I personally feel that culinary school was a waste of time and money for me. Everything I learned about pastry, I learned from on the job training and from working under some incredibly talented chefs (which I know not a lot of people get the same opportunities). But I also have worked for/with some terrible, abusive chefs and it was still a better learning experience (for me) than anything I learned in school. I learned how I didn't want to be, and what the reality of it is. Especially, as you know, my career was in fine dining and climbing the Michelin ladder. I don't think school can ever prepare you for what it's like at the top and that pressure. Anyway, I could go on and on.. But yeah, I always tell people to go stage somewhere first and see if you like the environment, then decide if you want school..
I love that advice! I kinda can’t believe I never staged or worked in the industry before going to school. I literally had no idea what I was getting myself into
When I was 18 I enrolled at the Culinary Institute of America. Despite having all of the knowledge that you shared, the pros and cons etc, and despite the hefty loans I was taking on, I still felt called to it. I loved it, but I ended up dropping out after a month because I had a mental breakdown (what I suspect was PTSD that bubbled up unexpectedly after leaving my controlled environment of home) and I also started getting in my head about the cost. I remember being on the phone with my dad telling him I was leaving and he told me “you will regret this.”
I told myself I would save money and focus on getting real world experience. And I did. I ended up going to a state school and getting a Hospitality Management degree — in my program we had a student restaurant that we ran as a lab of sorts, meant to mimic a professional kitchen. I worked for a haughty French baker for awhile, I learned to make cheese and yogurt at a grassfed micro dairy in upstate NY, I apprenticed under a Ballymalloe graduate, I made crepes in a food truck, I cooked in plenty of cafes, worked in breweries and catering companies, sold my baked goods at my local coffee shop, worked on farms, etc. I learned so much. But never got to stage in a fancy kitchen, never reached that certain level of professionalism or prestige that I think I would have found if I stayed at CIA.
My dad was right. I did what I needed to do at the time—but now, I regret leaving because I feel sort of old for going back to culinary school simply for the joy of it at this point in life. I can’t justify taking out 80k in student loans. I’ve considered shorter programs, but now that I have a kid I’m not sure I even want that kitchen life anymore, working long hours and holidays and all that. I want it but on my own terms— like, I’d love to sell my baked goods at my local farmers markets. I make sure to stay close to kitchen projects, especially challenging ones, because my love for food and cooking runs deep, it is a part of me and brings me so much pleasure and meaning.
I do think there are a lot of chefs who regret culinary school. At one restaurant where I bartended, the guys would scoff at the idea of it— and they were real talented chefs. It’s such a gamble, and in many ways the trade off for the investment is the networking and how the connections the school has can give you an in to some higher end kitchen positions. Your program sounds honestly perfect!
I do think it would have been much harder for me to find my way into higher end kitchens if I hadn’t taken the route that I did. My school set me up with an (unpaid) internship at Chez Panisse in Berkeley and connected me with a new Michelin star restaurant in SF after that. And even though the job didn’t pay well, it was an incredible experience that I don’t take for granted!
That being said, these days it seems like a lot of fine dining restaurants need help (maybe more so than a few years back?) and while it might be intimidating to go out for a job without experience in that kind of environment, I don’t think you need to have come from that world to be hired at those places.
I have a friend who applied to a highly esteemed LA bakery without ANY experience, got the job which ended up being pretty awful but she was able to leverage the experience into a job at a fine dining restaurant.
Also worth noting that your cooking experience from earlier on would’ve made you 100% more well equipped to work in those environments than most culinary school grads. But the paradox is that there would have been no way of knowing that without doing it the other way.
I guess hindsight is 20/20 and I like to think all of our unique experiences get us where we’re ultimately meant to be. I 100% resonate with your desire to do it on your own terms and in a way that fits this stage of your life.
I will say, despite the more negative effects of social media, I’m grateful that we can all share our passion projects online without the stakes being too high.
AND I hope to try your baked goods at a farmer’s market someday!! 💕
I've been thinking about this in the broader context of food education and I think you're spot on. Culinary school isn't necessary, but I think the experience would be net benefit for most cooking professionals' career. In my experience the kind of chef loudest about school being a waste of time say so because (1) they didn't go to culinary school (2) they take this as a source of misplaced macho pride. Learning on the job is great, but it requires great mentors and restaurants, which aren't always easy to find.
I totally agree! More education is never a bad thing and I always thought it was a little annoying the way some chefs would diss culinary school grads. But I do see that it’s a privilege to go and not all schools are created equally! Thanks for your input Wil
Appreciate the question - I couldn't afford cooking school after college so I I ended up doing a stage at La Varenne in Paris. No upfront cost but I was on the hook for living expenses and of course I missed 16 months of earnings. At the time I had about 7 years in pro kitchens, but the experience of working in France under some very good cooks was what brought it all together for me. I wrote about the experience here https://falsechoices.substack.com/p/les-stagiaires.
Thank you for sharing! I'll def check out your essay. Sounds like an amazing experience! I wonder how many places still take unpaid stages. I know that in California, restaurants are now required to pay their stages, even if it's a try-out for a job, but I'm not sure what the policy is in the rest of the world. Seems like a big shift in the industry...
I did 9month at Leiths in London and loved every day of it. For me, it really gave me such a foundation, a taste of everything, which was perfect as I knew very little before going into culinary school. Following graduation I then did a year in different Michelin restaurants in Spain, where I’d say I learnt quite different skill sets.
