# Le Cordon Bleu- Las Vegas



## jsp2786 (Dec 25, 2006)

Hey People

I am planning on attending the LCB Las Vegas school late in 2007, i believe this would be a great place because of the location, the opprotunity for work and externship will be good. The only problem is that i only have kitchen expierience as a inventory stock and the only cooking expierience i have is for the family and friends. Has anyone gone to this school? How is the quality of education?


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## ras1187 (Oct 3, 2006)

When investigating culinary schools, I did happen to visit LCB Vegas.

Compared to the Le Cordon Bleu school I went to, the Vegas institute is definitely newer and more modern as far as technology & classrooms go. I believe I heard that this institution was the first LCB School built & opened brand new as a LCB school (All others were opened as different culinary schools that later adopted the LCB name and program)

Considering the area, Vegas, I would bet big that you would have some knowledgable Chefs there, the area itself, Las Vegas, draws many Chefs from many different backgrounds and cuisines, which means that you would also get just as many different kinds of guests.



Sorry if this is not exactly the information you were looking for, best of luck on your decision & your future though.


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## jsp2786 (Dec 25, 2006)

You have the same thoughts as i do on going to school in vegas, i just need to know how good the school actually is, i think the externship and after graduation employment would be great opprotunity.


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## aguynamedrobert (Oct 26, 2006)

I have heard people rank this school are pretty good...I havent heard anyone name it the best but definitely a good school...you are surround by a lot of great restaurants and chefs so that helps...

And don't worrry that you don't have any experience...either did I when I went to Culinary School. They teach you the basics...you won't have a problem as long as you work hard at what you do...many people don't have experience going in....

Robert
www.chocolateguild.com


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## jsp2786 (Dec 25, 2006)

thanks robert, i figured they would teach the basic stuff and over time once your working you will learn more as you go, am i correct?


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## aguynamedrobert (Oct 26, 2006)

Yes you are....now just a heads up...the first couple weeks the push you hard...you will get frustrated and maybe even want to quit...most people do...just push through it and you will gain the skills to deal with the stress, time restraints, and you will gain your culinary skills....so just keep your chin up the first couple of weeks!!! remember that!

Robert
www.chocolateguild.com


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## jsp2786 (Dec 25, 2006)

thanks for the heads up! I figured the first culinary classes would be the toughest but this is what i want to do in my life instead of lifting heavy boxes of meat and fruit and food products like im doing now for the rest of my life.


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## ras1187 (Oct 3, 2006)

I did end up going to a LCB school, not in Vegas though.

Your Skills I & II as well as Meat Fabrication classes will be what I consider the most important. Take notes (even if nobody else is).


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## benrias (May 2, 2003)

The facilities were definitely nice. I was very unimpressed by the school's admin...which really turned me off to LCB especially for a school that was promoting itself as top class. 

But that was about two years ago, so I am sure they have adjusted by now.


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## jsp2786 (Dec 25, 2006)

I Agree! i looked at the list of classes and they seemed like the make or break type classes......I was considering going into the Oregon Coast Culinary Institute, which is pretty much brand new i believe, and they did not have a class that focused on just meats and fish, it was in a A La Carte class that they did that.


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## jsp2786 (Dec 25, 2006)

Stewey, what about the admin turned you off? I actually got a messege on my phone from a lady who was a recruiter and i sent her an email saying what would be hard for me is finding work and saving up money to find my own place and the way she was talking about those subjects sounded like she was a very snotty person.


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## benrias (May 2, 2003)

The thing that turned me off about the admin was that they were asking us potential students for $30,000 for our education, yet the recruiters, admin, etc. seemed very underqualified, inexperienced, and unpersonable (I did not get to speak with any instructors). 

I compare the experience to going to a classy steakhouse, getting charged 4-star prices, but then getting served by disgruntled fast food workers. Yes, maybe the final product was good quality, but the poor service ruined the entire experience. 

