Here are some tips for selecting schools, based on an analysis comparing each school to all others across dozens of factors:
Schools Concentrating On Chefs
- Focus: For schools with a focus on this career area, look at Seattle Central, South Puget Sound Community College, South Seattle Community College, and Clark.
Fastest Response From Schools
- Request Info: For the fastest information for prospective students, look at the Spotlight schools on this page.
Student Body
- Diverse: For a diverse student body, consider Bates, South Seattle Community College, Renton Technical College, and Seattle Central.
- Adult Learners: For lots of adult learners, consider Clover Park Technical College, Renton Technical College, Walla Walla Community College, and Skagit Valley College.
School Setting
- Out of State: For geographic diversity, take note of Walla Walla Community College.
- Dorms: For a residential campus environment, take note of Skagit Valley College and Edmonds Community College.
Student/Alumnus Reviews of Schools for This Career and State
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Northwest Culinary Institute • Vancouver, WA
Studying Dessert And Pastry Chef (completion in 2011)
• 9/7/2011
"I was very satisfied with my school. They offered everything I wanted to learn in a short amount of time."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | You can learn a lot at this institute you wouldn't learn in the kitchen. Very hands on and supportive. |
| Program Reputation | 7 | A few of my friends attended the school, but they dropped out. The believed they didn't need a degree to work in a kitchen. |
| Program Quality | 8 | The instructors were thorough and were there step by step. They would also apply real life techniques used in various kitchens. |
| Instruction | 8 | Recipes were clear and easy to follow. Instructors were available to answer questions. |
| How Difficult | 5 | I have had previous experience working in bakeries and restaurants. I found a lot of the courses to be more like intro classes. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | A lot of cooking is hands on - the use of kitchen utensils and baking equipment, kneading dough and fondant, creating shapes out of modeling chocolate, etc. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 7 | It worked well with my schedule. I was able to take care of my son and go to school. |
| Academic Facilities | 8 | Chefs were fully supportive and wanted students to succeed. They would encourage our creativity. |
| Social Life | 4 | Not much of a social experience besides in class time. Some students would meet together afterwards, but that's about it. |
| Placement Services | 5 | Most of their job connections I could find myself. |
| Alumni Network | 5 | Other colleagues offered emails and phone numbers. We would get together and create dishes, talk about assignments, etc. |
South Seattle Community College • Seattle, WA
Studying Culinary Arts And Restaurant Management (completion in 2003)
• 9/23/2011
"I am satisfied with my school, SSCC. I feel like I received enough hands-on training in a variety of fields. However, I'm not "very satisfied" due to the lack of more specialized areas of cooking. In my opinion, the school should also assist more with job placement."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | Yes, in the Seattle area, this school is one of the best. The environment that you are in, which can be very stressful, sets you up for future work, and gives you the experience you need to be on your own in this field. |
| Program Reputation | 8 | South Seattle CC, despite being a community college, is one of the most highly rated culinary arts schools in the Seattle area, more so than the Seattle Art Institute. During my time there, I was introduced to several people who switched to the school from others due to the cost and lack of actual hands-on education. |
| Program Quality | 7 | South Seattle CC was very accommodating in the Culinary Arts program, and gave its students opportunities to cook for its restaurants, pastry shop, short order breakfast, and cafeteria. The school definitely "catered" to the culinary program. |
| Instruction | 6 | The teachers were knowledgeable and experienced in the industry. Some of the teachers were exceptional and kind, while others were temperamental. Very few were lacking in the skills to teach. |
| How Difficult | 8 | This was a full time job. South Seattle starts it's C.A. program as early as 6:30 AM and, depending on the classes, went until 4:30 PM. It was packed every day, running around, prepping food, cooking food, packaging food, etc. In addition, students were constantly being tested in food sanitation and cooking procedure knowledge. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Most of the learning at school was hands-on. Every day started out with a Theory class that was book learning, but that was 1 hour worth of class time, compared to 5-6 hours of hands-on time in the kitchen, pastry kitchen, or restaurant. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 1 | This program was a do or die program. The hours were set Mon-Fri, each "station" had set days/times, and this were not negotiable. Only the traditional college classes, such as English, Math, etc, were available as evening or online classes. The only exception was that the school ran all year long, so summer quarter remained busy. Also, any students who missed two or more days in a two week period failed their station/credit-period. There was no getting around this. |
| Academic Facilities | 8 | Teachers were always available to answer questions, either via email, in the class rooms, over the phone. There were classrooms and quiet areas that students could retreat to for study. Students were encouraged to take advantage of all of these things. |
| Social Life | 5 | I was very focused on the program and did not participate in many school activities, but since SSCC is a community college, they did not focus on athletics or parties, although these were offered. Social events were limited to the group or study a person was participating in. |
| Placement Services | 3 | This is one area in which I wish that SSCC had helped more. They really did not offer any job placement assistance, but did not have any problem giving references to students. |
