Free Culinary Education
Dilip Shaw

Economic reports all over the US are enticing culinary experts to come out of their cocoons, and that's good news for restaurants, hotels - and eager job seekers, no matter their level of experience.

The restaurant industry is coming back.

Here is some important information for those who are interested in learning culinary arts but are not able to afford huge costs involved.v The Institute:

The San Francisco Hotel Restaurant Labor Management Education Fund - a union-sponsored training program to be a chef is free for aspiring candidates.

About the Institute:

Here you can earn while you learn. The union program is a great place to begin your climb to celebrity chef status. This state-approved program, which began in 1976, is overseen by the Hotel and Restaurant Employees Union Local #2 as part of its bargaining agreement with the hotels.

It is a three-year, on-the-job-training apprenticeships with classroom instruction. In fact, this program is the only one, except for the Armed Services, that pays you to learn.

Eligibility Criteria:

Applicants must be at least 18 years of age and have a high school diploma or GED.

Screening Process:

After the initial application process, candidates are interviewed and ranked by a panel of industry officials.

Job Prospects:

There is a campus interview. The hotels do the hiring. Those accepted into the program begin earning 55 percent of union scale.

Apprentice chefs start in the pantry doing preparation, moving to food sanitation, soups and stocks, pastry and line cooking. It's the full work progress of the kitchen.

After Completion of the Course:

Apprentices must become union members and, upon completion of the program, they earn a certificate as a journeyman cook. This training is as important as a good set of carving knives.

The program also provides ongoing training for hotels that want to retrain current employees. This year's class has 512 students and the goal is to begin a new class each semester.

Special attention is given to banquets, which are big-ticket items for hotels and for food servers. In addition to their salary, servers can earn $100-plus in tips from a single event.

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About The Author... Culinary Artist - Specializes in French & Thai Cuisine Date Posted : 14 - Feb - 2005 Website : www.best-cooking-school-culinary-arts-schools-classes.com