Where Can I Learn How to Cook Professionally?

You love to cook. You watch the cooking shows with great enthusiasm, and have often thought, "I could do that." You picture yourself wearing a chef's tunic and hat, brandishing an impressive-looking knife, and commanding a staff of kitchen workers while you orchestrate the preparation of sumptuous meals for crowds of appreciative diners.

You would love to turn that vision into reality, but you're not sure how to go about it. You also realize it's one thing to prepare food for yourself and friends and family and quite another to work as a chef or professional cook. You'll need some training to get you on the road to being a professional, but where to start?

Starting Out as a Chef

Before you enroll in a culinary arts program, it might be a good idea to get an entry-level job as a prep cook in a restaurant to see if you like it. That way you'll get a sense of what a professional kitchen is like, and the working conditions you may encounter, such as these:

• sweltering kitchen while you labor over a super-hot commercial oven
• lugging heavy pots and pans, filled with substances you don't want to spill (hot oil, water, soup)
• standing on your feet for 10-12-hour shifts
• performing repetitive tasks, such as vegetable chopping or peeling
• a need for speed, and relentless pressure to produce outstanding results
• weekend shifts

Also, consider the many venues where a chef might work, and which might be best for you. Chefs are to be found in all these settings:

• hotels
• cruise ships
• hospitals
• nursing and retirement homes
• corporate offices
• private estates
• resorts
• commercial food preparation facilities
• government facilities
• catering
• food stylist kitchens

Even if you're not prepared to seek an entry-level position in one of these settings, you might be able to arrange a kitchen visit to get a sense of what an employer would expect of the chef and staff.

Why You Need Culinary School

An entry-level job in a restaurant can help you gain basic experience and knowledge but the fact is, culinary arts school can do more. Culinary arts courses can give you a good foundation that can lead to an entree in the culinary setting of your choice. Among the courses you will likely take:

• kitchen organization
• cooking methods
• baking and pastries
• nutrition and healthful cooking
• presentation
• international cooking
• recipe and menu preparation
• health and sanitation issues in the kitchen

Plus, you will learn cooking in a setting where you get individual attention and encouragement. You will also get to meet other aspiring chefs with whom you will learn how to work as a team in the kitchen. Further, you'll be in a position to develop a much wider field of knowledge than you might acquire from just working in one kitchen.

A good culinary arts program will also be positioned to deliver the latest information on food trends and fashions, new cooking methods, and developments in nutrition.

Most importantly, successfully completing a culinary arts program may also help you get your foot in the door once you're ready to look for a job. Obtaining a degree will show not only that you have some basic experience and knowledge, but also that you've made a strong commitment to pursue cooking as a career.

Finding the Right Culinary Arts Program

Once you decide that attending culinary arts school is the right path, you will be shopping around for a program that suits you. You can of course go online to research culinary arts schools and then decide which ones might work for you in terms of location and your budget.

 Follow through by calling the colleges and speaking to an adviser, as you will likely have many questions that the website information may not answer. You should ask about the type of facilities that the institution offers, and whether or not they have a state-of-the art, modern kitchen.

Also, ask about graduates of the school's program -- how they have fared as far as obtaining employment and what are their opinions of the program and institution. Additionally, you should ask about the kinds of hands-on opportunities the college affords for the learning experience. You might also ask about the availability of internships or "externships" through the college program.

Let's Get Cooking!

Are you ready to turn your dream into a reality? If you want to earn an Associate of Applied Science in Culinary Arts, consider ECPI University’s Culinary Institute of Virginia for the education you’ll need to make a difference. With accelerated classes you could graduate in as little as 15 months. For more information, connect with a helpful admissions advisor today.

It could be the Best Decision You Ever Make!

DISCLAIMER – ECPI University makes no claim, warranty, or guarantee as to actual employability or earning potential to current, past or future students or graduates of any educational program we offer. The ECPI University website is published for informational purposes only. Every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of information contained on the ECPI.edu domain; however, no warranty of accuracy is made. No contractual rights, either expressed or implied, are created by its content.

Gainful Employment Information – Culinary Arts - Associate’s

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