San Francisco Weekly Exposes Local Culinary School Scoundrels!
This past weekend I was at a birthday party for a well connected friend. Many a type of handsome, smart, in-the-know, artistic, flamboyant, sexy, stylish, well-read, talented, prolific, and all around fantastic persons abounded there.
While gathering a plate full of delightful full fat French nibbles from the spread, I ran into SF Mike and we dished about the city and all its goings on. After a good long while a friend of his joined the conversation and, upon finding out that I wear white a lot of the time, inquired as to whether I had as yet seen the investigative report on the California Culinary Academy (CCA) in SF Weekly?
Completely surprised but moreover excited that, finally, someone had the balls to take them to task for their deceptive if not outright lying admissions policies, I tracked down the article right quick.
The last time I heard someone's CCA story I became red with rage. Lest you think otherwise, I do not unilaterally hate culinary schools. I hate their lies. I hate that they tell prospective students incomplete truths about what to expect from the professional cooking industry. I hate that they are the only ones making enough money to live on in my industry. I hate that they are met with students full of hope and happy desire but empty pockets and they tell them that without a $50,000 degree those folks will be unable to get a job. I hate that they tell prospective students that they will be chefs after a few months of basic cooking education!
But enough about me and my feelings. I could rant for hours about these lies. Whether they are outright lies or lies of omission they are still all lies.
The article is not an opinion. It's facts based on interviews with actual graduates.
Follow this link to the article in SF Weekly, Burnt Chefs.
Interesting - I just emailed you an article from the Times from last month...
Posted by:maggie | 12 June 2007 at 05:50 PM
i think they ought to close down all culinary schools. five years should suffice. way too many students churned out and not enough jobs.
the people featured in the sfweekly is just heartbreakingly sad.
Posted by:faustianbargain | 12 June 2007 at 06:22 PM
wow! this "sfmike" takes awesome pictures!!
Posted by:faustianbargain | 12 June 2007 at 06:24 PM
Thanks for turning me on to SFMike's blog: Fantastic!
Posted by:Debra | 12 June 2007 at 08:16 PM
I read the article and the situation there is a bummer. I graduated from CCA 20 years ago this August. At that time, I was told that I would be qualified to be a decent prep cook when I graduated and that I would have to work my way up. I am still happily in the industry and feel that it was $10,000 well spent. It would have taken years on the job to learn what I learned there in 16 months. It is a shame that CCA is a shell of its former self.
Posted by:Julie | 12 June 2007 at 09:29 PM
Wanna know what kinds of things the CCA spend their money on? They sent me a frickin Birthday Card!!!!!*%$@!*!!
Posted by:sam | 13 June 2007 at 12:00 PM
he - it was a karaoke party, not a birthday party! And I am glad you and Mike got talking.
Posted by:sam | 13 June 2007 at 12:01 PM
Before I went to Santa Rosa JC Baking and pastry program I was a lowly 7.50 an hour sample girl in costco. After spending some time and a few hundred bucks at the aforementioned program, you guessed it-still a sampler. But at least I managed to escape the sticky fingers of CCA. They left a bad taste in my mouth after the sickeningly sweet interview.
Posted by:marilyn | 27 June 2007 at 07:23 PM