Young people who love to cook, after graduating from school, decide to connect their lives with the world of cooking. However, they face the question of which educational institution to go to so as not to lose their passion for work and love for the profession on a thorny educational path. It was to resolve this issue that this article was prepared, in which we will once and for all figure out where to study as a cook for everyone who is not indifferent to works of edible art.
What do chefs do and where are they needed?
You can't move on to considering where to study to be a chef without first establishing what the profession is. After all, graduates may have certain illusions about this field of activity. Chefs are professionals of the culinary path, especially in demand in such megacities as Moscow, St. Petersburg and others, that is, in cities with widely developed areas of restaurant and hotel services, which form an enduring demand for specialists in the field of creating delicious, good, high-quality food. Of course, in order to get into luxury establishments like La plage restaurantsor "Composer", you will need to provide a decent track record, information about experience, seniority and qualifications. However, all this, with time and with the desire, comes even to those who start with ordinary school canteens, hospitals, public or private organizations and firms.
Most promising destinations
Today, the question that is relevant for many young people is “Where to study to be a pastry chef?”. Why? The fact is that the field of creating sweet products is one of the most promising, well-paid, prestigious and popular areas of the culinary world. In addition to her, the vast majority of applicants choose the speci alties of a cook-culinary specialist, a chef-technologist and a chef. The professionals of these 4 branches are currently the most competitive and can claim a decent salary.
The culinary chef is responsible for theory rather than practice. He himself is not directly involved in the creation of dishes so actively, but he organizes the overall process, is responsible for warehouses, products, developing new recipes and adjusting old ones, and also establishes a recipe map that the establishment adheres to.
A cook-technologist is an employee involved in a variety of estimates, as well as the preparation and direct creation of dishes. It is on his shoulders that competent heat treatment, adding the required amount of spices, adjusting the time, etc. lie down.
Finally, the chef is the head, the highest link of everythingprocess. Behind him are fixed 3 main provisions of activity. Each of them requires professionalism and competence:
- Studying the taste desires, preferences and priorities of visitors to a particular establishment.
- Compilation of recipes. This point is inextricably linked with the point above, since it is on the basis of the received data that the chef regulates the system of recipes, dishes, innovations, changes.
- Control the process of purchasing goods and ensure that products are delivered to the establishment in the right volumes and first-class quality.
All of the above areas are combined in the universal curriculum "Food Industry Technologies". This can serve as the first position in answering the question of where to study to be a chef. In what places can this speci alty be obtained? Moving on to install it.
Where can I study to be a chef after grade 9?
After completing the basic course of high school, any graduate who has passed the certification exams well can enter the culinary technical school (college). The advantage of getting an education in such a school is its practical orientation, because the received diploma and the assigned speci alty allow you to immediately find a job and start applying the acquired knowledge in real life. In the first years in such an educational institution, the main program will be taught, which was supposed to be completed by a graduate in grades 10-11, but it will be much easier to study than at school, because there will be no regular certificationexams.
For graduates of the 9th grade, the general program course of the technical school is 4 years, for graduates of the 11th grade (after all, there are such cases) - only 3 years. As a result, a graduate of the school will receive a secondary vocational education, a diploma of a pastry chef or a cook with a certificate confirming the qualification of the 3rd or 4th category at once (out of 6 possible). Technical schools, colleges and schools are thus a good and time-saving option for those who do not yet know where to study as a cook. By the way, admission here occurs upon the provision of only a certificate with grades, as well as the successful passing of 2 main compulsory subjects: mathematics and the Russian language. No additional exams are required. A popular educational institution among applicants is the Moscow Food College.
Universities and institutes
If graduates with incomplete secondary education now know where to study (cooks after the 9th grade today are being prepared for professional activities in a number of educational institutions in various cities), then for 11th grade graduates the question of obtaining education in a similar field remains open. They can be offered to choose a higher culinary education in the already mentioned speci alty "Technology of food production", which is often taught in institutes with a trade orientation. The diploma will indicate the profession "cook-technologist". Simultaneously with the basics of the organization of the cooking process, the student will comprehend the basics of the management of public enterprises.nutrition, merchandising and product expertise, which, of course, will not be superfluous in the future. The term for obtaining a bachelor's degree at universities and institutes is 4 years. At the same time, for admission, the applicant will have to have positive results of passing the Unified State Examination, where, in addition to the main exams (mathematics in this case is a core subject), there will also be additional ones - chemistry or physics.
To be more specific about where to study as a cook after grade 11, then the most famous institutions can be named:
- Moscow State Academy of Food Production;
- Academy of Applied Biotechnology;
- State Institute of Food Industry.
Courses
What if there is no time to get a full-fledged education, and the soul is drawn to stand behind the stove, closer to the oven, mix, beat and add ingredients? Where can you study? Cooks (pastry chefs in the establishments that will be discussed later will also be prepared as "excellent"), technologists and culinary specialists come out not only from the doors of universities, academies and colleges, but also after completing short-term courses, where they are served in an intensive, capacious form fundamentals of food production technologies. The average course duration is only 2-3 months! Typically, the program includes a theoretical base on the preparation and preparation of dishes, food processing technology, and dietetics. The practical part includes classes under the supervision of an experienced teacher.
Master classes
In what places can you still understand what the profession of a cook is? "Where to study?" - a question that does not present a problem for someone who really craves new knowledge. So, today the world of cooking is actively popularized, and its fundamental foundations are taught to everyone at special master classes, where the best chefs share secrets, subtleties and nuances with the audience. For example, in the capital, such courses are organized by Academia Del Gusto, where even a beginner can learn how to cook delicious Italian dishes. The price of one lesson is 5000 rubles.
Training Abroad
If you have the necessary amount of money and good command of a foreign language, you can go on an internship abroad. However, it should be borne in mind that mastering culinary skills in Europe or the USA will be quite expensive, because there cooking is considered quite an honorable thing and is equated with art. So, for example, in the world-famous culinary school Le Cordon Bleu, the cost of a full program course is … 1,000,000 rubles! Obviously, a diploma obtained here or in any other foreign culinary school will be much more valuable than one obtained in any domestic educational institution.
On-the-spot training
In fact, you can become a chef without getting any specialeducation. To do this, it is enough to regularly check the news of restaurant websites: organizations often announce recruitment with the condition of training right at the workplace. Even the fact that you will have to start from a rather low position as a cook's assistant does not matter, because no one has yet canceled career growth. The main thing would be the desire!