| Alumni Network | 3 | I did not participate with the alumni network, nor was it really emphasized. I know they did have a network for students, but it was neither advertised nor encouraged. |
Indian Heritage • Seattle, WA
Studying Basic (completion in 1995)
• 12/9/2011
"The school provided a way to make more than minimum wage and to start a career, instead of just a job."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | If the school that I attended was still open, of course I would recommend it. |
| Program Reputation | Not open now. | |
| Program Quality | 10 | Very professional and worth the time. |
| Instruction | 10 | The instructors explained things very well, and confidence was instilled in all of the students. |
| How Difficult | 5 | As with everything, there are good days and bad days. Incorporation is key in cooking. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | We were exposed to many different learning styles. The program was a quick course to help inner-city kids have a chance at a career. The public schools just don't cut it for most. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 10 | There were a lot of low-income students, and they had to revolve their school schedule around the reality of money. |
| Academic Facilities | 1 | Very small building with very limited resources. |
| Social Life | The experience was different for each individual student. | |
| Placement Services | 5 | The school did not provide much job placement for its students. |
| Alumni Network | 6 | The school is very accredited with the local community, dealing with a lot of low-income students. |
Seattle Culinary Academy At Seattle Central Community College • Seattle, WA
Studying Culinary Arts - Specialty Desserts And Breads (completion in 2011)
• 2/5/2012
"I love my school. I keep in touch and recommend it often. I will definitely support the school for years to come. I have an amazing network of chefs and other culinarians who are always there to help!"
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | I recommend SCA on a daily basis. When I hear of someone who is considering culinary school as an education choice, they can't get me to stop talking about my positive experience in culinary school. |
| Program Reputation | 10 | The culinary program at SCA has won national awards for sustainability programs. Also, I had come from a non-food background, and the school was able to give me a very solid basis for the knowledge I would need to succeed in this industry. |
| Program Quality | 10 | Both the culinary program and the pastry program at SCA were amazing. I did not have a background in the culinary arts/food industry, and the school was a great place to gain a solid foundation and learn how to start a catering company. |
| Instruction | 9 | I loved the culinary foundation I received at SCA. I wish that I had received a bit more training on how to actually open the business, which I did while I was still in school. |
| How Difficult | 9 | There were aspects of the program that were very challenging; we had a number of students not make it through even the first quarter of the program. Some aspects needed only common sense, which many people don't have - a great way to weed out people who won't survive in a kitchen! |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Since I attended culinary and pastry school, the majority of our learning happened in the kitchen and bakeshop. We did have theory classes covering cuisines, cooking techniques, food history, sanitation, etc. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 5 | The program has a specific track that needs to be followed for the certification. The attendance policy is strict, as it would be working in a commercial kitchen. |
| Academic Facilities | 9 | The school recently did a major renovation, and some of the kitchens and the bakeshop were remodeled. The general school facilities are also currently undergoing renovations, so the whole campus is looking great! |
| Social Life | 8 | The culinary program is definitely a community in itself. I felt very connected within that community, but not within the greater college community. |
| Placement Services | 9 | The school regularly posts open positions in the industry on bulletin boards at the school and through social media, such as Facebook. They also continue to refer clients to me for catering. |
| Alumni Network | 9 | I often visit my school, and the chefs know what I'm doing, they want to know of my success and they always offer support. The administration regularly refers clients to my catering company. |
Clark Community College • Vancouver, WA
Studying Culinary Arts (completion in 2005)
• 3/23/2012
"Old textbooks. I thought the professors were sexist and out of touch. The schedule was inflexible."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | no | I would not recommend this school if you want to become a professional chef. |
| Program Reputation | 1 | The culinary program was funded by an endowment for technical programs only. The school board found a way around the legal restrictions, and I believe that the program has been shut down. |
| Program Quality | 3 | My community college culinary arts program was subpar. It was a glorified cafeteria and is not something I list on my resume. |
| Instruction | 1 | The teachers seemed to lack knowledge of current food trends or any contemporary food products. They taught from an older edition of the textbook. |
| How Difficult | 1 | I had already worked in food service prior to beginning my culinary program. The classes were designed for true beginners. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Hands on enough to run the cafeteria. The older textbooks were not very helpful. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 1 | No alternate schedules. Weekdays, 8-4, with mandatory banquets on weekends. |
| Academic Facilities | 8 | The school itself has many resources available to students, but nothing specific to the tech program. Facilities are nice. |
| Social Life | 4 | No sports teams. Social events were not very appealing. |
| Placement Services | There are no job placement programs. There is a bulletin board. | |
| Alumni Network | They send a lot of junk mail. There is no real network for my technical program. |
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