Tv Cooking Programmes Drive A Surge Of Interest In Culinary Art Schools   by Anne Sprigpitt

With the increase in number and popularity of television programmes focusing on cooking and culinary skills a large number of people are finding the internet a key place to find tips and information on culinary art schools.

Over 53,000 people last month searched on the internet for information on 'culinary schools' and this data is from just one search engine. This increasing trend for people looking for culinary art schools and for careers in the culinary world is believed to be driven by the significant rise in cooking and culinary related programmes which have been aired on television especially over the last few months. This has been coupled with the new high profiles of so called 'celebrity chefs', further driving interest in the field.

Anne Sprigpitt owner of 1culinaryartschools.com says, "Over the last few months we've seen a significant increase in the numbers of people using our site to find more information about culinary arts schools. Much of this is down to the popularity of TV cooking programmes such as 'Master Chef', 'Saturday Kitchen' and 'Great British Menu', which have been screening on the BBC over recent months."

"The main problem many people who search for information on culinary art schools is that they are overwhelmed by the number of different options available to them. For example there are French cooking schools, Thai cooking schools, Le Cordon Bleu schools, Italian cooking schools and many more. There are so many choices they just don't know where to start looking"

"My advice to anyone who is looking for a career in cooking and wants to join a culinary art school is to narrow down your areas of interest, so that you identify what area of cooking you are most passionate about and go for it. The most important thing is doing what you love."

Cooking to a very high standard is not easy and requires many hours of dedication, sweat and tears. If the increase in popularity of culinary art schools continues, we should see a new wave of 'celebrity chefs' coming through over the next few years as more people see it as a viable way to achieve success and fame.

Tips On Choosing The Best Culinary Arts School   by Jim Johnson

You may be a great cook already, but if you want a future in the culinary arts world you'll need training and education in order to succeed. And that's where culinary schools come in. They are educational institutions that are designed for one simple purpose, to teach you what you need to know in order to pursue your vocation in the culinary arts field.

So if you want a career in culinary arts, you need to start considering which culinary school you should attend. And a lot will depend on what kind of job you wish to pursue after you graduate. Perhaps you want to be a restaurant manager or owner, maybe a chef, or even a food writer. In order to qualify for almost any of these positions, you'll need the education and training that are provided at a quality culinary school.

So what should you look for when searching for culinary schools? Perhaps the first thing you should look at is whether a particular culinary arts school is fully accredited or not. This is very important to your future employment opportunities as only accredited culinary schools provide the kind of education degrees that are really valuable in the workplace. So do your best to avoid any school that is not fully accredited by a review of its educational peers as being well worth your educational investment. There are many education scams that are out there, and you want to be sure to stay far away from these.

You also want make sure that the particular school you are interested in will be able to teach the specific courses that apply to the career you are pursuing. Some schools will specialize more in certain fields of the culinary arts, whereas others will pay attention to different kinds of courses. So narrow your field down from the accredited schools that you found to those that offer the kind of courses that will benefit you most.

The next consideration is how important is it for the school to be close to where you live? If you are able, do they provide dorms and living quarters on campus where you can stay? If at all possible, it's a good idea to visit the college campus and tour the facilities, perhaps even observing a class if you can. This will help you get a good feel about whether this particular school will be a good fit for you.

You'll also want to consider the kind of qualifications that they require for acceptance, and whether or not you meet these qualifications at this point. Then review the length of the course program, as this can vary greatly from one school to another.

Finally, education costs should also be considered, but keep in mind that the education you receive will provide for a lifetime of solid income. So is usually best to make your decision based more on the quality of the education that you will receive rather than the costs of the school instead. And if costs seem prohibitive, there are many scholarships that are usually available to those who are willing to work hard and apply for them that can help offset these expenses.

So whether your interest is in being a baker, a gourmet chef, a restaurant owner, a food writer, or some other field in the culinary arts, following the suggestions provided above should help you get the culinary arts degree that you really want.

Culinary Vocational Schools (Cooking School)   by Michael Bustamante

Culinary Vocational Schools instruct in the arts of cooking and baking. Students learn how to identify fresh meats and vegetables, create new recipes, and prepare appetizers, soups, sauces, entrees, breads, pastries, desserts, and much more. The Culinary Trade School curriculum also includes nutrition, kitchen management, sanitation, hygiene, safety procedures, cost control, human resource management and table service techniques.

Some Culinary Vocational Schools specialize in baking and pastry arts, where students learn about basic syrups, creams, icings, pies, cakes, candies, straight and sponge dough methods, pastries, fillings, specialty yeast dough items, breads, cookies, tarts, and other types of baked goods.

Most professional chefs and bakers begin their career by attending an accredited Culinary Trade School. Upon completion of a 4-year course in culinary arts, the career chef may dedicate five or more years working as an apprentice under the supervision of a head chef. Apprentices of the culinary arts often start off as support staff, advancing from one kitchen position to the next, and acquiring a well-rounded experience under several different mentors.

