Why do some of you knock going to culinary school? - Page 3

Do what you love.  Have an open mind, know that even in fast food or poorly run place, you can learn what works and what doesn't.  There are many many different avenues to go in when working in the food industry.

Writing

Photography

Catering (onsite and offsite)

Farmers markets

baking

selling

marketing

food styling

working with booze/wine

teaching

event planning

corporate

personal chef

private chef

personal buyer

R&D

food scientist

broker

farmer

forager

RD

rural sociologist

on and on and on and on......many opportunities.

*I've done at least 50% of the list.

I'm new to this forum and I'm currently a college student but living in a food city really made me realize that my true passion is in food and cooking, so I'm looking to make the move into the culinary field ASAP. The problem is that I have zero experience in cooking in a restaurant, I'm just a home cook. I've applied to several restaurants around town for at least a prep cook job and they're all looking for at least two years of experience, so it's hard to get experience when everybody is looking for experience, it's hard to know where to start...dishwasher?? I really don't want to waste my time washing dishes when I could be learning and gaining experience in the kitchen. I would think going to culinary school is my only option....right?

if not go to culinary school how would you start?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Costco77 

 it's hard to know where to start...dishwasher?? I really don't want to waste my time washing dishes when I could be learning and gaining experience in the kitchen. I would think going to culinary school is my only option....right?

 

if not go to culinary school how would you start?

Most of us started washing dishes, and it's not a waste of time.  You don't think you wash dishes all the time, do you?  If the cooks like your attitude, they will ask you to do food prep tasks, if the Chef likes your attitude, he will ask you to move up to salads.

I don't know how to make my opinions clear on cooking in a professional kitchen, but I will try:

Say you need a cataract surgery, you have a choice of two surgeons.  First guy graduated 1st out of a class of 200, aced the surgery on computer simulation and on dead animals, but never really did it on a human before.  The other guy has done about 500 surgeries, no complications.  Who're gonna choose?

Yeah, yeah, a restaurant isn't surgery.  It's the owner's life though, his finances and risk, his overhead and salary cost.  It's the employee's livelyhood too.  

Work at lest 9 mths in a restaurant before plopping your money down for school.  It's (cooking professionaly) not for everyone.   

Quote:

Originally Posted by foodpump 
...Work at lest 9 mths in a restaurant before plopping your money down for school.  It's (cooking professionaly) not for everyone.   

 

Notice that FoodPump did not say cook in a restaurant, he said work.

As FoodPump pointed out, a dishwasher does not only wash dishes, there are no dishes to wash unless food is being cooked and served.

Besides, one of the most critical, IMHO, jobs in a kitchen is the dishwasher, remember, no plates, no tableware, no pots, pans, skillets, no money into the till!
 

i remain very proud that in my school's dining lab it was generally agreed that we would rename our DMO pit positions from "DMO1" and "DMO2" to "Bob1" and "Bob2". I had that bidness down and running like sunshine and smelling of roses come service.

While the rest of the restaurant or front of house were being cleaned (sanitized/swept/mopped), dishes were done well in advance and never second guessed, largely because there was no need. They were sparkling and wonderful - as was the commentary from our hot line in how our pit made damned sure they had what they needed in ample time and at the critical moment... not that servers were neglected but their needs did come second to our line.

in my final restaurant plan our prep cooks and dishwashers made essentially (much) more or even with our line cooks.

just sayin...

"waste my time washing dishes".

I'd rethink my attitude in whole, or you'll find yourself "wasting time making salads", "wasting time plating desserts", etc.

To be fair, Anthony Bourdain DID get a degree, but if you read his material he is very 'down' on the idea.

Quote:

Originally Posted by rmullins 

To be fair, Anthony Bourdain DID get a degree, but if you read his material he is very 'down' on the idea.

He writes fiction; poorly.

One can't take his writings as truth.

Most in this industry get a "degree" in order to ah... "appease" the H.R. dept or in order to get a decent salary

Quote:

Originally Posted by foodpump 

Most in this industry get a "degree" in order to ah... "appease" the H.R. dept or in order to get a decent salary

Not that there's any thing wrong with that.

Dave

I wouldn't knock dishwashing. I did a year and a half in the dish pit, it made me a more humble cook after that point. And it serves as to a novice/apprentice as an oppertunity to observe the kitchen around you while doing a rather mindles task. Take a dish job and observe the flow of things and just do some time in the low rank and work up. It's simple and perfectly respectable for where you are and what you want to do.