Should You Go To Culinary School?

Did you go to culinary school? Should you go to culinary school? These are questions that I’ve gotten a lot as a chef. I did not go to culinary school, though I did consider it early in my cooking days. I hope this article will help you decide if culinary school is right for you, or if another path is best for developing your cooking skills.

I’m going to approach this topic from two directions: financial (is it a good investment in your career?) and educational (does it provide the skills for success in a culinary career?). 

This article focuses primarily on culinary school as it relates to cooking in restaurants and assumes that your goal is to become a skilled cook, advance through the ranks to chef, and maybe open your own business someday. The discussion, however, is broadly applicable to all kinds of culinary jobs and goals. 

Before we start, here is one very important thing to consider:

Have you ever actually worked in a restaurant? If not, I strongly recommend spending a few months working at the best restaurant where you can get yourself a job. Even as a dishwasher or prep cook. Restaurant work is very different from how it’s portrayed in the media (yes, even The Bear). It can be physically taxing, stressful, and low paying. This is not to scare you off. I’ve learned skills and lessons working in restaurants that I would never have found elsewhere. I met my wife working at a restaurant. I made some of my closest friendships - bonding over post shift beers and cookbooks that inspired us. Make sure that you actually want to give this life a shot, before making such a big investment of money and years.

1. The Money

First off, do you have a hefty trust fund? If so, I suppose you can just skip this section.

Still here eh? Ah, well. On we go. 

ROI. Will the money you spend on culinary school return a profit in terms of career trajectory and salary? Higher education should be seen primarily as an investment. Investments can have returns other than money, to be sure, but given the price tag, the financial picture is paramount. We’ve normalized taking on a potential lifetime worth of debt at a young age, often before we have perspective on how it will affect our financial future. 

Culinary school degrees range in cost from $10,000 at a community college to upwards of six figures at The Culinary Institute of America. For the first few years working as a line cook, you can expect to earn minimum wage - maybe a bit higher, depending on the city and the tip distribution. Individual financial circumstances vary, but I can tell you from experience that, as a line cook, making a significant dent in my student loans was near impossible.

It’s worth some research to see if there are low-cost or free culinary training programs in your area. In Seattle, we have Farestart - they even pay you while you’re in school!

2. The Knowledge

Will your culinary school education help you get a job in a restaurant? The short answer: no.

I’ve never met a chef who cares if you went to culinary school. The most valuable skills a cook can possess aren’t necessarily taught in school. It’s about character, punctuality, and humility. They care that you show up on time, take pride in your work, and are pleasant to be around.

So let’s say you’re not going to culinary school. How will you get a job in a restaurant and learn to cook? I got my first restaurant job by cold emailing 50 restaurants in London that I thought I would be happy to work at. One took a chance on me with no restaurant experience. I dove straight into a busy kitchen and learned from other cooks and chefs. And lots of trial and error.

Fortunately for cooks (and unfortunately for restaurant owners), skilled labor is scarce these days. That is to say, you are much more likely to land a job at a restaurant with little or no experience. 

Let’s say you have a chunk of change that you want to dedicate to food education. I would argue that it’s more worthwhile to use that money to travel, eat, and support yourself while you’re trying to get a job at a great restaurant where you can learn. This path doesn’t have guardrails like culinary school does. It takes a lot more gumption and independent motivation to learn this way. But to make it in a culinary field, you’re going to need a helluva lot of gumption.

So, should you go to culinary school? In my opinion, it’s rarely necessary. I’m biased. I didn’t go to culinary school, and I never felt like it held me back at any point in my career. I’m glad I didn’t take on more debt, and through restaurant work, I got paid to learn (however paltry the initial pay was).

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Thanks for cooking with us,

Mac & Sten