I know for a fact that few, if any, culinary schools, lay out all the facts and possibilities for prospective students making bright eyed inquiries on their shiny doorsteps. It used to be that culinary schools required their future students to have at least some experience in the field before even being able to apply. Now the only skill a future cook needs to possess is the ability to sign a check.
When I receive an email the first thing I do is ask the person a number of questions. I realize each person coming to me has a different agenda, various hopes, specific goals and has bravely put forth an inquiry to a complete stranger. It's vulnerable to ask for help, but an amazing resource the www offers anyone trusting enough to think there's someone out there who can answer seemingly impossible or overwhelming questions.
I began my career from a similar place. A friend of a friend of a friend was a chef in New York City. Soon after she graduated from CCAC I took a trip there and contacted her. She did not hesitate to say yes and within hours of arriving I was sitting across from an accomplished chef taking notes on what she was saying. After thanking her profusely for making the time to see me she said something I hope to never forget. I have said it myself more than once and always credit her.
"I always say yes to helping other women in the field because professional cooking is a Men's Club. What we are doing here is the only network for female cooks. If I don't pass it on to other women, no one else will."
Almost a year later, the late Barbara Tropp spoke strikingly similar words at a fundraising dinner announcing what would be the first women's culinary professional organization, Women Chefs and Restaurateurs.
I've written a fair amount on the subject of culinary school advice. My most "Googled" piece is "What is a Chef's Responsibility?" Recently I wrote a piece, so transparent I'm practically naked, about the pastry chef glass ceiling I've hit, especially in the Bay Area since both the Dot Com Bust and September 11th.
It's not easy these days to be excited about my profession, my specific field and the industry I love. But I believe deeply "we keep what we have by giving it away," and I honor those who apprenticed, mentored and educated before me when I answer these missives. As well, I've recently fallen in love with teaching culinary classes myself.
Here are some excerpts of emails I've sent to various people who have asked me for culinary school advice:
"Know why it is you want to go to culinary school, what specific needs and desires you have, and then the education you go after will fill these. The other option is to go after a specific restaurant for on-the-job training.
Some important attitude hints: Be humble. Start at The Bottom-- peeling apples, doing prep, learning to butcher, tempering chocolate by hand, etc. Do not take a job where you're considered "the pastry chef" for at least 5 years. Employers love to give titles to people to entice them, but it only works out for the business in the end-- because you're a lot cheaper than me and it's easier to stroke your ego with a title than the learning that you need to do along the way. Bad habits are formed in those cooks with little or no direction.
It takes more time to unlearn than it does to start off training under the best people you can find. Not every chef is a great teacher. Most chefs do not have the time to teach. A lot of the learning is on you. Supplement your hours in the kitchen with articles, books, library visits, magazines, and eating out whenever you can afford to. Develop your taste memory by using all of your senses when you eat and go to farmers' markets.
You're not going to make very much money in this field, but most especially at the beginning. So it's of utmost importance you work with the (pastry) chef you want to. In the kitchen/restaurant you want to. Whose desserts/food do you love? Do you love the classical or modern stuff? Do you like big kitchens or the small ones? Asian food, French, North African... think about this.
Do a little research: collect (dessert) menus from a bunch of local restaurants. When you go in and ask for the menu, have a pen and write down the (pastry) chef's full name. Then take your resume into each place whose (dessert) menu calls out to you and (make sure to find out when is the best time to go to the restaurant: if they serve lunch visit betw 3-4:30, if they only serve dinner, visit @ noon) go to each place asking for the (pastry) chef by name and ask if they have any positions open. They don't? Would they be willing to have you come in one or two days a week for free? Tell them how much their (dessert) menu interested you and say you are coming there to work for them specifically.
INTENTIONALLY CHOOSE YOUR EDUCATION, YOUR TEACHERS, YOUR MENTORS.
If you are going to make $10 hour working anywhere, work at the place you want to learn the most. Just like school, just like life: your education is up to you! You will learn a lot from someone who knows a lot. From someone who has a lot of suggestions, can brainstorm, knows the history of food and food science. Is able to teach, to mentor, and to be patient enough to grow a person from seed to sprout, at least.
Don't stay at a job unless you're learning. But don't put any job that you haven't been at for at least 6 months on your resume. Buy and read the SF Chronicle (or your local paper) and the NY Times Every Wednesday. This is the cheapest way to start your regional restaurant education."
But patience on your side is necessary. Chefs who think you're in a hurry will most likely view that attitude as disrespectful. Not a single craft is learned overnight. Few chefs I've worked for have taught me by saying, "Here let me show you a better way." Or, "Take all the time you need to get this right."
Learning on the job has often meant that I learned under fire. It meant I had to pay close attention when chefs and sous chefs didn't teach in an empathetic way.
Learning how to cook professionally is about doing it. It's repetition, teaching all five senses memory. It's about deference and humility, respecting those who have been cooking/baking longer. It's stamina, and a passion so deep and strong it can feel delusional. Professional cooks are best when they are a precarious mix of humble and cocky, and knowing the balance is important. Something besides external validators like money, the public's gratitude or a normal life must drive you.
And lastly:
"There should be thousands of things YOU should look for in a professional cooking job! Is the kitchen clean? How are the Spanish-speaking workers treated? Are the sous chefs helpful? Is the chef absent? The food delicious? Is there a staff meal and is it edible? Are the appliances clean and working properly? Are people caring for themselves and their surroundings? The cooks tasting their food? How many cooks have been there longer than 6 months, a year? Is the sous chef a person who has been promoted, and if so, from what position? Are the cooks happy to be there? Are they learning? Is the pastry chef experienced? How long has the kitchen management been baking/cooking professionally? What's the style of the management team?
School gives you a foot in the door. But that's all. Now the real work is ahead of you."
I am currently mentoring a few people, some of whom have chosen culinary school, some who are going alternate routes. It's thoroughly inspiring and rewarding. No matter what a person chooses, my hope is that my industry will continue to thrive and expand the envelopes and glass ceilings I've been straining against for the last 15 years.