# It seems like everyone here..



## ashleyluvscake (Jul 10, 2007)

thinks culinary school is a huge waste of money and time....is this true?


I am planning on going to the LCB in pasadena. I have been trying to research if this is the right move. I have seen lots of advice from people saying this is not going to make you an exec chef ect. 

I really want to get into the cake business. I want to make wedding and special occasion cakes. That is my ultimate goal. I would like the culinary background as well. learn all I can learn because I LOVE cooking and food and I am so limited in what I know so far, but there are schools that are less expensive and for a shorter time than the LCB in pasadena, but I guess they sold me on being LCB and the prestige. 

I was all for it until I came here and saw all the bashing. For what I am trying to do is the LCB a bad move? I don't expect them to place me in a high paying job and i know i will get out what I put in, but I am just not sure.


----------



## jigz369 (Apr 20, 2007)

I personally have no problem with culinary schools, I attended one myself (for the technical aspects I required). I do have an issue with LCB in the US. The only Cordon Bleu school worth attending is the original one in Paris, France. The rest all appear to be poor knock-offs who are only out to make a buck. Just my opinion though...


----------



## ras1187 (Oct 3, 2006)

DO NOT GO TO A LCB SCHOOL JUST BECAUSE IT IS A LCB SCHOOL...

The prestige should not factor into your decision. It is a marketing technique, any culinary arts degree is worth just as much as an LCB degree.


----------



## adamm (Jul 16, 2005)

Im still in culinary school, well for another 3 week then i graduate, but i dont think it is a waste of time or money. My school teaches u the basics and you have to put the time and effert to gain as much knowledge as possible. As far as prestige a stuff is concered i know about that, a not very well know culinary school can produce a great chef one day but on the flip side a great culinary school can produce a crapy cook if they dont put in the time or the effort. Any school there are people who come directly out of school an think there chefs but they get a rude awakening when they go into the real world. My school preaches that when you wont be a chef when you graduate but there are still people thinking that they are chefs, but whatever.

Basicly if you work hard youll be able to acheive your what u want to do some day but do expect it to be spoon feed to you.


----------



## angeliab (Jul 25, 2006)

Culinary school is great but you must remember that they are only there to teach you the basics and technical skills, after that you must apply what you have learned and that takes time as well. I attended culinary school and I loved it.


----------



## clove (Feb 14, 2005)

Personally, I loved culinary school and would do it again in a heartbeat. I learned a lot and had a great time. I also made some great contacts that have continued to help me years after graduation. However, I have since worked with several people that hated their schools and thought they had wasted their money. I have had some people tell me their classes were too large or their schools mislead them. 
To protect yourself, research at least one other program for comparison and try to talk with someone that has graduated recently or is still attending.


----------



## suzanne (May 26, 2001)

I found school very useful and a value (even though it took a couple of years to earn back [gross] what it cost me.) Because I started so late in life, school gave me the "in" I needed to get my career going. It also gave me the training in technique and in management that I was able to use in jobs immediately and still use in related (nonkitchen) work.

No school will make you an exec, and if they promise that, RUN! You have to learn and work your way into any position higher than prep. School should give you a good grounding, broader and more comprehensive than you would get working under any chef. As for "prestige" -- piffle. Nobody hires you just because of where you went to school; they hire you because of what you can do for them and how well you can fit into their kitchen.

You will get out of school what you put in: if you really apply yourself and ask lots of questions, you can learn much more than someone who just does the minimum. And from what I know about LCB Pasadena (one of the chef-instructors, Chef Zadi, is a friend), there are teachers who will want to help you learn. Although if your main interest if pastry, you might want to do a program that gives you the basics of the hot line but lets you concentrate on pastry. Just a thought, and I don't know if LCB lets you do that.


----------



## jim berman (Oct 28, 1999)

Spot on! School can be great... for some people. School can be a huge waste... for some people. There is no "magic bullets" for careers... for making money... for weight loss. Everything is a balance of time, energy and drive. And don't settle for anybody telling you otherwise. 

Suzanne said it best... you will get out of it what you put into it!

Lastly, a sobering thought.... what do you call the guy that graduated last in his class at Harvard Medical School? Doctor.
In other words, reputation means nothing. I much rather have the guy that graduated first in his class at just about any other medical school. Get my point?


----------



## ras1187 (Oct 3, 2006)

At this time, culinary schools are a booming industry and they do tend to get shady. I seriously wish I had done my research better, I could have gotten a quality education for about 1/3 of the price at a different school.

One of my friends claims she was quoted salaries in the $40,000 - $50,000 range (LCB School) after graduation. I was told that I would be learning 400+ different techniques and that other schools only teach only 200 (BS!)


----------

