Rebo, I found myself in a very similar situation 10 years ago. I wanted to be a chef and had no desire to spend $40,000 on a culinary school education. Before even thinking about the profession, there are a number of factors that MUST be considered. Yes, working in a kitchen will give you some idea of the lifestyle, but not the commitment. I'm trying not to preach, but most professional chefs will give you the same warnings I'm about to give you. 1. You must be able to take criticism. Most people think they can, but they figure out that the constant derogatory remarks start to wear on them. If you don't have thick skin, you don't belong. 2. You must be able to work up to 14 hours a day and up to 80 hours a week. No, I'm not kidding. And when I say work, I mean WORK. But that also makes the days go by pretty fast. 3. You have to have talent. Culinary schools do a great job at making you think they can teach you how to be a chef. But they can't teach you the passion or the God-given talent required to become a GREAT chef. Either you have "it" or you don't.... plain and simple. That's why they want you to have the experience of working in a kitchen before you apply. 4. Expect to make very little money. Sure, after a few years you can start to make a decent salary, but you have to be good and it takes time. 5. Forget about having a normal relationship with a significant other, unless they are in the business. I met my wife when I was a cook and she was a server. That worked out at first, but when she decided to go to school, things began to change. When my wife was in grad school and I was the Exec Sous Chef at a country club, we went 63 days without having a day off together. It starts to wear down a relationship. 6. Forget about having weekends off. There are M-F corporate chef jobs out there, but they are FEW AND FAR between. 7. Cooking has to be a passion. If it's not a passion for you, you will quickly lose the desire to be in a kitchen. 8. Did I mention you have to be ready to work insane hours for very little pay? If you think I'm trying to scare you off, I am. There are very few people in the world who can go all the way in the culinary industry. But those that do and find the passion can have an incredibly fufilling life. You just have to know what you are getting yourself into. Don't listen to ANYONE who hasn't been in the business before. There is another option besides Culinary School. Northern Virginia Community College has a Chef's Apprenticeship program. Basically, you work a full-time job in a professional kitchen, moving from station to station and you take classes one day per week. This is an accredited program (ACF Certified) that gives you the same degree as the culinary schools. It takes almost three years, but you do get paid at your job and you have the experience of actually WORKING for 3 years. That being said... Culinary Schools like Johnson & Whales and CIA do a great job of preparing you to be a chef. However, if you don't have the $$ and don't qualify for a scholarship, you could spend the next 10 years of your life trying to pay off your student loans when you aren't making a ton of $$ to begin with. I second the opinions of those who are recommending you trail a chef in a professional kitchen. Be humble, respectful and don't ask too many questions. It should be a pretty cool experience. Shoot me a PM if you have any additional questions or shoot me an email at chefberg@yahoo.com. Also, don't poo-poo the jobs at places like Appleby's. Sure, they don't teach you how to be a fine dining chef, but they teach you how to prepare your station before an incredibly busy night and how to deal with being "in the weeds". Some of the best cooks that ever worked under me came from places like Ruby Tuesday and Outback. You have to learn how to be a darn good cook before you can learn the intricacies of becoming a great chef. Good luck!!!!!!!!! Blue Ridge
