CuLiNAry sChooL: The industry’s great debate

Student loan forgiveness has been the hot topic of the year. Many individuals have used this time to reflect on how much their degree was worth. The hospitality industry is no different. Specifically, there has always been a great divide in the necessity of culinary school. Some chefs swear by it, arguing that it provides aspiring chefs with the foundation they need to succeed in the industry. Others, however, believe that it’s a waste of time and money, and that realworld experience is more important.

Those who support culinary school, in my experience, are always graduates- imagine that. As a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, I am no exception. There are a few arguments for culinary school, which often don’t differ from the benefits of any degree. Firstly, a degree is often a standard that gets your foot in the door. Just like Ivy leagues, the more prestigious the school, the more doors you get to peek inside. Secondly, culinary school offers a well-rounded education. You go from the basics to international foods. You get to explore and spend time practicing specific techniques with expert guidance. You also get to network with the next wave of chefs entering the industry. Those are just a few of the many benefits that schooling may provide for a chef. However, it comes with a large monetary cost that we will see later.

On the other hand, critics argue that culinary school is expensive and timeconsuming. In every discussion with a culinary veteran that didn’t go to school, you will always hear the phrase, “I went to the school of hard knocks.” They argue that it’s possible to gain the same knowledge and experience by working in a kitchen and learning on the job. They also argue that the culinary industry values experience over education, and that a degree from a culinary school may not be as valuable as real-world experience. Those against going to culinary school often never had the chance to attend, and that may raise a bias-the same way that those able to attend have a bias. The experience over education argument is often true. Someone who has worked on a grill station for 20 years will, of course, perform better than a cook right out of culinary school. With both sides argued, I think there is a defining point in both schooled and non-schooled workers that plays a role.

For any degree or profession, I would say that the grit and attitude of the individual is what sets them apart. If you attend a school, but refuse to work hard in the real world, of course you will be outshined by your non-schooled counterpart. On the same note, someone with the knowledge of an entire degree, and the passion to work towards their dreams can perform strides ahead of a non-schooled counterpart. Every year or two, I go back to a culinary high school program I attended. I give a presentation, cook food, and talk about the hospitality industry. I explain to the students that college, regardless of it being culinary school or not, is a gamble. You are putting down money and telling yourself that you are worth exponentially more than the money it costs for an education. However, unlike a casino, the odds are in your favor. If we look at your career as a game, you can load the dice in your favor by working harder, longer, and more efficiently than your peers. You have years to craft a path and perfect your craft. The only person stopping you from doing well is yourself. Though not everyone sees it that way, I feel it’s important that all students hear that train of thought. I also advise students that if you aren’t willing to spend the years after graduating working harder than they’ve ever worked, then there’s no need to waste money on school. You only get out what you put in.

With points from both sides, let’s look at the cost of culinary school. Two competing, top level, culinary degrees are offered by The Culinary Institute of America (CIA), and Johnson and Whales (JWU). An important distinction must be made at this point. Many people attend the CIA just for an associates degree. The first two years of your schooling there could best be described as intensive training in how to cook professionally. On top of academics, you are in a cooking class 6-8 hours a day. You have the option to obtain a Bachelor’s, but a lot less students continue that route due to their chosen career path. JWU’s culinary program is rounded closer to the academic model of most colleges, though their hospitality degree has a more focused food program than most schools. Both schools, however, offer an accredited degree, not just a program certificate.

For the CIA:

Raw (no aid) ANNUAL tuition cost: $33,850 Room and board (per year): Room$8,460, Board - $4,240 = $12,700 Associates degree cost (both figures accounted for two years): $93,100

Bachelor’s degree cost (accounted for four years): $186,200

For JWU:

Raw (no aid) ANNUAL tuition cost: $39,792 Room and board (per year): Room$12,176, Board- $5,176= Total of $17,352 Associate degree cost (both figures accounted for two years): $114,288

Bachelor’s degree cost (accounted for four years): $228,576

Neither of these prices factor in scholarships or any additional fees for knife sets, books, graduation and so on. For two years, I paid around $60,000 for my degree at the CIA - and I assume the average student would often see a similar price. Even with scholarship, the cost for a degree to enter hospitality are eye opening to say the least. It should also be mentioned that there are many schools that offer certificates and hospitality/culinary degrees. Again, we’ve looked at two of the top degree-giving culinary programs in the country.

One criticism both sides agree on is what salary would a student be working towards? Obviously, if you are attending culinary school, your goal is to be more than a dishwasher or a line cook. However, it is often a surprise to students when they realize their first job out of college will be a cook, or a very low-level chef with an unimpressive rate of pay. However, for the cooks that rise to a chef level, and are able to make leaps and bounds, there’s often an attractive salary at the end. Every domestic and international resort you’ve been to has a chef who is at the top of their brigade. A resort chef, or a large private club chef can often make upwards of $150,000 per year. A more abstract take is to look at what alumni who have food knowledge do with their career tracks. Anthony Bourdain, Cat Cora and Michael Symon are all culinary school graduates who found a way to turn their net worth into millions- all starting as cooks many years ago. However, a few examples don’t take away from the fact that glory will not be had by everyone who went to a school. The reality is that you are more likely to burn out along the way, than to see the salary you dreamt of in the hospitality field. Though that may sound discouraging, the only ones who would be turned off by that statement would be the least competitive of the bunch. Every year, millions of students must decide if college is right for them. As the lines get blurred on what entry level means, and wages fail to keep up with rising prices, the answer is never sure. We should all advocate for an educated society. We should also advocate for that education to be affordable. If I had to give any advice to a future student going to culinary school, it would be this: “Be fast or go home.”

CIA Tuition and Fees | Culinary Institute of America. (n.d.). CIA Tuition and Fees | Culinary Institute of America. https://www.ciachef.edu/cia-tuition/ Tuition & Fees | Johnson & Wales University. (n.d.). Tuition & Fees | Johnson & Wales University. https://www.jwu.edu/ admissions/paying-for-college/tuition-and-fees.html

Shrimp Ceviche

Ceviche is a technique in which you use acid, most often from limes and lemons, to denature proteins. To keep it simple, raw proteins (in this case, raw shrimp) are affected by acid in a way that makes them look and feel cooked. Though ceviche is not cooked in a traditional sense, it has the same mouth feel and is considered cooked by culinary standards. Ceviche changes regionally in Mexico and south America. There is even one fun preparation found on coastal Mexico that includes both ketchup and Orange Fanta by name. This recipe will be a bright and flavorful ceviche that you can eat as a taco, or with chips! If you are not interested in playing around with raw shrimp, feel free the cook and cool the shrimp ahead of time.

For 5 people

Thawed Raw shrimp, cut into small 2 pounds

Red Onion, diced finely Half of one

Jalapeno, minced ½ Roma tomato, seeded and diced 1 each

Cilantro, chopped ¼ cup

Avocado, diced 1 each

Lime Juice 1 cup

Lemon Juice 1/2 cup

Salt and pepper to taste Tortilla chips as needed

1.Mix the shrimp, lemon juice, and lime juice in a bowl. Make sure the juice covered the shrimp.

2. Place the bowl in the cooler for 1-2 hours, until the shrimp is no longer raw.

3. Remove the shrimp from the bowl and add it to a larger mixing bowl.

4. Add in the jalapeno, red onion, cilantro, avocado.

5. Season with salt and pepper

6. Taste the mix and serve right away, enjoying with your tortilla chips.