Working World

Despite the weakest economy in decades, the National Restaurant Association reports that the restaurant industry will have modest gains in 2009. That’s good news for the nine percent of the American workforce, a percentage that might grow considering layoffs in other industries are providing a boon to culinary schools.

“We’re finding the economy a plus,” said Tina Hashioka, director of the Epicurean School of Culinary Arts in Los Angeles. which is opening its second location in Anaheim on April 1. “Many of our students have lost their jobs in other fields and are finally deciding to follow their passion for cooking. Students who combine our training with their own entrepreneurial skills have a chance to make it doing something they love.”

Training in the culinary arts can take you in many directions, depending on your interests. While restaurants remain the largest employers, the reality is that many of the positions available to graduates of culinary schools will be entry-level paying jobs until they gain industry experience to move on up the ladder.

Line cooks, pastry and baking assistants, and catering assistants are typical entry-level options in restaurants and hotels. Other opportunities, especially in Southern California, exist for food writers, food stylists and food photographers, or on cruise ships, with specialty cuisines and as a private chef. If you’ve got the chutzpah, you can be your own boss and open a catering company, bakery, food specialty shop or restaurant.

The amount and length of training varies. The California School of Culinary Arts has three professional programs — culinary arts, patisserie and baking, and hospitality and restaurant management — that equip students with an associate degree in occupational studies and take 15 months to complete. Some students elect to take two of these degree programs and a small percentage of students take all three. CSCA also offers two 30-week certificate programs.

“CSCA is a techniques-based training program rather than a recipe-based one,” Tony Bondi, president of CSCA said. “Our programs focus mainly on techniques from the Cordon Bleu legacy. Once mastered, they can apply to any cuisine.”

Jon Beskow is about to complete his 15-month degree program at CSCA. “After I graduated with a business management degree, I wanted to pursue cooking,” he said. “I’ve been cooking for my family since I was young, always trying every single spice and curious about everything. At CSCA I got to see and try things that I hadn’t heard of before. The world cuisine that I’ve been able to experience there has developed my palate. I’ve worked both the front and back end of restaurants and now I feel totally prepared.“

At the New School of Cooking in Culver City, Director Anne Smith said 50 percent of her students are planning to be professional chefs and the other half are home cooks wanting to improve their skills. “We put the emphasis on cooking with seasonal ingredients,” Ms. Smith said. “We go to three or four local farmers’ markets regularly to provide our students with the freshest produce for their classes. Classes are small — we have only 12 students per series and students work with a partner in order to cover a substantial amount of material.”  

The New School of Cooking professional certificate programs are Pro Level I, which takes 20 weeks to complete and provides the necessary skills to find a job in the industry; and the advanced course, Pro Level II, is an additional 10 weeks concentrating on the specifics of ethnic cooking and understanding wine and food pairing. Jessica Hilton, assistant director at the New School of Cooking is also a graduate of their professional course. “I’m a personal chef as well as working here at the school,” she said. “It’s a really good program. There is plenty of opportunity to talk to the teachers, it’s affordable, and you can take the course while working another job.”

“There is a misconception about how difficult it is to get work in the industry,” Ms. Hilton continued. “There are lots of jobs, just not great-paying ones.”

“Industry averages for entry-level positions are $8-$15 per hour depending on experience and what kind of work you are doing,” Ms. Smith said.

Okay. So you might not be rolling in the big bucks or get your own TV show on Food Network, but training in the culinary arts can involve a lot of fun. Students at CSCA have been doing food for the post-Academy Awards Governor’s Ball under Wolfgang Puck’s supervision for the past 11 years. They’ve also served at the Grammy Awards. At The Epicurean School of Culinary Arts, students often work at Disneyland. A recent graduate from Epicurean opened his own restaurant featuring eight different kinds of macaroni and cheese; others have tried out for reality shows about food; and food celeb Christina Ferrari recently took a class on baking techniques. The New School of Cooking sees its share of celebrities taking recreational courses, too.      

Federal financial aid may be available for qualifying programs. Shorter ones allow you to find out if the culinary arts are your piece of cake and tuition starts at around $2,500. Once you’ve graduated and are out in the field, L.A. is filled with world-class restaurants and multicultural cuisine. Bon appétit!­

Resources

California School of Culinary Arts
Epicurean School of Culinary Arts
New School of Cooking
Sushi Institute of America
National Restaurant Association
International Association of Culinary Professionals
Los Angeles Foodies
The Food Section
Chef School Review


A Day in the Life of a Chef

Being a chef isn’t just about a pinch of salt or donning a white hat and jacket. it’s also about learning various cooking techniques, mastering the use of different tools, planning menus, knowing how to pick the freshest produce and the finest cuts of meat, balancing the food budget, even managing other chefs. the following is a short prep course of terms culinary students will most likely run in to:

• al dente – a term used to describe the correct degree on doneness for pasta and vegetables

• basting – spooning, brushing or squirting a liquid on food as it cooks to add flavor and keep it from drying out

• braise – a slow-cooking process where meat or vegetables are browned in butter and/or oil then cooked over a long period of time in a covered pot with a small amount of liquid at a low heat

• mirepoix – a mixture of diced carrots, onions, celery and herbs sautéed in butter or oil and used to seasons soups and stews

• roux – a mixture of flour and fat cooked over low heat and used to thicken soups and sauces

Katy Allgeyer is an artist and freelance writer. She is a columnist for Working World and Working Nurse magazines and her features have appeared there and in Feng Shui Times, The Art of WellBeing, You & Me Magazine and others.