certificate choices

Welcome

I do not know much but I have posted some similar question. I live in dallas and contemplated on a career change in the future. I have been advised to check out community colleges such as collin county or el centro. I am not sure where you are exactly. Since I already have a 6 yr professional degree, I don't want any more filler courses or loans.

I would get my feet wet in some community college and get experience at a good restaurant where they make everything from scratch. I love to bake so I would go where they make their bake goods from scratch and decide if i won't to make a move out to state. Just my opinion.:)
I also wanted to go to FCI but I am no position to leave my young kids (also how do I survive in such a big city!)

Good luck!

First of all I don't think it matters what kind of degree you are going to get. Completing or going to culinary school is what matters and only to those who care. Unless you plan on pursuing a careeer abroad where those thing matter more. I had a BA also before I went, now I am looking at getting my MA. No one has ever asked about my AOS, so I just chalk it up as life experience.

I went to NECI, Essex, and after entering the workforce I felt far more prepared for the realities of working in the industry then graduates from other schools. As I now employ graduates from other schools, I am shocked at what they didn't experience or learn. You are always cooking for real people, either for students as in (200) in the cafeteria, your first quarter, or casual restaurant the second, or fine dining your second. Or banquets and weddings or cakes and pastries for a downtown coffeeshop. And these aren't your typical student restaurants. They are very public, and very popular. In fact one crticism I had of the school, as a student was that it felt like more emphasis was put on running the restaurants then teaching us, as far as demand, work load, and pace.

Classes are small, and students do ALL the work. This is a much more realistic setting when most lines are small in the real world.

There was a very high level of work be demanded and taught, as well as broad subjects from sushi, to vegan food, to french classics, artisan breads, sugar pulling, . Not to mention food cost and basic business skills were drilled into us. Something that has benefitted me more than anything else.

Most professors were awesome and willing to work with you on a project that your were interested in all the more better if it was unique or challenging.

Their internship and job placement program is also fantastic. Their job fair is well tended by some big names. Also with so much intimate exposure to so many chefs, some from abroad networking opportunities are great.

Vermont itself is a great place to be, if you can handle the snow. For a small town, it is has quite a bit of culture. Several fine dining restaruants. They take the concept of local seriously and I never found a greater concentration of small dairies, bakeries, farmers, etc.... Also it is a 4 hour drive to Boston, 6-NY, and 1 hr to Montreal.

When I went they only had the AOS Culinary it was before the pastry program and before certificate programs. So I can't speak on content. I think that if money wasn't the issue (because bad side to NECI is the cost) then the more education and more well-rounded you are the better prepared you will be. But be forewarned that no matter how good of a culinary school you go to the earning wage is the same after you graduate.

culinary school hopeful

HI,
My name is Eudora.
I want to go through the certificate program at Dallas Art Institute.
What types of job placement can I expect?
I do love cooking and have worked in resturants before.
I desire my own cafe.

Please help.

I was looking at FCI as well, but with my dog not being able to come with me I decided against it. I do know they have a low student to teacher ratio. I live in Colorado and decided to attend the school a little closer to home. I just started this week at the Culinary School of the Rockies and am already very satisfied with my choice. The student to teacher ration will be no higher than 8:1. For my class it is about 6:1. To instructors per class. They are nationally accredited. If you have any interest in being green and sustaining local farmers this would be the school to look at. Good luck.

Hello ilse,
Please let me know if I can be of any help.
I am the Executive Chef at the New England Culinary Institue.

Hello Ilse,

Generally speaking, the certificate in either culinary, baking or pastry arts is a good choice for individuals looking at gaining entry level experience at a very specific skill set. I suggest when considering the level of education that you need that you "keep the end in mind". There are plenty of ways to get there! What is your dream? What are you hoping to gain from going to school? When choosing a school, I would recommend getting plenty of detail about what you are going to get out of the experience. Also, factor in what the relationship with the school is after you have completed the program.

As for me, I had a BA in Anthropology/Philosophy before I attended culinary school. I took the AOS culianry program at NECI and it was worth every shiny penny! I only wish they had offered the BA in Culinary back then... My previous BA degree still propelled me further/faster.

An accredited AOS does have more "heft" then a certificate in the industry simply because of the level of content. We are finding that because there are so many AOS graduates in the industry, our Bachelors of Arts in both Hospitality and Culinary are taking off. Again, it goes back to content. What are you looking for and what skills/experiences do you need to take you there at your desired pace.

Chef Dan Tabor, the dean of the Baking and Pastry program dantabor@neci.edu would be a great resource to find out some of the details of our programs. I would also encourage you to look at other schools and see how they do it. NECI is excellent at delivering hands-on, standards-based training with small classes in live kitches. And by live I mean that students in our AOS B&P class prepare breakfast and lunch pastries for 900-1500 people 5 days a week.

I totally hear you when you say that you want to stay out in the work force. Here I would say to look at your education as an investment. I would absolutely recommend doing the math to see what the cost/benefit is.

Sorry I didn't give such a "straight" answer, but culinary school is expensive in so many ways: time, $$$, energy. My recommendation is to try and nail down some of your goals and dreams and work backwards from there on which path to take.

I am very excited for you!

Be great!

Chef,

Thank you for sharing your wisdom with our culinary students. Congratulations of your earning your CEC.