I plan on attending Le Cordon Bleu in Chicago this fall. $42,000 before living costs. Is the school worth that kind of money? Are there better schools out there for less. I have worked the past 2 years as a prep cook at a Marriott and want to stay in the food industry and grow. Is community college good enough? What should I do. The money debt is hard.

Please check out Kendall College in Chicago first. I went there. Great school. Full college accredations. Costs much less. 2 year associates degree program or 4 year bachelors degree program.

You get out what you put in. That is a fact of any school you may attend. The name of the school matters little if it is just the name your depending on to get you somewhere in the business.

For a more in depth opinion read this.

One thing that can't be stressed enough is the accreditation issue. If you discover this is not the path for you or you wish to move on, all you have from a LCB program is student loans. With real college (Kendall College) credits can be applied them to get a BA or BS degree.

Also look at the ACF site for apprenticeship programs.

BTW this whole topic has been beaten to death in the Wanna Be area. Do a keyword search on the left for hours of reading on the topic.

G

(Nice article ChefTim)

There is a good article in the Culinary Review this month by the President of the ACF, Chef Leonard that is also excellent. He basically says school and experience on the job are the way to go!....and blasted some schools for their fees.

George, can you combine these two threads?, there is another one with the same name by the same author.

Cheftim,
Great article!