One of the reasons why I believe your admin's email response sounded snooty was that they are inexperienced and they are required to follow a script. My experience was that they repeatedly followed scripted language to answer ALL of my questions AND were repeatedly unable to answer even BASIC specific questions that were unique to my personal circumstances. 

Instead, they would rely upon their scripted answers and throw statistics at me so that they would "sound" knowledgeable but their message would lack any useful info--almost as if it was my fault that my questions didn't jive with their prescripted answers. This isn't unusual for any franchised business, but when requesting such a large financial committment from us, they need to be more professional and attentive to our individual needs. 

For me, personally, the thing that was the biggest turn off was my "interview" with one of the recruiters. You see, I was already in graduate school (law degree) and I was considering cooking school as an extension to my career (contracts, business, health codes, etc). So by the time I toured LCB, I have already been through the whole education process and then some. 

I explained my situation to the recruiter but that did not dissuade her from giving me her scripted presentation for first time college students. A few times, she even asked me about what college degree I hoped to receive some day.  

In fact, there were a number of times that she would ask me questions that I had already answered previously. When I pointed this out, she would get flustered, and did not know what to do since I did not answer the question. So I would repeat the previous answer, she would write something down, and only then could we proceed. (She actually was reading her questions verbatim from a piece of paper). 

THEN before the final question, she started talking down to me (as if she were a guidance counselor). She started telling me about the importance of an education and that I should really consider getting my degree and hopefully "LCB would be that school." ...well, by then I knew that this was NOT the school for me. 

Then came the final xeroxed question with appropriate intro: the recruiter explained that THEY could not accept just ANYBODY, SO "If you are not accepted to enter LCB, what will you do?" 

Again, I had already told her that IIIIII had just come by to tour the facilities and that IIIIIIII had PREVIOUSLY spoken with a recruiter about the program (the facilities were not yet open for a full tour when I went to their initial open house). 

I pointed out again that I HAD NOT DECIDED to apply to LCB. I reexplained that LCB was just one of a number of schools I was looking at. I again told her that I may not even come to LCB. 

Her response, "Yeah, but what if you aren't accepted into the program?" OMG! Was she even listening? So I just said that I would apply to one of the many OTHER programs I was already looking at. 

Her response: "Great. That shows me that you have the maturity to succeed in a college program. If you had said you would not try again with any other programs, then I would be able to tell that you are not prepared for the rigors of a college education."  GEEZE! Had she heard anything I said all day?

This is not a rip on LCB. I am just sharing what I had experienced. And I know from sad experience that a school's recruiters AND administration is a reflection of a school's entire program. Don't let anyone convince you to not worry about the administration...they play a HUGE role in your overall experience and education. 

If an admin is sounding snooty now, just wait until they screw up your financial aid and you are the one left holding the bag. I wish you the best of luck and we can chat more anytime!


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## jsp2786 (Dec 25, 2006)

Thanks Stewey for sharing your expierience. I WILL check out the school sometime and see if i have the same expierience


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## ras1187 (Oct 3, 2006)

One of my biggest dislikes about LCB is that alot of my questions were answered with "The prestige of Le Cordon Bleu". I want a real, genuine answer, not the generic "Well, since were Le Cordon Bleu, we are the best".

LCB tends to be pricier when compared to other schools, and of course all culinary schools tend to exagerate when they talk about salaries after you graduate. One of my friends was told she would be making what she paid in tuition as a salary upon graduation.


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## benrias (May 2, 2003)

And let's not forget class size. I know this is an issue with many cooking schools, but I was told there would be between 23-30 students per class by the rep. Not the best student to teacher ratio when compared with other schools. 

BUUUUUUT on the other hand, there are only a few options here in Vegas. We got LCB, Las Vegas Art Institute, Community College of Southern Nevada, and UNLV. The CCSN actually has some pretty good buzz in the area and a very reasonable price.


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## jsp2786 (Dec 25, 2006)

Thanks for the info Stewey, The Art Institute never appealed to me and UNLV would take a while to get into but i am gonna check out CCSN!


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