# le cordon bleu & the culinary institute of america



## stanley (Aug 30, 2010)

hey all

what the different between le cordon bleu & the culinary institute of america?

what does le cordon bleu teach ?

french pastisserie

what does the culinary institute of america teach ?

american patisserie

or do they both teaches the same thing


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## chefedb (Apr 3, 2010)

The difference is the cost of tuition.


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## sara57 (Aug 28, 2010)

My brother went to CIA in Hyde Park NY and he said if you don't want a social life just go there. It's a very heavy curriculum and they are really strict. Also, I heard that branch lost their accreditation. I go to a community college right now for both Culinary Arts and Restaurant and Hotel MGMT and I still have a social life and time for a job. My brother also ended up transferring to Johnson & Wales in RI and he loves it! I hear CIA's externships are outta this world though. My brother ended doing an externship at Design Cuisine in West Virginia, and they prepared and served food for the Presidential Inauguration this year!! The cooks got to meet Obama!


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## chefedb (Apr 3, 2010)

Externships are great however keep in mind that while you are serving it , you are still paying tuition even though you are not at school


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## culinuthiast (May 4, 2010)

just to be clear, the most important thing about culinary school is your social life =p

i'm sorry for the aside! honest, but I need to chirp up cause this is a big deal in one of my classes at the moment...

i know i sound like your dad but... i just gotta say that you can have an absolutely wonderful social life in culinary school if you work hard on *culinary school* and not your BS/lame/little punk social life that no one cares about except you because you're afraid you'll never get laid/whatever -

when you're at the end of your first few classes you'll look around the room and realize the people who share your sense of "man that was tough, but it's over, and done well" are going to be looking back at you and thinking the same thing you are... "I need to make sure I'm working with those talented and dedicated people over there next quarter/semester and stay away from those fools who are here to socialize".

socializing is critical to culinary school in fact. if you aren't doing it, then you're probably not learning how to work with people, and thus struggling with one of the most critical aspects of the kitchen (and a lot of other trades in this world) because you don't know how to work with ALL people, including those people you don't necessarily want to socialize with. so i'm really suspicious of someone who comes away from any culinary school experience saying "it ruins your social life". that's someone looking out for themselves and basically clueless about the larger experience (sorry if you're related to them, but that's my two cents).

or worst of all.. people you assume you don't want to socialize with for some numb and thoughtless reason and in the process fail to make one or more of the best contacts you ever had the chance to meet, because they will teach you/work with you/do something for you down the road that will revolutionize your culinary career.

i've said it before, i will say it always - school is about networking/meeting people/etc. otherwise school is a joke. you may learn something in school, but you will find later that you could have read a book or watched a video and easily taught yourself the same stuff - but you will never have a chance to meet all those people doing it too, and you will never have that chance again to make that impression on the people you meet, or indeed meet those wonderful people.

if that crimps your social life then you are entirely in the wrong place.

sorry, i know that's not what this post is about but a few statements in there really made me want to go off fer a bit....

now returning to your regular programming...


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## chefedb (Apr 3, 2010)

If  your social life is more important or as important ,then your studies at culinary school. Then may I suggest dropping out and going to dancing school.


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