apply, continue an interview, and hopefully obtain the position." For students getting into such study, getting a culinary school that places great value on in-the-kitchen experience is vital to your future culinary career.

A Culinary Career Smorgasbord

Perhaps the most important thing to know about earning a culinary degree at culinary school is that it will not limit you to your kitchen. "The meals industry is experiencing an enormous boom right now, and there are many more jobs than there used to be," says Colleen Pontes, a CIA graduate and former Chocolatier food writer. "The popularity of MARTHA STEWART opened the entranceway for food media and food TV, and the industry generally is generating so much excitement and interest at the moment."

"You want to show people the culinary career opportunities which are on the market," says Kathy Shaw, sales and marketing director at Le Cordon Bleu (Ottawa, Ontario), and graduate of the school's culinary school programs in Paris. "I began wanting to be a chef, now I do the school's marketing. There are lots of ways to make this passion a career."

"There are countless culinary careers beyond being truly a chef like catering, food TV, food writing, food art, event planning, food critic positions," agrees Nathan. "Even research and development at major food companies like Hershey's or Campbell's - all of the sauces, candies, soups and flavors those mega companies released are designed by people who have culinary abilities."

And you'll never be stuck in one place. "When I first started, I needed to be in the kitchen making desserts for folks," says Debbie. "Now I realize I would like to be considered a food writer, which will be great. I could combine all of my food knowledge with my writing skills and help Americans understand what good food is focused on!"

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Paul D. Rosevear is really a frequent contributor to The CollegeBound Network. Find out about finding a school or career that's right for you!