Back to school soon

[Teysa]

Last month I went up to Oklahoma to attend my eldest niece's high school graduation. While I was there I had a long talk with my dad. He asked me about work and realized very quickly that I am not happy there. We got to talking some more and he pointed out that I had let all of my dreams go by the wayside. Pretty soon, the subject turned to me going back to school. Long story short, I never finished college.

When I got back to Texas I made an appointment to tour a local school. The whole time I was there, I kept thinking 'I can see myself here.' I also started thinking that I could spend the next 30+ years doing a job I barely tolerate or I can spend that time doing something I love.

In any case, around this time next year, I will have my certificate in culinary arts. I already enjoy cooking and I have some friends who are more than willing to let me practice on them.

I'm really excited about this. The commute will be a bit of a pain just because the school is over an hour from my house, but I think it will be worth it.

[Sarlon]

can i be honest for a moment without offending?

don't go into culinary arts unless you LOVE cooking, and want to just improve what you already know.

my teacher was GREAT but from the first day of class he said "I don't much like giving tests, and only do cause the college makes me....I believe the practical side of the kitchen reflects more on the grade then anything else."

3 people dropped that class within a week...those of us who stayedlearned ALOT from him....CIA trained, 25 years professional experience, master chocaliter, executive chef at a VERY fancy private club.

the best advice is what he gave us... "don't do this because you have to....do it because you want to. If your heart is not in it, or you just want to learn to cook then there is nothing I can teach you."

Other then that...best of luck and hope you knock some socks off...and remember...tourne's are EVIL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Tourne Knife - A tourne knife is a paring knife with a curved blade. It is often referred to as a "bird's beak" knife because the curved end resembles the tip of a bird's beak. This blade is best used for working on round fruits and vegetables, most commonly used to make a cut known as a "tournée" cut in vegetables such as carrots, potatoes, turnips and squash.

[Teysa]

Oh, I do love cooking. I think I'd do a good job professionally with a little bit of training. This school is almost completely hands on too.

Don't scare me too much with the knifes lol. I don't even think I've seen a Tourne.

[Sarlon]

tourne's are a 7 sided cut veggie....generally its more show then practical but its HARD. I only finally mastered it because I joined a cooking team through the college, and a few on the team were a few sections ahead of me in the course (culinary arts 1 2 & 3) and gave me some advice on how to make it perfect in less then 10 seconds.

[BlaqueKatt]

as long as it isn't "la cordon bleu" or any other "culinary arts" only school. (anything run by career education corporation is-they've been sued successfully for fraud, numerous times) They are high priced scams pure and simple...if it's a program at a community college, you're good.

[AdminAssistant]

I would like to recommend Anthony Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential, The Nasty Bits, and Medium Raw. If you can read those books and still want to be a cook, then go ahead. He attended and still recommends the Culinary Institute of America. (Charm City Cake chef Duff Goldman also went to the CIA.)