tasty

Excellent. Are you planning on enrolling?

I've pretty much taken PCIA and Dubrulle out of the equation. They are expensive and, from everybody's advice, I think VCC would be a more than adequate (and affordable) choice. I'm still going to look into NWCA.

Thanks LC. I'll keep y'all posted! May hit you all back with more questions soon...

I hear you DameD. I'm still trying to decide. And I am really getting a sense now of how demanding the cook's life is. And the low wages to start. It's a tough one. But I do know that I don't want to be at my desk job for too much longer. It's safe and secure but I've really reached my limit. Going to do some hard research on all the schools this weekend.

haha! nice one gastro! westcoast baby! my mistake on the Cook's Tour episode...thanks Keith. they were both good episodes. i don't know about the rest of you, but when i smoke a fatty, i would definitely crave tuna tartare served in a sea urchin shell...and some uni for that matter!! hey keith, let's smoke one sometime. you may find that your cravings have matured! <--closest i can get to a stoned emoticon

Reminds me of that Cook's Tour episode when Bourdain went to Portugal. The men's dining club...damn that was good eatin'! And then at the end of the show all the women took him around town food-hopping Portugal style. Sweet. sorry, kinda off topic.

I can get the dancers... got mansion??

As a graduate of the rave scene, my imagination was piqued by thoughts of phat beats and fine dining!! But then I read the article and agree with Keith: My idea of an Underground Dining Event: a unique dining location (preferably outdoors in the summer) decorated fabulously set maybe for an unusual time of the day (or night) that involves a bit of work getting to, a renowned chef(s) (local or international), and, of course, great company (and phat beats!! hehe)!! If anyone can put that together, I'll be at the table.

I'm in total agreement with everyone on Atkin's, Krispy Kreme, and Tim Horton's. ALL CRAP. I thought I'd heard that some locations of Tim Horton's don't even make their own donuts and that they're shipped to them frozen. Is this true? My vote for best goes to Honey's (although I'm biased because I used to live around the corner from them!)...they also make wicked breakfast egg muffins that slay McDonald's

--such an intriguing statement...makes me want to do it. wow, thanks Coop. point VCC.

Chezlamere, I wish I had some divine intervention back when I decided that CGA school was the way to go! Like Maxmillan feels about PCIA is pretty much how I felt about the CGA Association--like they just wanted my money. I didn't know there was a culinary program up there. I'll check it out. I'm not too surprised by your comments regarding PCIA Maxmillan. Many people I've talked to have had similar sentiments. And, I've also heard very similar comments to yours about VCC. In fact, if I indeed take the plunge, I'm currently leaning towards VCC...it's cheaper by far and I believe much of your assessment to be true. But I'm still in the preliminary stages of my decision, and still have much research to do. It definitely is up to the individual no matter where you go to school or train. Thanks for sharing your experiences with me guys! --glamourous?! i wish!

ha ha!

hey, thanks to all of you for taking the time to give me some advice. i'd pretty much gotten the same reviews from others i've spoken with about the individual schools as the ones you guys gave and realize that it's more a matter of self-motivation and passion than on any specific school. and also, thanks for the input on nwcav--i'd driven by there a few times and was wondering what they were about...nice to have another option. i'm also very encouraged that there are so many my age just entering school. drinkingchef, i think i'll try your suggestion of doing a trial. that is a fantastic way to check things out. --no pain, no glory!! *lots to think about!*

I am in my early 30's and am entertaining serious thoughts of dropping my accounting career of 10 years and going to cooking school to become a chef and pursue my love of all things food. Can anyone give me some guidance with respect to Vancouver cooking schools? I only know of Dubrulle (AI), PCI, and VCC. Specifically, I'd like to know if the expensive schools are worth it or if VCC is good enough when seeking employment after school. Any advice or words of wisdom for me? (not just on schools but also on entering the industry at my age and how to best go about it) Thanks in advance!

i think it's justifiable and have definitely seen it done at many places. however, i certainly would take the automatic gratuity amount up with management if i had a genuine problem with the service.