[margot]

Hello from a perspective culinary student!

I'm new to the boards and wanted to briefly introduce myself. It has recently come to me that this is the career path I want to pursue for a large scope of reasons. I'm pretty thrilled about this and am spending copious amounts of time researching this and trying to pick out a school that fits my goals. I would like to predominantly focus on vegetarian/health food, with some seafood thrown in there. I know this greatly limits my options, but I clearly have to work within my interests and philosophy. I'm also keen on participating in the growth of this field, and it seems to be growing astronomically. If anyone has similar interests, I'd love to chat It seems that there aren't many who are moved by this side of the cooking fence, and if there are, they aren't on any of the boards I've come across!

And, if some of you could help me with a few questions, you'd make my day and possibly my year! I know there is a board geared towards culinary students, but I thought I'd be sneaky and include this into my introductory post with the hope of reaching a wider audience. It seems that those on the culinary student board have the same questions I do.

1. Anyone know of any culinary schools with vegetarian schools? I know there are a few (very few) vegetarian culinary schools, but I feel that my options are really limited in choosing one. Are there other schools that aren't necessarily vegetarian but offer a vegetarian specialization?

2. As much as I'd like to attend the Natural Gourmet Institute in NY, it seems a bit pricey for a 4-month course (~$20K). This is actually the main reason I'm looking for another option for a vegetarian-friendly school. The fact that it's in Manhattan doesn't help. Another perk of going to school in Canada is lower housing cost (on average). Any good alternative to this option?

3. What do you know about Americans attending culinary school in Canada? I know prices are higher for international students, but then what about government-subsidized schools, like Pius X? I couldn't find any info on this on their website. Any info you could share on this topic would be super helpful.

Well... there's a mouthful.

Thanks for reading & replying!!!

[Mezzaluna]

Hello Margot and welcome to Chef Talk. Yes, we do have a forum for culinary students and culinary schools. I will suggest you use the search tool on this site to cull through the 10 years' worth of threads to see if your questions have been addressed before. I see that you've also posted your questions already in several other forums on this site, so once you do a search, you can sit back and wait for responses.

Have a look around the whole site and enjoy it. There's so much here to learn, and so many great people to interact with from all over the world.

Good luck in your quest!
Mezzaluna

[margot]

Thanks!
I have done quite a few searches, on this forum and others, but to no avail.

[Mezzaluna]

Then, ask away! I suggest choosing a single forum for your questions rather than posting in multiple forums. As you might guess, the Culinary Schools and Culinary Students' forum is probably your best bet. As this is a bulletin board rather than a live chat, people come and go during their day- and that's a global day! I suggest checking back periodically to catch new posts "as the world turns". All the more reason to visit us often!

Mezz

[Second Letters]

Hello everyone,

I am currently new to Cheftalk and am interested in some of the topic and blogs on the site. I am currently a 12th grade student at Delcastle Technical High School. I have been in the program for about 2 years and i absoultley love it. Our main objective in our shop is to help the sohpomores and run the cafe the whole year. My main focus is pastry but, we are always learning about different culinary topics. As of right now i am not sure if i would like you persue culinary my whole life i am scared and do not know if i could make it but, if i have the means i will definantly try to open my own business. If something happens that makes me want to persue this then I would love to go to one of the La Cordon Bleu schools. Last year they came to visit and i really enjoyed the type of learning that they provide. I am mostly scared that the economy will not allow me to persue this wonderful dream but, hopefully things change and I will find a way to do this. I know that i wil enjoy this year and i hope that you will share with me some of the insight that you have been learning in your environment. Thanks for listening and i hope to hear from you soon

ttyl
Ambur B