The Culinary Institute of America

[Mikeb]

Originally Posted by Jolly Roger

CIA Chris...Consider first my disclaimer: I have worked with five CIA alumni during the course of my 15 years in professional kitchens and all five CIA grads have been horribly dissapointing as cooks.

I've only worked with a single CIA grad. He also worked at several very good NYC restaurants. Horribly dissappointing (although better than some). In fact, every single culinary school grad I've ever worked with has been disappointing, usually relegated to peeling vegetables, tossing salads, or doing any of our other ***** work while the real pros do all the work.

This is coming from a 21 year old cook, who learned the hard way, who needed to succeed to avoid being tossed back to the gutter I came from, but instead rose to the top. Funny, the best cooks I've worked with all came up like me - they needed to be good because if they sucked they'd be back on the streets, making a single mistake wasn't even an option.

You wouldn't believe how sick I am of having to teach these culinary school grads, who've had educations paid for, yet don't seem to have learned a single thing. A CIA grad who can't even bake a cake or make a proper crème anglaise, it's rediculous. Even in book knowledge they're disappointing. Seems the only admission requirement is that you have the money to pay tuition, and everyone gets a passing grade as long as the checks clear.... Everytime we hire a new grad, I hope that they'll show me up just to restore my faith in the system, but it has yet to happen. I almost feel sorry for those who have paid $45K+ for their educations (until I'm forced to teach them the same thing for the 3rd or 4th time because they just don't get it...).