Warning to all considering Le Cordon Bleu Atlanta

Yeah thats not just LCB Atlanta... thats pretty much LCB alltogether

RAS,

That might be for the US partner schools. The full program campuses are a different story.

--Al

I am not being judgmental (sometimes in the impersonal world of electronic communication the tone of the reply gets muddled due to lack of inflection and visual clues) but I am a bit confused by this statement. Could you please further explain what you mean? :confused:

I think alot of culinary schools are like that.

It should start out with the basics, stocks, sauces and cuts especially.

Then cooking techniquies, the basics of all ways of cooking

then something more advance like chacuteirre and such

then some resturant simulations.

I dont think many schools can give you real world expereince becuase you can only get tht in the real world. but what they can do is teach you how to prepare and execute different products so when you are in the real world you dont have to be shown how to braise or make a stock. or such....

lcbatl08

Now does your school teach you a lot of hand ons things or do you watch the chef and learn that way. I'm attending IUP right now. Its a small school and I personally think I'm learning a lot from it. They only accept 100 students. We have around 18 or 20 people in a classroom. We work in groups of 3 or 4 people. You learn a lot that way. The chefs here care a lot about us. If we need help they offer it and if you are having trouble with someone. They help you figure it out. This school is like a family.

I was wondering how your college runs.

I agree with this original post. If I had not already had 5 years experience in a busy hotel/ restaurant kitchen under a wonderful chef and mentor I may not have came outta La Cordon Bleu Atlanta ready for the real world.

I applied to a Le Cordon Bleu in NH hoping they had a baking and pastry program and the representative sort of pushed me into applying and enrolling even though they only had a full chef's program with a few pastry classes. She tried to convince me that I wouldn't get a good job in pastry if I didn't have the whole chef program under my belt. I was so close to going there until I thought about it a lot and ended up finding a different school with a pastry program near me. I understand what you mean - it seems like they didn't really care about my education, they just wanted to get another person in the door to pay up.

Just as a point of note... There many things to bring the real world to life in the classroom. For instance, schools can operate a restaurant/cafe/bake shop or other commercial operations. Additionally, shadowing/co-op and internship opportunities are effective, as well.

Most colleges are run about the same, some push speed, some push technique. Youll see what i mean when you go out on externship. I graduated from iup and i know they push more technique than speed.

Check This School Out

Okay, I know I might be a little bit prejudiced however, check out my school: The Restaurant School at Walnut Hill College located t=in Philadelphia.

This school is dedicated to the hospitality field; no nursing or auto mechanics or med-assistants.

They offer two & four year programs in Culinary, Pastry, Hotel Management, etc.

Classes sizes are small (the whole school is small). Chefs are wonderful. Academic classes are geared to the hospitality field.

Students must participate in their classes but also must satisfy "internship" requirements each semester. In addition, each student must comply with minimum "community service" participation.

The school offers 4 differnt on-site full-service restaurants in addition to a coffee shop cafe.

Students also earn credits via field trips, to France, England, Disney World, and cruise ships. Costs of which are included in the tuition.

If I can be of further help, please let me know.

Is LCB Atlanta Really Bad???

I'm about to apply to LCB Atlanta b/c it's MUCH better than AI here. I'm going to focus on Baking and Pastry, so those two schools are pretty much it in this area. I need some real honest opinions before I drop the cash. I work full time in advertising, and I'll be doing the classes at night - so I needed to stay in the metro area for getting my certificate. Does anyone have any advice/warnings about signing up at LCB? Also keep in mind, when I get out of the program, I have my own cake business, so I won't be working in a busy, fast-paced kitchen. Any thoughts? All info would be VERY appreciated!

I went to a community college for my current trade. The instructor was excellent, and also said we'd need real-world training as well, no pretenses there. But then this wasn't a 40k degree.

where is that school?

Pretty much all schools are like that. Almost any kind of new graduate is useless for the field they were trained in, regardless of whether it's Computer Science, Business, Engineering or pretty much anything else.

That's one of the reasons it's hard for a new grad to get a really good job. They know that as soon as you have some experience and real skills, you'll leave.

Terry

I tend to disagree so far with the LCB rants I have read on here so far. It might vary from school to school, but so far, I feel that LCB Minneapolis has been EXTREMELY thorough with the training. Anytime someone has a question, or needs additional help outside of class, the instructors are always there to help.

I graduated from the Le Cordon Bleu in Atlanta back in 08. This is a message for anyone looking or considering the school. The program it's self wasn't too bad if you don't mind paying out $40k in 12 months ($670 a week). I know the program is "15 months" but the last 3 is just your externship which is the same as you just going and working at a job. You are only getting 12 months of class time. Think about it... if this were are 4 year degree it would be the same as a $160k degree.  Also, the classes are only 3 weeks long and you cover entire books in that time. So you better be a fast learner and be prepared to cram only to forget so you have room for the next book 3 weeks later. And the last week of each class you are doing finals and cleaning their kitchen, so lets say the classes are really only 12-13 days each. If you only care about getting the degree fast, this is perfect for you. Good cooking takes time... the same goes for a good education. Lets face it... a good chef doesn't require a degree but dedication, willingness to work hard all year long year after year, and a true love for cooking. I have been in the industry now for 4 years and I have never met a chef that required a degree, or honestly even cared about me having one. It's all about work ethic. My loans run me about $550.00 a month (6.6k a year) for jobs that only pay 10-12 an hour (in other words, it's the same as subtracting $3.00/hour of your pay for the next 25 years). My advice, if you are serious about becoming a chef... skip paying 40k and just work your way up through hard work. If you don't like the idea of it taking you years and years, then don't bother with this industry because all a degree buys you is a degree. Every chef I know would take experience over a culinary arts degree any day of the week. There is nothing you are going to learn at this school that you can't learn in the real world. You have to put in long hours, have an open mind, and go the extra mile in everything you do to get places in this business. I am not bashing all culinary schools, just know that you can learn how to saute and make a good hollandaise without paying thousands of dollars. If you have the drive to really make it and go places as a chef, you don't need this debt and degree to do it.