Culinary Schools Are Cool
Michalis 'BIG Mike' Kotzakolios
Kotzakoliou, SSA

Chefs are a sensitive lot. Yes, they are. They'll spend many days in misery once they hear the slightest complaint about their cooking. It's true! A good friend of mine came from a family of chefs. It's how I realized that there is bliss in silence, he said, not to mention the occasional importance of white lies.

Imagine then the many complications that may arise when you try to intimate to these people the idea of enrolling in culinary schools. They might consider such as a slap on the face, an insult to the passion they nurture in their hearts. Many of them might even consider it as an indirect way of saying your cooking sucks and you should attend some classes to improve the dishes you prepare.

Of course, this is far from the truth, but it would be hard to reassure a cook in pain and make him realize the good intentions of your words. Perhaps another approach is in order? Telling him, for instance, the many benefits of enrolling in culinary classes before suggesting that he do the same will make the idea more acceptable for him. And speaking of the benefits that can be found in culinary schools, there are a lot of them to expound on!

For starters, these schools offer a healthy serving of various courses on the culinary arts. Basic cooking, advanced cooking techniques, baking, bread preparation, desserts, dips and sauces, kitchen maintenance for hotels and/or restaurants, marketing in the food industry, and even food writing are just some of the fields of study offered by many of these learning institutions.

And enrolling with them is made easy by the fact that they are offered in a variety of periods, as well. They don't have to greatly interfere with existing schedules for life's pressing demands. There may be 4 year programs for intensive studies, but there are also 1 and 2 year courses for certificates in the field, as well as courses that last for mere weeks for subjects which are meant to enrich a chef's repertoire of techniques and recipes.

Learning in these schools is made more immersive by the state-of-the-art kitchen laboratories offered by these institutes. The student can easily practice the theories he has learned from the classroom with some hands-on experience to complement the learning process. Additionally, some programs offer externship opportunities that would train their students under a more professional environment.

All of these make culinary schools great options for any cooking enthusiast to expand his horizons. Indeed, a lot of possibilities would open up once any of the courses so offered would be completed. The food industry is a constantly flourishing field, after all, and finding one's place in this promising land would be made easier by the education that the many culinary schools would provide.

Once the chef would realize this, he'd know that your suggestion is not a bad one, and neither is it an insult in disguise. Rather, he'd know that your suggestion is a reaffirmation of your trust on his culinary talents, and you only want him to take such a gift to the next level. Cooking schools are cool, and every cooking enthusiast would benefit from what they have to share.