I personally feel that culinary school was a waste of time and money for me. Everything I learned about pastry, I learned from on the job training and from working under some incredibly talented chefs (which I know not a lot of people get the same opportunities). But I also have worked for/with some terrible, abusive chefs and it was still a better learning experience (for me) than anything I learned in school. I learned how I didn't want to be, and what the reality of it is. Especially, as you know, my career was in fine dining and climbing the Michelin ladder. I don't think school can ever prepare you for what it's like at the top and that pressure. Anyway, I could go on and on.. But yeah, I always tell people to go stage somewhere first and see if you like the environment, then decide if you want school..
I love that advice! I kinda can’t believe I never staged or worked in the industry before going to school. I literally had no idea what I was getting myself into
When I was 18 I enrolled at the Culinary Institute of America. Despite having all of the knowledge that you shared, the pros and cons etc, and despite the hefty loans I was taking on, I still felt called to it. I loved it, but I ended up dropping out after a month because I had a mental breakdown (what I suspect was PTSD that bubbled up unexpectedly after leaving my controlled environment of home) and I also started getting in my head about the cost. I remember being on the phone with my dad telling him I was leaving and he told me “you will regret this.”
I told myself I would save money and focus on getting real world experience. And I did. I ended up going to a state school and getting a Hospitality Management degree — in my program we had a student restaurant that we ran as a lab of sorts, meant to mimic a professional kitchen. I worked for a haughty French baker for awhile, I learned to make cheese and yogurt at a grassfed micro dairy in upstate NY, I apprenticed under a Ballymalloe graduate, I made crepes in a food truck, I cooked in plenty of cafes, worked in breweries and catering companies, sold my baked goods at my local coffee shop, worked on farms, etc. I learned so much. But never got to stage in a fancy kitchen, never reached that certain level of professionalism or prestige that I think I would have found if I stayed at CIA.
My dad was right. I did what I needed to do at the time—but now, I regret leaving because I feel sort of old for going back to culinary school simply for the joy of it at this point in life. I can’t justify taking out 80k in student loans. I’ve considered shorter programs, but now that I have a kid I’m not sure I even want that kitchen life anymore, working long hours and holidays and all that. I want it but on my own terms— like, I’d love to sell my baked goods at my local farmers markets. I make sure to stay close to kitchen projects, especially challenging ones, because my love for food and cooking runs deep, it is a part of me and brings me so much pleasure and meaning.
I do think there are a lot of chefs who regret culinary school. At one restaurant where I bartended, the guys would scoff at the idea of it— and they were real talented chefs. It’s such a gamble, and in many ways the trade off for the investment is the networking and how the connections the school has can give you an in to some higher end kitchen positions. Your program sounds honestly perfect!
Thank you so much for sharing your story!
I do think it would have been much harder for me to find my way into higher end kitchens if I hadn’t taken the route that I did. My school set me up with an (unpaid) internship at Chez Panisse in Berkeley and connected me with a new Michelin star restaurant in SF after that. And even though the job didn’t pay well, it was an incredible experience that I don’t take for granted!
That being said, these days it seems like a lot of fine dining restaurants need help (maybe more so than a few years back?) and while it might be intimidating to go out for a job without experience in that kind of environment, I don’t think you need to have come from that world to be hired at those places.
I have a friend who applied to a highly esteemed LA bakery without ANY experience, got the job which ended up being pretty awful but she was able to leverage the experience into a job at a fine dining restaurant.
Also worth noting that your cooking experience from earlier on would’ve made you 100% more well equipped to work in those environments than most culinary school grads. But the paradox is that there would have been no way of knowing that without doing it the other way.
I guess hindsight is 20/20 and I like to think all of our unique experiences get us where we’re ultimately meant to be. I 100% resonate with your desire to do it on your own terms and in a way that fits this stage of your life.
I will say, despite the more negative effects of social media, I’m grateful that we can all share our passion projects online without the stakes being too high.
AND I hope to try your baked goods at a farmer’s market someday!! 💕
I've been thinking about this in the broader context of food education and I think you're spot on. Culinary school isn't necessary, but I think the experience would be net benefit for most cooking professionals' career. In my experience the kind of chef loudest about school being a waste of time say so because (1) they didn't go to culinary school (2) they take this as a source of misplaced macho pride. Learning on the job is great, but it requires great mentors and restaurants, which aren't always easy to find.
I totally agree! More education is never a bad thing and I always thought it was a little annoying the way some chefs would diss culinary school grads. But I do see that it’s a privilege to go and not all schools are created equally! Thanks for your input Wil
So interesting reading your piece and the comments. Thank you for opening up space for that!
Ah thank you for reading! <3
Appreciate the question - I couldn't afford cooking school after college so I I ended up doing a stage at La Varenne in Paris. No upfront cost but I was on the hook for living expenses and of course I missed 16 months of earnings. At the time I had about 7 years in pro kitchens, but the experience of working in France under some very good cooks was what brought it all together for me. I wrote about the experience here https://falsechoices.substack.com/p/les-stagiaires.
Thank you for sharing! I'll def check out your essay. Sounds like an amazing experience! I wonder how many places still take unpaid stages. I know that in California, restaurants are now required to pay their stages, even if it's a try-out for a job, but I'm not sure what the policy is in the rest of the world. Seems like a big shift in the industry...
I did 9month at Leiths in London and loved every day of it. For me, it really gave me such a foundation, a taste of everything, which was perfect as I knew very little before going into culinary school. Following graduation I then did a year in different Michelin restaurants in Spain, where I’d say I learnt quite different skill sets.
Sounds amazing! What a dream to cook (and eat) in London and Spain.
Yes I must say I’m rather partial to the eating bit as well !!!