Dear Aspiring Culinary Student(s),
I’ve been getting a bunch of emails about cooking school and culinary scholarships lately so I’m going to try my best to answer all your queries about going to culinary school, and even better, going to culinary school on scholarship. Should you have more questions, please leave them in the comments section below instead of sending me an email so that everyone can benefit from the discussion.
Studying at Le Cordon Bleu isn’t cheap – current rate stands at €24,500 for the cuisine diploma (€18,900 for patisserie) , and it only increases each year. I’ve been really fortunate to have won 3 scholarships to make my culinary school dream come true: two scholarships from The Culinary Trust and the James Beard Foundation in 2011 and the third one from The Culinary Trust again in 2013.
So let’s get to it – there are two main culinary courses at Le Cordon Bleu – patisserie and cuisine. You can pursue either or both, depending on what you like. Each course is further divided into three levels: Basic, Intermediate and Superior. At the successful completion of the first two levels, you receive a certificate, and at the end of Superior, a Diploma. If you decide to take on both patisserie and cuisine, you are awarded what is called the Grande Diplome. The scholarships I received enabled me to take on Basic Patisserie at LCB London, and Basic as well as Intermediate Cuisine in Paris. I’m a month into the Intermediate level, and loving it. Read my weekly documentation of my experiences at school and follow me on Instagram.
How to win a scholarship to Culinary School
What do I have to do to qualify for either of these scholarships?
The Culinary Trust and James Beard Foundation scholarships are OPEN TO EVERYONE, FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD. Previous work experience in the industry is not mandatory (but can prove to be a bonus). Some of my friends who’ve won the scholarships have ranged from those with zero work experience to a girl from Australia who has her own cupcake business as well as a travel show host from Beijing.
Can some one with minimal culinary experience like me can get in to Le Cordon Bleu?
You have to fill out an SOP and be over 18 years of age – that’s about it. Other than that there is no other major criteria for the course. The class is a mix of students who’ve never stepped into a kitchen before coming to Le Cordon Bleu to those who have had their fair share of restaurant experience.
What is the application process?
For both the scholarships, once you fill out the forms, write your essays and submit the recommendation letter(s), you just have to wait. The Culinary Trust has an extra step – if you are selected as a finalist, you also have a phone interview with a member of the committee to briefly discuss your application. I’ve done this twice and have been so nervous on both occasions, I could hear my heart pound.
How much do these applications cost?
For the James Beard Foundation scholarship all you have to do it pay the cost of postage. For The Culinary Trust Scholarship, you have to pay a $25 fee per school you apply to.
What tips do you have on writing essays?
The James Beard Foundation asks you to fill out a form that includes questions on work experience, goals and aspirations, activities, awards and honours. The Culinary Trust, in addition, asks for a 500-word statement of purpose. Write facts, write your dream, write why you need the scholarship more than anybody on the planet. Read it over and over again. Have someone else read it. Tweak things every single day until it’s perfect.
I need a recommendation letter – but I don’t have previous work experience in the industry. What do I do?
In 2011, when I didn’t have much experience in the field, I got my recommendation letter from a mentor in the industry. In 2013, I got a letter from my partner at my food business venture, Friday Lunches, and from the chef who had taught me at Le Cordon Bleu. I’m sure you’ll find a way. Of course, these letters don’t have to be from someone in the food industry if you don’t know anyone yet.
When must I apply for the scholarships?
Both the Trusts accept applications annually. The Culinary Trust accepts applications in February-March and announces the results by May, and the James Beard Foundation accepts applications until May and announces results by August. For exact dates, please check their respective websites because they change slightly every year.
What are my chances of winning a Culinary scholarship for Le Cordon Bleu?
I know that each year, only one scholarship is awarded per school but I don’t know what the competition is like.
How to select a Culinary School
Should I go to Ecole Ferrandi, Lenôtre or Le Cordon Bleu?
Unfortunately, I don’t have an answer for this one. As clichéd as it sounds, ever since I knew of Le Cordon Bleu, I had always wanted to study there. So looking at other schools wasn’t even an option. I know of some people who studied at Ferrandi and they were very happy with their course and internship that followed.
UPDATE: Here is a note from my friend who studied at ESCF Ferrandi in Paris.
École Gregoire Ferrandi is school of French gastronomy located in the heart of Paris and is affiliated to the regional Chamber of Commerce and Industry. They offer two different certificate courses: Intensive Professional Program in French Cuisine and Intensive Professional Program in French Pastry. The total duration of the course is 9 months which includes 5 months of intensive training and 3 or 6 months of applied internship in a restaurant.
I opted for the course in French cuisine but if you have your heart set on becoming a Pastry Chef, the Intensive Professional Program in French pastry would be the perfect choice.
For the cuisine students, there was a specific format for every week. Monday was the day we studied patisserie. We started out with basic flans and custards on the first day and by the end of the 5 months, we had mastered delicate macarons, Opera cakes and various tarts.
The rest of the week, we would tackle French cuisine in all its buttery, aromatic glory. The first few weeks, we practiced our knife skills on vegetables and learnt basic stocks and soups. Gradually, we moved towards the more complicated preparations using poultry, fish and meat. It was a very intensive course with one part of the day dedicated to theoretical learning of the recipe and techniques and the other half to the actual production.
