# Culinary Schools in the mountains/near mountains



## yargg (May 20, 2008)

I've been researching culinary schools for a while now, and though the big name schools are tempting, they are very expensive and are mostly out of my preferred terrain. I love the mountains almost as much as I love to cook, and hope to find a good school somewhere I can fulfill both passions. So far I've found the Culinary School of the Rockies to be quite interesting, but I would want to do their Farm to Table program which won't start again for a whole year... I'm eager to start (and get out of florida... the flattest of the flat!) and waiting for another year seems so long to me. Any info as far as other suggestions or about the Culinary School of the Rockies would be awesome.

edit: Or if anyone knows of an apprenticeship program at a restaurant in a mountainous region, that would be very interesting as well.


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## m brown (May 29, 1999)

J&W in Denver. 
Food, Rockies, could you ask for more?
Good Luck!


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## apicius (Aug 20, 2008)

Hey Yargg,

I'm gonna give you my two cents .. and this is coming from someone in the current 'farm to table' program at the culinary school of the rockies. 

A lot of people currently in the program have some grief with the school. The beginning of the program was EXTREMELY unpolished (not knowing menus, or being able to keep on a schedule .. the one that really got me going was when our chef instructor told the class that since the economy as a whole was going south, the school was cutting costs in food purchasing to compensate), which got everyone else wondering what to expect next. While over the last couple of weeks it has gotten substantially better, all the same, some of us wonder if we couldn't have gotten more for our money elsewhere.

This is afterall, a business for the owner, and she seems bent on promoting the **** out of this school. I'm not suggesting you would leave without the skills needed to enter the field, but if you are serious about food and willing/able to put up the money for it .. there are better choices. Also, another thing to consider would be moving to Colorado and looking for a job in a restaurant while your waiting for the next term to begin. This way you could get some experience and have employment. The school is well known in the Boulder/Denver area -- and employers are usually open to hiring students and/or prospective students.

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to message me.


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## sleepy_dragon (Aug 30, 2005)

Seattle Culinary Academy at Seattle Central Community College. It's my alma mater. There is a strong emphasis on farm to table relationships as part of the ACF-certified curriculum, including students getting bussed out to a plot of land to work it and grow and harvest ingredients for the school's restaurants. And of course, opportunities to do the Quillisascut Culinary 101 farm stay, which lasts a week.

It's a great school, and also the oldest surviving culinary school west of the Mississippi:

Seattle Culinary Academy

If you're a resident of WA state, your tuition will be around 7k for the entire program. If not, it'll be higher, but likely still a lot less than the big ticket private schools, or you can move here and establish residency first if you can swing that.

For mountains, Mt. Rainier and the Cascades are here. Enough said.  If you're a snowboarder, the thing to do is head up to Crystal Mountain for your powder needs.

I graduated from SCA in 2005. I can answer more questions if you have them. It's not a perfect program, there will be things you'll have to do of your own volition, but not needing an extra 30-40k will more than make up for that!

Pat


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## aiskrafty (Nov 8, 2009)

What has your experience been a year after posting this response?


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