Le Cordon Bleu, Paris

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Hello All!

I am pretty sure that I will be attending Le Cordon Bleu, Paris this fall. I have been reading old posts here and many have referred to this school as "cooking school for rich girls" and the like. Has anyone here attended this school? How was the experience for you? Do you feel you received a good education? How has this education helped/hindered you in finding employment in the U.S.? Does the program count for some type of accreditation?

I know that the choice of cooking school depends on a person's goals, experience, etc., so I will give a brief description of what I hoping the school will provide. I am 24, dropped out of college after 2 years because I realized it wasn't the right place for me. Been working with computers and traveling ever since. My love of cooking has been growing, and I have been working for the last year as an apprentice to a local chef that runs a small restaurant that serves 30-50 lunches a day. I am learning a lot, but also want to have a formal education. Besides attending cooking school, I am excited at the idea of living in Paris and participating in an apprenticeship set up by the school. After schooling I hope to return home and help the restaurant I work at now to expand into dinners/take-out, etc, or work as a personal chef in nearby San Francisco. (Are there still people that can afford personal chefs?)

Will Le Cordon Bleu prepare me for this? What are their interships like? What type of employment can I realistically expect if I am unable to resume working with my chef friend I now work for?

And very important, what are good resources for scholarships available for cooking schools abroad? I have found and applied for the James Beard Scholarships, but haven't found much else. Federal government scholarships are only for accredited U.S. schools, and most professional culinary organizations I have contacted have said that they don't have any scholarships currently available.

Thank you for wading through all my questions and taking time to answer a question I know has been asked repeatedly.

Sincerely,
Nicole

By Serf (Serf) on Tuesday, February 26, 2002 - 04:26 pm: Edit

You should check the other forums, they will answer your questions. If then you still have un-answered concerns you can post them. Check the 2 forums under this one.

By Nikita2 (Nikita2) on Tuesday, February 26, 2002 - 07:38 pm: Edit

Serf,

The two forums under this are Food for Thought and Chefs Food Fight. Which forum did you mean?

I have searched all the messages and haven't seen any posts from people who attended LCB Paris and wrote about their experiences.

Can anyone help?

Thank You,
Nicole

By Serf (Serf) on Tuesday, February 26, 2002 - 10:37 pm: Edit

Nicole,

I meant that your concerns have been answered before, but not specifically regarding Paris. The topics (i meant) are CIA or Le Cordon Blue, started by me, and baking & pastry certificate. If you read the reponses there, you should be able to apply it in your situation. From what I read around, and from others Le Cordon Blue is a great program. I myself will attend a LCB program with the Texas Culinary Academy.
Those topics I refferred you to have scholaships info & discuss what to expect out of any school.

Good Luck

By Andapanda (Andapanda) on Friday, August 29, 2003 - 02:12 pm: Edit

Nicole:
A good reference is <http://www.shawguides.com>.
The only two schools in france worth considering are: E.S.C.F. in Paris: <http://www.egf.ccip.fr./ENGLISH/index.htm>, and Institut Paul Bocuse in Lyon <http://www.each-lyon.com>.
E.S.C.F. is publicly funded while I.P.B. is privately funded. Something to bear in mind when choosing a school.
Bon Chance!

By Matisse (Matisse) on Sunday, August 31, 2003 - 05:24 pm: Edit

When I live in Europe, Le Cordon Bleu Paris was a school for already established chefs who were trying to take it to the next level. This may have changed due to economic factors,
but I am almost certain, from reading some of their application papers recently that a friend brought for me to review, that they ask for experience...where, who, how, when and such. So make sure the "shoes fit".

Also, there is quite a bit of a difference between a Le Cordon Bleu program here in the U.S. and the actual "ecole" in Paris. So check on the above.

By Chefmanny (Chefmanny) on Monday, September 01, 2003 - 09:36 pm: Edit

The Cordon Bleu in Paris is "NOTHING" like the so called "Cordon Bleu" in the states!!!!!!!!!!!!

By Andapanda (Andapanda) on Tuesday, September 02, 2003 - 01:04 pm: Edit

The Cordon Bleu school in Paris is the original school and the only LCB school which grants the "Le Grand Diplome" in North America is the LCB school in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The other "Cordon Bleu" schools you see in the U.S.A. are merely franchises in which the school paid LCB for the use of the name. Take note, none of their course work would transfer to any of the other 8 schools which grant the "Grand Diplome." Cordon Bleu has franchised their name just as Henckels has. For example, $10 Henckels knife sold at a Target store is not the same as a Henckels knife made in Germany.
You had heard correctly about LCB. The school was originally founded as a "finishing" school for homemakers or "rich girls" as you had mentioned.
If you can afford living in Paris, France for a year or two, I would recommend that you consider E.S.C.F. instead of LCB. You will find the E.S.C.F. was founded as a school to train students to work as food service professionals. Bon Chance!