Once in two weeks, we had a class on French history and geography where we studied the different regions of France. Every class, we studied the terrain, local produce and important events that shaped the food culture of one particular region. There was also an oenology (wine appreciation) class which was linked to the geography lesson of the week. So that we could better understand and appreciate the natural diversity of the French terrain, we tasted a variety of wines from that region. At the end of the week, we would cook dishes typical from that region and have a ‘family meal’ with the chef-professor and other students.
Alternatively, we would have restaurant service. We would be given recipes and divided into teams to cook for paying customers in the school’s restaurant. It was a great opportunity to learn how a real restaurant functions before the start of the internship.
It’s an extremely intensive course where I amassed an incredible amount of knowledge in a very short amount of time and where every day was an adventure with all the other enthusiastic students and wonderful professors!
– Chaitali Waychal
What do you think about school in USA or XYZ?
I know of some really good chefs from FCI (now ICC) and CIA who are extremely good at what they do, but I was certain that if I wanted to study food, it’d have to be Europe. I get a bunch of you asking me about other schools in Europe – and unfortunately, I don’t know much about them. It’s best for you to seek out students from that school – it’s not hard – search for alumni in news articles, the schools’ websites, or on Facebook or Linkedin.
Do I need culinary school?
That’s a tough decision for me to make for you. I know of chefs who’ve been to top schools and still aren’t great at what they do (even calling them a chef doesn’t feel right) and I’ve worked alongside some pretty amazing chefs who’ve trained on the job for years and haven’t even stepped into culinary school. Because, let’s face it, cooking school is expensive. And if at an entry level you’re making €6/hour and paying €900 monthly rent, you just can’t survive without additional help.
I’m currently studying for my CA/CFA/Medicine/Law/What-have-you, but I love to bake and want to become a chef. Should I quit that and go to culinary school?
Gosh! Do your parents know you sent me this email? I know just how exciting cooking at home for friends and family can be (and they’ll always tell you they love your stuff), but are you ready to take this on professionally? I don’t know you personally, so I can’t tell you what you can do and cannot. It’s like asking me if a hot pink maxi dress suits you – I don’t know your body type or height or skin tone and can’t tell whether it looks flattering or plain ridiculous. But one thing that I’ve learned and can pass along as general advice is that once you’ve committed to something, see it through. Don’t get distracted. You can always go to culinary school. Plus how awesome would it be to have a CA degree and be a chef? You know nobody can play with your money when you run your business.
That said, I have a friend who quit medicine in her third year and took on patisserie at ICC. She works at Le Bernardin in NYC, and loves every minute of it.
What would you recommend, Le Cordon Bleu Paris or London?
Paris. No question about it.
A lot of people tell me that they’ve got the accommodation in UK taken care of (every Indian has some family there!) and that’s why they chose London. I would have done the same if Arjun and I hadn’t moved to Paris. Rents are high, and Paris is an expensive city to live in. But if you can help it, pick Paris. Don’t worry about the language – most Parisians speak enough English.
Also, after completing either of the diplomas, the school in Paris helps you find an internship at some of the best restaurants and patisseries in Paris. The London school doesn’t have this provision. Friends who have completed their superior level say that the internship is the best part of the course!
Is the course at Le Cordon Bleu Paris in French?
Yes, indeed it is. But you have a translator in every demo class translate what the chef says right there. In the practical class, about 80% of the chefs speak English. If not, there are enough classmates around to help you out.
There is an intensive course that compresses the 3 month course into a month long course. Should I do that?
Intensive course sounds pretty… intense. Personally, if I’m sitting in class all day from 8:30AM and I have a demonstration at 6:30PM – I find it hard to keep my eyes open halfway through the class. When I’m making my notes, you can notice my handwriting trail off. We don’t have many of those classes, but if that’s a snapshot of what the intensive course is going to be like, then I know I wouldn’t do justice to it that way. That said, I have friends who’ve done the intensive cycle in patisserie and have enjoyed it (Note: patisserie has 20 demonstrations per term, and cuisine 30, which makes it more manageable).
For cuisine, a friend of mine couldn’t get a spot in the regular 3-month cycle, but Academic Services suggested that she take on the intensive cycle. However, one of the chefs recommended to her that she’d rather wait, especially since it was Superior level. So there you go. (In the end, she did get a spot in the regular cycle.)
What about LCB in another city… like Bangkok?
I hear that the Bangkok school is the cheapest, but that’s all I know about it. I also asked some of my American friends why they chose to come to Paris (other than being Francophiles) instead of going to one of the many Cordon Bleu schools in the States. I learned that LCB has merely licensed those schools to use their names, so while they are called Le Cordon Bleu – they have their own curriculum and method of teaching. In my opinion, it can’t get any better than studying French cuisine and Patisserie anywhere other than Paris.
But I hear that there’s an LCB opening up in India. That’s a great way for me to study cooking without leaving the country, isn’t it?
Le Cordon Bleu has tied up with GD Goenka University, but currently only offers Bachelors of Business in International Hotel Management. More here.
If you have more questions, please add them in the comments section below.
All the best! I hope you can make it!
x
Shaheen