What You Should Know About Culinary Arts Schools
It takes dedication to become a chef. Many people entertain the idea of becoming a chef and owning their own restaurant but few actually make this dream come true. Even fewer individuals make their restaurant a success. You may know how to chop an onion or saut some vegetables but that isn’t enough. Before you go looking into culinary arts schools, you are going to need a lot more information in order to make such an important decision.
The best culinary school can only teach its culinary students so much. There has to be a will and drive to succeed. Being a chef means checking your ego at the door, at least while you are learning. There is no such thing as a weekend off and the hours can be late. You will have to clean, cook and prepare food long before your first customer sits down to order a meal. You can expect to work holidays and work more than a forty hour week.
Culinary arts schools vary across the country and the world but if you are determined to go ahead and know what is in store for you, then you cannot go wrong with the Le Cordon Bleu Culinary School offered at many campuses across the world. They have what it takes in order to teach you how to become the award winning executive chef that you want to be. The program can be found in many different states and you will not regret gaining admittance.
The programs at Le Cordon Bleu are divided into three different course programs. The Culinary Arts program, Patisserie and Baking, and Hospitality and Restaurant Management. If you can afford the time and money to attend all three programs, then you will be ahead of many culinary students in the industry who elect to just attend one program.
It is a great way to learn all facets of the industry. You will be well rounded in different cooking and baking techniques, as well as learning the skills needed to run your own restaurant.
Culinary arts schools are not cheap nor are they quick. It takes time to become an chef. You will want to choose a program that is accredited and has a high success ratio from former students.
Small factors such as these can make the difference between being a mediocre chef and being someone who commands respect from the culinary community. With hard work and determination you can get your culinary degree and perhaps be the next big television cooking star or be in command of your own five star restaurant. Good luck and try to enjoy what you are cooking!
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A Vacation in Asheville, NC is recommended by Top Media
If you listen to top media sources like Good Morning America, Fodors, and TripAdvisor.com, you will imagine a vacation in Asheville as a portal to paradise. Lush, tree-lined mountain roads and roaring rivers call to the outdoors persons who thrives on hiking, kayaking, mountain biking or fly-fishing. Thousand s of visitors each year are attracted to sophisticated culinary options in and around Asheville as well as many choices in art and cultural venues. Families vacation in Asheville just to visit to Biltmore Estate or the Grove Park Inn, the Thomas Wolfe House, Chimney Rock and other sites.
Why are major media sources gushing about Asheville? The truth is, these news sources are culling the opinions of the masses. In August 2011, Good Morning America (GMA) queried viewers and wanted to know, Whats the Most Beautiful Place in America? The morning show received thousands of photos and responses. Asheville was selected #1 as the most gorgeous spot in the U.S. The City was nominated by Alan Ostmann from Candler, who lives on the edge of the Pisgah Forest. The ABC News GMA website describes Asheville as “a small city tucked in the Appalachian Mountains rich with art, architecture and outstanding scenery.” Ostmann says he hikes and bikes the area all the time and “am always amazed at the beauty nature can reveal to us.”
I have lived in a woodland garden in South Asheville for over 16 years. This four-season garden on the edge of the wilderness is filled with natural surprises, color and animal life year round. Though I have grown used to the experience of being here, I see visitors who rarely get to experience nature in this intimate way and — they love every minute of it.
TripAdvisor.com recently released their top 15 list for destinations that have seen the most increase in reviews on the website. Asheville is #13 on the popularity list. The TripAdvisor review cites Asheville as “a resort for the wealthy” with a great deal of appeal for the “outdoor enthusiast.” Asheville remains a popular choice among the well-heeled and middle-income families in search of a fun, affordable vacation. Couples in search of a romantic setting, the young or hardy in search of a wilderness adventure, nature enthusiasts, musicians, artists and foodies will find something in Asheville to excite and inspire them, too.
The aforementioned media sources represent popular opinion about Asheville as a destination. Also, being reviewed and recommended by Fodors – a well-established and respected travel publication that has produced guides on major cities for years is a stellar accomplishment. Fodors editors consider Asheville the hippest city in the South. Fodors describes Asheville as a diverse mix of retirees, aging hippies, and halfbacks from the Northern U.S. who retired to Florida and moved halfway back. The review says that the art and culture scene in Asheville “rivals that of Santa Fe,” and is complemented by unique boutiques, restaurants, gift stores, galleries and antique shops in and near the downtown district.
