My education at the Culinary Institute of America (Year One)

[CardSharpCook]

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CSC, are you still planning on writing about year 2?

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Yes. I've been busy and lazy at the same time. I'll probably write it tomorrow.

Worked at Everybody's in Atlanta.

[Snafu'd]

CSC, what kind of salary can you expect as a graduate of CIA? I realize that this is probably dependent upon many factors but what you you estimate the range and average to be? Also, do you want to own a restaurant some day? If you haven't done an ask me anything about cooking thread already I think it would be a hit.

[danielg]

CSC,

It was great reading about your time at CIA, Im also a Chef and have just finished my Apprenticeship in Australia and have heard about CIA after reading Anthony Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential.

Unfortunatly with the Australian schooling system we dont quite have a system like CIA,

For anyone not quite sure what an apprenticeship is. Basically i still goto a training school but for only one day a week whilst working in a Restaurant 4days a week also receiving on the job Training And this is spread out over 3 years.

And finally all that is over and now im Qualified Yay!

Anyway thanks for writing.

Look forward to part 2.

Dan

[Tyler Durden]

Good post Brendan.

How does the real CIA feel about a cooking school ripping off its name?

[somapopper]

CardSharp, would you say the average grad has better, equal, or worse cooking skills than someone who spent two years working in fine dining?

Do many CIA grads land positions as sous chefs after graduation? If not, is the degree viewed as something that helps you more later in your career?

Some of the stuff you mentioned (knife skills, making hollandaise, etc.) seem like things that people who were serious about cooking and had experience would know coming in (full disclosure: my knife skills suck, and I have on occasion ruined hollandaise but I'd never try to be a cook), were some students frustrated by this, or did most come in on the same level?

[edfurlong]

I worked with some stone retards while I was there. Some folks were really on their game, but there were some pretty sad cases as well.

[DirtyDiggs]

Wanted to say great post.

Also randomly ran across a PM from you from months ago that I somehow missed. Graduated Emory same year, also as a poli-sci major. I remeber someone in one of my sociology classes senior year mentioning he wanted to go to culinary school;(which stands out) Seems like it had to be you.

Also, By your estimation, greater likely hood of having irrational ass-hole behavior: Long Island Emory frat guy or self-important chef under 35? Having worked resturants post grad, these two demographics have the highest [censored] percentage I've encountered in life.

[CardSharpCook]

[ QUOTE ]
CSC, what kind of salary can you expect as a graduate of CIA? I realize that this is probably dependent upon many factors but what you you estimate the range and average to be? Also, do you want to own a restaurant some day? If you haven't done an ask me anything about cooking thread already I think it would be a hit.

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I earned 9.50 an hour upon graduation. I was offered a sous chef job, but turned it down in favor of working at a restaurant that would further my education. I imagine the sous chef offer would have been $25k-35k. Basically, the more desireable a job, the less it will pay to jobs at other restaurants that require similiar skills. For instance, working in a hotel, I might be getting 14-15 an hour doing unskilled work, but I'd go insane from boredom quite quickly. My roommate in Vegas and I talk about opening an upscale Thai-French restaurant - basically using our CIA training and combining it with his ethinic cooking skills to offer a fine-dining Thai experience that doesn't involve a menu with pictures or ordering by number. That dream is probably 5 years away at a minimum.

[CardSharpCook]

[ QUOTE ]
Good post Brendan.

How does the real CIA feel about a cooking school ripping off its name?

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The Culinary was founded in 1946. The Agency was founded, what 15 years later? We don't hold it against them.

[CardSharpCook]

[ QUOTE ]
CardSharp, would you say the average grad has better, equal, or worse cooking skills than someone who spent two years working in fine dining?


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Far better. Two things: first, the guy thrown in a fine dining rest. for two years will start peeling potatoes. Second, he will likely never see the big picture - rarely have teh experience of applying past knowledge to a new problem. Then, of course, there is the problem of being stuck in the same cuisine preparing the same dishes night after night. Additionally, the CIA doesn't just teach you how to cook - they teach you about food. and wine, and table service, and menu design, and managemnt, etc. Take the 2year guy and a CIA grad and put them both in a new restaurant and tell them: become a sous chef as fast as possible - the CIA grad will get there much quicker. His skills are moer rounded and he is more able to adjust to a new position and new styles of cooking.

Few CIA grads are either ready for or eager to get a sous chef job. One of the things the Chefs would hammer home is that getting a degree doesn't make us a Chef. We still have to pay the dues and learn out in the field. The degree helps you immediately in your ability to adapt to any job and priority screening for an entry level position. The bigger rewards are paid later with your ability to continue to offer diversified menu items to your customers, your attractiveness to management offers or investors, and your ability to preform those jobs once you get them.

One of my roommates came in for the same start date as I. My age, he was running the kitchen of a homeless shelter in CA after varied restaurant experience. He repeatedly expressed dissapointment at the skills possessed by his classmates. He felt mere enrollment should place him amongst the best in the culinary world. He failed to understand that we were students hoping to become the best. He also felt unchallenged by the first few classes. There were a handful of other students like him. As I mentioned, I was very impressed by the quality of my classmates and their desire and ability to learn.