So who is the typical cooking school student?
Posted on | May 7, 2009
One of the questions I get asked with some frequency is who the typical cooking student is.
And, you know, it is hard to say.
But I’ve taken a crack at it. And it’s an interesting bunch.
Age before, erm …
The age range is pretty broad. Certainly I’m an older student (think mid-life) but I am not the oldest one there. My best guess is we have a quarter century or more age span with the bulk in their twenties.
(With cooking gaining in popularity and baby boomers returning to school in droves, I should think we will see more and more older students.)
A few are married. Most have boy- or girlfriends. Some look longingly at other students.
And, while I’m female, so are plenty of other students (think roughly half and half: Half male, half female).
Right this way, madam
Most of the students, including myself, have no restaurant experience. But there are a few students who have been cooking professionally for years.
I suspect I have eaten at better restaurants than many of my fellow students (nothing nicer than an expense account) and probably read better food magazines, Websites, and books (although I’ve also read some truly terrible magazines, sites, and books!). But not better than all.
School: Do it again for the first time
I’m university educated, but so are at least three other students, that I know for sure, with the rest coming out of college or high school. I’m also a career changer, but, again, so are a handful of other students.
Religion and region
I believe I am the only Jew in my class, but I know I am not the only Jew in the building. As far as I know, most of the other students are one form of Christianity or another. Most do not seem particularly religious although one student does teach Sunday school and another says she prays with her children every night.
I’m from New York and there are students from all over including South Carolina, Florida, California, and even North Dakota.
Where does your food come from?
I know nothing about hunting or slaughter or dressing animals, and at least two people in class hunt and fish. One student smokes his own fish.
No one seems all that interested in farming. I’d like a garden. And I know of one other student who wants one, too.
And all the rest of it
Nearly half the class has tattoos and smokes; I never got the former and have long since given up the latter. Many people have piercings. I have five.
There is a good amount of drug use and drinking. But not for me.
Some are more driven; some are more creative. Some have better knife skills; some have to work hard at it. Some are more familiar with exotic ingredients; some didn’t know what a mirepoix was before they started school.
Return to the future
I don’t know what the future holds for me. In fact, I don’t even know if I want to work in a restaurant. With my background in writing, food writing could be a natural career path. At least two other students have said they are interested in food writing, too (interestingly, students are not the only ones interesting in writing; one of the chef’s has discussed his book writing aspirations with me). And, while the majority of students are interested in working in or owning a restaurant, others are interested in everything from becoming a personal chef to catering to working in food TV.
So there is no one-size-fits-all career path.
The one thing that connects them all
You can pretty much say there is no, one, typical culinary student. But we all have one thing in common. We are all interested in food.
And that’s enough.
Comments
4 Responses to “So who is the typical cooking school student?”
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May 7th, 2009 @ 7:30 am
Great commentary here that I agree with 100%. There really is no “average” student at the school I attend. It is such a diverse population from young to old – highly educated to barely educated – Muslim, Christian, Catholic, Jewish, Atheist, and everything in between – Foodies who have loved food and know exactly why they are enrolled in culinary school and some just trying to figure out what they want to do with thier lives and thought being a chef sounded good.
Thanks for sharing your viewpoint!
May 7th, 2009 @ 7:49 am
Several days ago, one of the professional chefs I follow on twitter discovered the “day job” that funds my forays into food. I wrote a piece on technology and my twitter handle was attached to it.
I have two passions in my life and, so long as I can balance both, I refuse to choose between them.
I am awed and envious of you. I am awed by the risk that you have taken to change careers and pursue your passion. I am envious that it is an inopportune time in my career to consider a sabbatical to attend culinary school. Your conviction is inspiring.
Like many of your readers, I am grateful you decided to share your experiences in this blog. It is a refreshing change to read well worked prose that demonstrates time spent writing for a living.
May 7th, 2009 @ 3:42 pm
i might have missed it somewhere on your blog, but where do you go to school?
May 7th, 2009 @ 5:51 pm
Interesting. It sounds like a pretty diverse group!