Culinary chefs are considered to be food artists, and they are experts at combining ordinary ingredients to create gastronomic masterpieces. Employment possibilities for culinary vocational school graduates are endless, including such positions as personal chef, industrial chef, hospital chef, restaurant chef, school nutritionist, baker, cake decorator, bread artisan, and educator.

If you are interested in learning more about Culinary Vocational Schools, please search our site for more in-depth information and resources.

DISCLAIMER: Above is a GENERAL OVERVIEW and may or may not reflect specific practices, courses and/or services associated with ANY ONE particular school(s) that is or is not advertised on SchoolsGalore.com

Copyright 2006 - All Rights Reserved Michael Bustamante, in association with Media Positive Communications, Inc. for SchoolsGalore.com

About the Author

M. Bustamante is a staff writer for Media Positive Communications, Inc.

Jackets and Toques The History and Evolution of the Way We Dress
(This article was originally published in the National Culinary Review)

Chefs, for the most part, wear their uniforms almost every day of their working lives, replete with toque, checked pants and double-breasted jacket. Though these uniforms are ubiquitous in the foodservice industry worldwide, they are often taken for granted and worn without much thought. However, many may find that the origin and reasons behind traditional chef's attire are as interesting as it looks.

Much of the chef's uniform has developed out of necessity. The jacket, for example, is double-breasted so it can easily be reversed to hide stains that may accumulate throughout the day; the double layer of cotton is also designed to insulate our bodies against the intense heat of the stove or an accidental splattering of hot liquid. Even the knotted cloth buttons were fashioned for a reason-cloth will withstand the frequent washings and abuse buttons often take from contact with pots, pans and other heavy equipment. Though executive chefs often wear black pants, working chefs and cooks usually don pants with black-and-white checks-the dizzying pattern of hound's tooth camouflages minor spills and soilings. Today neckerchiefs are primarily worn for aesthetic purposes, to give our uniforms a more finished look, but originally cotton cloths were draped around ones neck to soak body sweat while working in the inferno-like kitchens of yesteryear.

The traditional chef's hat, or toque blanche, is what is most distinguishing and recognizable of the uniform, and also the component which often causes the most debate. Chefs as far back as the 16th century are said to have worn toques. During that period artisans of all types (including chefs) were often imprisoned, or even executed, because of their freethinking. To alleviate persecution, some chefs sought refuge in the Orthodox Church and hid amongst the priests of the monasteries. There they wore the same clothes as the priests-including their tall hats and long robes-with the exception of one deviating trait: the chef's clothes were gray and the priest's were black.

It wasn't until the middle 1800's that chef Marie-Antoine Carême redesigned the uniforms. Carême thought the color white more appropriate, that it denoted cleanliness in the kitchen; it was also at this time that he and his staff began to wear double-breasted jackets. Carême also thought that the hats should be different sizes, to distinguish the cooks from the chefs. The chefs wore the tall hats and the younger cooks wore shorter hats, more like a cap. Carême himself supposedly wore a hat that was 18 inches tall! The folded pleats of a toque, which later became an established characteristic of the chef's hat, were first said to have been added to indicate the more than 100 ways in which a chef can cook an egg.

The cleanliness of the cook's uniform was very important, and that it promoted professionalism. His staff was required to maintain clean and complete uniforms while on the job, and were also encouraged to wear coats and ties while not at work. To this day cooks and chefs around the world wear the same attire that has traceable origins back to more than 400 years. Along with the other conveniences the 1950's brought, paper toques were invented to look like cloth but could be disposed of once they were soiled.

The traditional chef's uniform may be the standard for our profession, but it's definitely not the law. Since the mid-1980's a legion of chefs and cooks have begun to wear non-traditional "fun" chef's attire. These nouveau uniforms run the gamut from pinstriped baggy pants and denim jackets to full blown wildly patterned outfits with chili peppers, flowers, and even the CIA logo. While some chefs may nay-say these new-style uniforms as non-professional, others retaliate that they are more comfortable and give chefs an opportunity to express their individuality through their clothes as well as their food.

Actually, the non-traditional uniforms of today may remind some of the late chef-philanthropist Alexis Soyer, author, inventor and one time chef of the Reform Club in London. Chef Soyer was known to have his entire wardrobe-including his work attire-tailor made. Some of his headgear was as eccentric as a red velvet beret; his jackets were often cut on the bias with large lapels and cuffs. He called his individualistic style "à la zoug-zoug," and the more his contemporaries ridiculed him the more outlandish his outfits became. Like the old adage says, "What's old is new again."

As a professional chef myself, I prefer to adhere to traditional chef's attire-the uniform and its history are something to be proud of. On the other hand, I can also understand a chef's desire to want to be expressive. As the twentieth century comes to a close, these nouveau style uniforms have their place in certain establishments; restaurants today, after all, are considered a form of theater. As with anything, the chef's uniform continues to evolve, who knows what the future has to hold? One thing is certain though, the image of a chef, in a pristine white jacket and toque, is recognized the world over as a professional, and we have our predecessors to thank for this.