If you have decided that you would like to become a top chef, you may be looking for the proper steps to achieve your goal. There are a few different schools of thought concerning how to become a successful chef.
Some of the best chefs today have risen through the ranks of the restaurant industry with nothing but on-the-job experience, grit and determination. However, thanks to celebrated cooking shows like "Top Chef," there is heightened interest in a formal culinary arts education today. More chefs than ever before can boast a culinary arts degree.
So, where does that leave you? To become the best chef you can possibly be, many restaurant owners and managers will tell you that it requires a combination of hands-on real world experience and a degree from a high-ranking culinary arts school.
How Do You Choose a Culinary Arts School?
If you decide to pursue your degree, there are a number of important items to consider. In order to find the best culinary schools or colleges in your area, you need to create a checklist and do your investigative homework. Taking time to find the right school for you is the initial step to becoming a successful top chef.
Look for ACF Accreditation
The best culinary schools or colleges will be accredited by the American Culinary Federation (ACF), so the first thing you can do to narrow your search is to look for schools in your area that carry this seal of approval. Among other things, an ACF accreditation guarantees that a school hires only certified faculty, does not exceed certain faculty-student ratios and abides by predetermined facility and curriculum standards.
Search for Real World Experience
The best chef schools will offer real food service experience as part of their culinary arts curriculum. In your search for culinary arts schools, narrow your choice to schools that offer student-operated restaurants. Then, go visit those facilities and try to talk to the students who are working there. What kinds of experiences are they having? If they are feeling the true-to-life pressures of working in a quality restaurant, you are on the right track in your college search.
Find Affordable Programs
Despite what you may have heard, a formal culinary arts education does not have to cost a fortune. You can find very good ACF-accredited community college programs that are extremely affordable. Because you may be facing low salaries at the beginning of your culinary career, it is important that you do not enter the workforce straddled with huge student loan debt.
Consider the Facility
Your search for the best culinary schools or colleges should include a close look at the actual program facilities. You may find that the ACF-accredited programs have been around longer and are therefore housed in older facilities. While their kitchens may not boast the newest and shiniest equipment, older schools have other positive features to consider. They will most likely have a large, widespread group of alumni who will be happy to help you as you work to achieve your career goals.
The newest culinary arts programs may provide more modern kitchens and high-tech classrooms, but you may find that those comforts come with much higher price tag. As you visit facilities, keep in mind that accreditation and real experience should be the top priorities on your checklist.
Figuring out how to become a successful chef involves taking the time to look at your current personal situation. If you are in a position that allows you to pursue a culinary arts degree, you are on your way to earning educational credentials that can take you a long way towards achieving your goal of being the best chef you can be.
If you want to enter into one of the top culinary schools then you must be aware about certain things that should be considered while choosing culinary arts schools or colleges [http://www.culinaryschoolsu.com/culinary-blog/how-to-choose-a-culinary-school] of your choice. To know more about how to become a culinary manager [http://www.culinaryschoolsu.com/culinary-blog/how-to-become-a-culinary-manager], you can do a close watch in cooking arts industry.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Parker_Zac
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7911284
Some of the best chefs today have risen through the ranks of the restaurant industry with nothing but on-the-job experience, grit and determination. However, thanks to celebrated cooking shows like "Top Chef," there is heightened interest in a formal culinary arts education today. More chefs than ever before can boast a culinary arts degree.
So, where does that leave you? To become the best chef you can possibly be, many restaurant owners and managers will tell you that it requires a combination of hands-on real world experience and a degree from a high-ranking culinary arts school.
How Do You Choose a Culinary Arts School?
If you decide to pursue your degree, there are a number of important items to consider. In order to find the best culinary schools or colleges in your area, you need to create a checklist and do your investigative homework. Taking time to find the right school for you is the initial step to becoming a successful top chef.
Look for ACF Accreditation
The best culinary schools or colleges will be accredited by the American Culinary Federation (ACF), so the first thing you can do to narrow your search is to look for schools in your area that carry this seal of approval. Among other things, an ACF accreditation guarantees that a school hires only certified faculty, does not exceed certain faculty-student ratios and abides by predetermined facility and curriculum standards.
Search for Real World Experience
The best chef schools will offer real food service experience as part of their culinary arts curriculum. In your search for culinary arts schools, narrow your choice to schools that offer student-operated restaurants. Then, go visit those facilities and try to talk to the students who are working there. What kinds of experiences are they having? If they are feeling the true-to-life pressures of working in a quality restaurant, you are on the right track in your college search.
Find Affordable Programs
Despite what you may have heard, a formal culinary arts education does not have to cost a fortune. You can find very good ACF-accredited community college programs that are extremely affordable. Because you may be facing low salaries at the beginning of your culinary career, it is important that you do not enter the workforce straddled with huge student loan debt.
Consider the Facility
Your search for the best culinary schools or colleges should include a close look at the actual program facilities. You may find that the ACF-accredited programs have been around longer and are therefore housed in older facilities. While their kitchens may not boast the newest and shiniest equipment, older schools have other positive features to consider. They will most likely have a large, widespread group of alumni who will be happy to help you as you work to achieve your career goals.
The newest culinary arts programs may provide more modern kitchens and high-tech classrooms, but you may find that those comforts come with much higher price tag. As you visit facilities, keep in mind that accreditation and real experience should be the top priorities on your checklist.
Figuring out how to become a successful chef involves taking the time to look at your current personal situation. If you are in a position that allows you to pursue a culinary arts degree, you are on your way to earning educational credentials that can take you a long way towards achieving your goal of being the best chef you can be.
If you want to enter into one of the top culinary schools then you must be aware about certain things that should be considered while choosing culinary arts schools or colleges [http://www.culinaryschoolsu.com/culinary-blog/how-to-choose-a-culinary-school] of your choice. To know more about how to become a culinary manager [http://www.culinaryschoolsu.com/culinary-blog/how-to-become-a-culinary-manager], you can do a close watch in cooking arts industry.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Parker_Zac
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7911284
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