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If you know how to cook, why go to a Culinary School?

             Is culinary school really necessary? I always thought if one is fairly adept in the kitchen, formally studying cooking is not the next logical move. Generally perceived to be just a big waste of time and money. Besides, my friends swear by my killer “Pork Adobo”!

            Filipinos believe that cooking is a talent you are just born with.  True, but it is also undeniably a skill – to be developed. Though you may easily concoct a dish of that irresistible “to-die-for Pork Adobo”, in culinary school you will definitely learn more about the intricacies of food and ingredients, how to combine them for better flavor, cooking for the best texture, computing accurately food costs, making restaurant inventory, and much, much more. By being well informed and educated, you will be able to take better advantage of your given talents, to an extent creating culinary masterpieces not only for your friends, but for a wider range of discriminating palates.

            Moreover, there is so much more in the global culinary scene than your limited culinary repertoire - a whole gastronomic universe, exciting and delicious to navigate - surely your killer “Pork Adobo” falls miserably short to propel your culinary career to an international clientèle. Imagine your greasy “Pork Adobo” resplendent with generous cuts of quivering fat in the midst of a Mediterranean cruise ship buffet with patrons hungry for light salads and healthy gourmet food. The poor dish won't make a name for you. In fact, it won't even land you a kitchen job in that cruise ship in the first place, for that matter.    

            If you want to go into culinary arts as a career which fortunately is at the renaissance of a world-wide industry explosion - culinary school is just as necessary for you as law school is for a lawyer. Sooner or later the realization would set in that even if one is a great cook, there are simply sets of technical skills, qualifications and more importantly, certification of credentials available in a culinary school – absolutely essential to enter the professional culinary arts world.

            Culinary school can prepare an aspiring “culinarian” for more than just becoming a “chef.” Most Filipinos think of cooks, caterers, and restaurateurs as the only people who attend culinary school – simply not entirely true!   There are countless other jobs available to graduates of culinary school. You can choose to be in restaurant management, work in retail food markets, commercial food production and marketing, wine and spirits merchant / connoisseur or even become a food writer to name a few of the options. Culinary school is an essential education to prepare students for any career in the humongous food industry as a whole – and not just for becoming better cooks!

             If you are serious about a career in the expansive field of culinary arts, then culinary school is necessary. Yes, like any serious education, its expensive, but in the end its worth every peso. Aspiring to become a lawyer, one goes to a law school, similarly a doctor wannabe, attends medical school. So to have a successful culinary arts career, attending a culinary school is indispensable.

             For the more serious students, in selecting a culinary school, look for one that is accredited and capable to train and award a diploma degree or certification, preferably with an international affiliation, necessary for the career one aspires for. For food entrepreneurs and small food service operators, look for a culinary institution with commercial short course programs practical to further advance your endeavor. For the intrepid home cooks and food lovers in general inquire for weekend culinary lifestyle courses dealing with a very specialized agenda like regional Asian cuisine, food styling /  photography to sharpen further kitchen acumen.

             A good culinary school will have all these and more in their formal curricula, but check out also facilities, accreditation, and the caliber of the faculty.  With the overall comprehensive culinary education available, its the next logical step to further develop the raw cooking talents you posses.  Aside from your dexterity to create that killer “Pork Adobo” a whole range of international dishes from authentic Japanese Tempura, Thai Tom Yum Gong, to traditional Tuscan Osso Buco, or French Coq au Vin will expand your repertoire, for the many rewarding adventures of the pleasure of the table, making a name and a career, in the process.    

 

The Institute of International Culinary and Hospitality Entrepreneurship (ICHEF) is the leader in Professional Global and International Culinary and Hospitality Education in Mindanao. Please visit their website at www.ichef.com.ph or email them at info@ichef.com.ph  or call them at (082) 305-8833 and 305-7788 or give them a visit at the ICHEF Building along De Jesus Street, Davao City and embark on a culinary adventure of a lifetime!

 

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