Ask a Chef

Question:

Dear Chef Shawn,
My name is Nancy and I have been accepted to Johnson & Wales University and will be beginning classes this fall. I have been working as a prep cook at a local restaurant for about 6 months now, nothing fancy but I get the chance to work on some of my basic knife skills. So I am thinking that this is a big plus and will help get me ready for my culinary arts training that I am about to began but I was wondering if there was anything that you could recommend to help me get started? I really want to start classes with a leg up.

Thank You,
Nancy

Answer:

Hi Nancy first Johnson & Wales University is one of the best culinary arts programs and I commend you on your good taste. (Ok, maybe I am a little bias since that is where I graduate) Anyways, working the industry is always a plus and working with knives is the only way to improve your skills. So you are on the right track but here are a few more things that can help you get a little ahead when you had of to JWU.

[ad#ad-block-1]The first thing that you will want to do is pick up a few books culinary arts reference books. When you get to Johnson & Wales University you will be given a set of books for your classes but these ones that I am recommending will be invaluable to your getting a leg up and you will also be using these while you are taking classes. The first on that you will want is the Food Lover’s Companion this like a culinary arts dictionary and you will use it a lot. Next, you should look into either On Cooking or The Professional Chef both of these are written like culinary arts text book but better. I cannot stress how important these books are to getting that leg up you are looking for, they are some of the best materials that you can get.

I also recommend to any incoming culinary arts student out there whether you are going to Johnson & Wales University or any other culinary arts school is that you are going to be spending a lot of money to learn, take advantage never will you have the wealth of knowledge at your disposal like you will when you are attending classes. Take the time pick you instructors brains try and learn everything that you can.

Well I wish you the best of luck Nancy, enjoy your time at Johnson & Wales University.

Hello Chef Shawn,

My name is Misty and I am a High school senior at ….. and have a dream of becoming a chef and opening my own restaurant one day. What I was wondering was if you recommend going to Culinary School or getting your training through working in the industry. Any advice would be great. Thank You Misty.

Hey Misty glad to get you question and well that I can provide some useful advice on reaching your goals. The funny thing is your question is a very hard one to answer because there truly no right or wrong answer but each training process can be invaluable towards reaching your goal of becoming a restaurant owner and operator.

First is culinary arts schools provide you with a great bit of training. One of the best things that you will learn while attending culinary arts school is the why of cooking not just how to cook. This is very important to an aspiring chef because at point along your career path you will need to stop being the one that is doing the cooking at start training other on how it is done and you can either tell employee time and time again of how to do something or you can teach them once why it needs to be done that way once.

Culinary arts school is also going to give you the chance to interact with many likeminded young adults that are looking to pursue careers in the industry. This is great because you will make many contacts that will be in the same industry as you which is invaluable.

Now when it comes to training in the industry you get something that you really cannot get from the going to a school and that is the speed and the sense of urgency that comes with working in restaurant. The work we do is very fast pace and you will always find yourself on the clock. Culinary arts schools do an ok job of simulating this but there is nothing better than the real thing.

The truth is Misty that the best advice I can give you is to do both. Start working in the industry as soon as possible and then get yourself into a good culinary arts school and while you are attending school you need to be working in the industry at the same time. This will give the best chance at reaching your goals.

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