I started Culinary school when I was 17 years old. I graduated high school a year early and immediately applied for "The Art Institute of California." I got in and excitedly began my journey towards getting a culinary degree. One degree became two, and two degrees became three. I'm not done with my third degree yet, but I've learned plenty in the last five years. I grew up in culinary school. When I started I was a meek, shy little thing, and I was terrified to rock the boat. As time went on I learned, and I grew; both as a student, and a person. Culinary school is far from easy. it's the most challenging, most rewarding experience I've ever been through.There were multiple points where I wanted to quit. I wanted to lay down and give up. I never did, though. I had an amazing support system and I can't tell you how much that meant to me and how much it truly helped me. Without further ado, I present to you the eight things I learned in culinary school.
1. If you aren't passionate about it, you will hate it.
During the admissions process, I ran into a student who told me not to enroll. The admissions representative tried to usher me by, The school wanted my business, so why would she stop. I ran into the same student again a few minutes later, and he repeated his warning. I asked him why I shouldn't enroll and he told me "If you don't really love it, you'll hate it." I didn't think much of it at the time, but five years later, I can tell you with certainty, that he was right.
I'm passionate about culinary arts. I've loved food and cooking since I was a little girl. I quickly learned that being in a commercial kitchen, and being a chef, is very different than cooking at home. Not only do you have to wear the appropriate uniform and have the appropriate tools, you have to know and meet sanitation standards, you need to know what food safety standards are, and you need to be able to practice all these things at the same time, while moving as fast as you can to complete your menu. It's not for the faint of heart.
Often times, I would come out of the kitchen feeling deflated, feeling like I had been hit and rolled over by a Mack truck, even if I had done a great job in the Lab. It was exhausting. It was even worse if you had more than one lab class a day. You could easily be in a hot kitchen for 15 hours a day. I love Food and Being a chef more than anything, but those long days were enough to make me question my career choice.
2. Keep your knife sharp
There is nothing worse than trying to cut through a piece of meat or chop vegetables with a dull knife. The sharper your knife, the easier and smoother it is to cut everything. If you have a dull knife, using it is a royal pain. You'll end up sawing through whatever product you're trying to prepare. Because you're sawing back and forth, the cut on your product will be jagged, possibly torn, and uneven. A tip I learned early on is, the sharper the knife, the less you cry. When cutting onions, the harder you press, the more gas you release, and the more your eyes burn. A sharp knife guarantees an easy, smooth, even cut.
3. Blood Happens
If you are a culinary student, you will cut yourself. Obviously, it's not intentional but when you work with sharp knives, it can happen. in the first lab class, I ever took, at least half of the students cut themselves taking their knife out of their toolkit. In my 5 years at culinary school, I've cut myself dozens of times. I'm a natural klutz and adding a sharp knife doesn't help matters. Cuts heal, though, and I have some good memories. Even if you don't cut yourself, you'll still see or touch blood of some kind. you work with meat all the time. you learn how to trim it, season it, and cook it. I'm not saying every lab class is a blood bath. I'm simply saying that you'll see or spill blood and you need to be able to deal with it.
4. Don't Procrastinate!
This one is BIG. There is a never ending amount of homework and projects in any college class you take. The kinds of projects you were assigned in classes like Capstone or even lab classes like American Regional or European Cakes and Tortes range from a deck of recipe cards to building and costing out a full menu for your restaurant concept. It's not the kind of work that you can do the night before and still be sane in the morning. I learned this the hard way.
Let me just tell you, trying to do a whole business plan in the span of a week, sucks on more levels than you can imagine. I'm talking sleepless nights, endless tears, and the pressure is just ridiculous. If I can impart one piece of advice to anyone starting a college career, it's this: Don't Procrastinate! Do your homework on time. You'll be so much happier if you do.
5. Have a Support System
Having a great support system is what got me through culinary school. When I first got my acceptance letter, I sat down with my dad and I said "Dad don't let me quit. No matter what happens, don't let me give up on my dreams." It's been a long hard journey. There were so many points that I wanted to give up. I would curl up in a ball, crying, telling myself I couldn't do it. My dad was there every single time, wiping my tears, sometimes giving me tough love, always reminding me that I was stronger than I gave myself credit for and that I could do it.
I can't count the times that my mom sat up with me at the kitchen table, helping me with research papers, helping me write literally hundreds of recipe cards for lab classes, as well as doing my laundry or helping me clean my room when I was exhausted. If I didn't have my parents, pushing me and cheering me on every day, I don't think I would have made it this far.
6. Don't Be Afraid To Fight For What You Need/Want
This was important for me to learn as well. I'm not the kind of girl who likes to rock the boat. I like to keep the peace and avoid conflict. The problem with this is that I tend to let other people walk all over me. I had to learn to stand up for myself in school. Whether it was defending myself from a fellow classmate, an instructor, or and administrator. I'm not saying that you have to fight everybody or that everybody is out to get you.
What I'm saying is, if you need help, don't be afraid to say so. The instructors are there to help you learn and succeed. If you aren't learning, they aren't doing their job. This is not an excuse for you not doing your part in the learning process. I wasn't good at standing up for myself at first, so my dad fought for me. I got to the point though that I needed to learn to stand up for myself. If you need help or you feel that you aren't getting the education you're paying for, don't be afraid to speak up. You'll be glad you did.
7. Find Comfortable Shoes
When I was going through lab classes, often times the classes were stacked. Stacking means that they're scheduled one after another. For example, a standard day of lab classes could look something like this: American Regional from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Latin Cuisine from 5:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. This could easily total ten hours on your feet in the kitchen. Now, you can't just wear any shoes in the kitchen; the dress code and kitchen uniform policy strictly required black, slip resistant, kitchen-safe shoes.
These kinds of shoes come in a multitude of styles. My first year in culinary school, I went through at least four different pairs of shoes. They would start out comfortable but by the end of the day, my feet were screaming in agony. Then, miracle of all miracles, I discovered a website that made shoes specifically for workers that were kitchen safe and slip resistant. I read reviews and by a stroke of luck, wound up ordering the perfect shoes. My feet would still be sore after lab classes, but it was nothing compared to the blisters and agony I'd felt with other shoes. I haven't worn anything but those shoes in the kitchen since and I couldn't be happier.
8. Following your dreams isn't easy, but it's worth it.
Following your dreams is never easy. There's always a new obstacle, or someone else saying it's impossible. If you can dream it, you can do it. When I was studying for my Associates Degree in Culinary Arts, it was hard. I failed a few classes, I didn't always get good grades. There were moments when I felt utterly and completely defeated. Every time I got back up and kept fighting, I got stronger and I learned something new. There is no better feeling than walking across that stage in your cap and gown and getting that degree. There's such a sense of pride, of accomplishment. There is no way to explain it. It's like being on the top of the world. It won't be an easy journey. It'll probably be one of the hardest things you'll do in your life, but that moment in the sun is so worth it. My last piece of advice for you guys is: Don't give up! Keep fighting and working and you'll get there. You'll see what it's all about.