These glowing recommendations from top media sources and websites do not come unearned. At the heart of it all, Asheville truly is a mountain community founded on the ideals and practices of agrarian people. Appalachian Culture remains strong and respected here. George Vanderbilt set down roots in Asheville in the late 19th Century when he built his estate here. The Biltmore Estate drew other wealthy industrialists, architects, artisans, restaurateurs and tourists to the area. Today, the population of 70,000+ is a cosmopolitan, creative and quirky mix of people.
[Top]Why Your Macarons Are Going Wrong – The Most Common Pitfalls
Making macarons is not easy – anyone that tells you otherwise has either never trued making them or is lying for some reason. If some of the world’s greatest chefs admit that they often struggle to make perfect macarons, how can any of the rest of us claim otherwise?
However, the good news to come out of all this is that making decent macarons you don’t in fact intend to serve to members of the aristocracy or sell to the public doesn’t have to be an unmitigated nightmare. The basic recipe is pretty simple and so too is the process of putting the ingredients together – tasty and pretty macarons do not demand a degree in the culinary arts.
So, you may ask, why are you coming out with pure garbage pretty much every time you try? Well, the simple answer is that you’re most likely making once of a few extremely common mistakes and not even realizing it. So if you happen to be guilty of any of the following, you probably have your answer as to how and where you’re going wrong:
1 – Fresh, Cold Eggs The most common pitfall of all that’s happening all over the world right now as you’re reading this is the use of fresh eggs straight from the fridge. Any good recipe will tell you that it is preferable to use fresh egg delivery that have been -aged’ for a few days to get the right texture for your batter. It will also tell you that using eggs that aren’t at room temperature is inadvisable. Of course, some see it as easier to ignore the rules than to delay their baking any longer, so they end up with a batch of bothersome biscuits they have no use for. Ignore this tip and you’re wasting your time.
2 – Weak Whisking If you don’t give your egg whites enough time and attention with the whisk, your batter will be a disaster. This is pretty much the be all and end all of your macarons after all, so be prepared to really go for it and not stop until you know you’re on the money – even if you’re getting sore and bored. Just to coin a comparison, you’ll know you’re heading in the right direction if and when the mixture looks similar to shaving foam.
3 – Timing the Sugar Call it dull and boring all you like, but if you don’t time the adding of the sugar exactly, you’re in for a disappointment. You need to add the icing sugar – NOT icing mix – after you’ve been beating the egg whites for about 30 seconds-no more and no less. This timing is essential to ensure the right consistency, so don’t ever overlook its importance.
4 – Oven Issues About half way through the cooking process, you should open the oven door and rotate the baking trays. Why? Two reasons – one being that you need to let the excess moisture escape from the oven and the other being the importance of even cooking across the board. Ignore either and you may end up with half your macarons fit for a king and the other half not fit for the dog.
[Top]Culinary Arts Training Expectations And Requirements
As an aspirant culinary arts practitioner, what can one expect from a culinary arts training school? There are millions of culinary arts training institutions but that does not necessary ensure quality. Hence, the quality of the culinary arts training schools is of premium importance, when it comes to training aspiring chefs and cooks.
What are the parameters by which a culinary training school can be evaluated? One, quality of the faculty or teachers; two, the infrastructure and logistics; three, the course content of the training program. These are critical factors though there could be other factors as well that decides how good is a culinary arts training institute.
Let us discuss each parameter in details. First, the faculty or the teachers must be able to impart the basics of culinary art to the students. The competence of a teacher can be gauged from how well the student is coping with the varied customer tastes and preferences and is yet able to make them happy.
In other words, good and hygienic dishes over a long period of time will testify to the fact that important lessons have been passed to the student. The student must also be able have an instant feel of the psychology of a group of people in terms of food preferences.
Two, a culinary arts training must have world class infrastructure that facilitates learning. Latest trends and concepts in cooking must be facilitated through this infrastructure. In other words, a culinary arts training school must aim to be a finishing school that churns out finished products.
The minimum an alumnus requires training after joining a job, the better has been the role of the culinary arts training institute. Excellent and competent training, aided by superior infrastructure is an important factor for producing good cooks.
Lastly, take a look at the course content of a culinary arts training school and ask the following questions: Does it encourage the students to have a blend of theoretical and practical learning? Have the students been sent to a hotel or a restaurant to pick the art of the trade practically and for a long duration?
Does the course content place adequate emphasis on hygienic cooking? Does the course content accommodate cooking methods that cater to the tastes of people from across geographies? Good course content, in other words, must address these issues and herein lies how good a student will be.
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