Can You Go to Culinary School With No Experience?
One of the questions that new culinary students face is what experience they have in the food world. This is a nerve-wracking question when asked by another classmate, but it's even worse to ask it yourself as you fill out a school's application when you're a prospective student. Really, how much experience do you need to go to culinary school? The answer is, frustratingly, "it depends."
Some Schools Do Want Previous Culinary Experience
Culinary schools sometimes have limited space. Admissions officers at these schools sometimes really do want to be sure that you know what you're getting into. That means having some sort of food experience. It could be a certain number of months working in a restaurant, an immediate-family history of culinary immersion (e.g., your parents ran a catering company and you helped out regularly), your own home baking business, or some other indication that you are passionate about the food world and really do want to be in culinary school.
The idea behind this requirement is that people who have already been in the food industry for a while know what they're in for, and they have shown that they want to stay in the field. But again, this is a requirement only at some schools, not all.
Other Schools Are Fine With "Blank Slates"
Other schools aren't quite that rigid. They are fine with people coming in with no practical experience, but they do want to be sure that people understand the requirements of the school, both in terms of effort and financial commitment. Prospective students may have to go through an interview and convince the admissions people of why they (the students) should be accepted to the school and why they want to attend.
That being said, there are advantages to being a blank slate in terms of food. You haven't formed bad habits from years of doing things incorrectly, and you likely have no preconceived notions of the best ways to prepare items. If you had already spent months or years in a restaurant setting, you could be very set in your ways, even if those ways are inefficient or unsanitary.
What You Really Need
At a minimum, in terms of practical skills, you should probably have a basic grasp of how to work common kitchen appliances. You should understand that food safety is a real thing and that changes to ingredients affect final dishes, sometimes drastically. It helps tremendously if you have at least basic cooking skills like knowing how to hold a knife and use it correctly.
You also definitely need a clear goal. Are you going because you want to be a chef? Do you want to start writing cookbooks? Why does culinary school appeal to you so much that you're willing to spend months learning cooking techniques and immersing yourself in a high-intensity environment?
Knowing the answer to those questions is better than already being an excellent cook when you apply to the school. Anyone can learn to stretch taffy in a confectionary class, but not everyone can say why they really want to learn to stretch taffy and what they want to do with those confectionary skills.
If you have no culinary experience save cooking your own meals (and sometimes not even that), start looking at what you really want to get out of culinary school. Investigate programs and ask admissions officers how the school deals with people who may have a passion for food and a relatively clear game plan, but who don't have much practical experience. Try learning some basics on your own to at least get a running start once you start culinary school, and devour cookbooks that are devoted to food science, or the why of cooking things a certain way.
Are You Ready for Culinary School?
Do you live to cook and want to make a career in the culinary arts? If you want to earn an Associate of Applied Science Degree in Culinary Arts, consider ECPI University's Culinary Institute of Virginia and their accelerated program. For more information, connect with a friendly admissions officer today.
It could be the Best Decision You Ever Make!
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