With 16 regions across the province designated as culinary destinations, Ontario offers an array of intensive programs for aspiring chefs who want a long-term career in the food and beverage industry. Here is a sample of private and college-based career programs that combine intensive training in the culinary arts with development of key business management skills.
Program duration, tuition fees and admission requirements vary according to the cooking school.
High-profile private cooking schools include:
Le Cordon Bleu Ottawa Culinary Arts School, Ottawa
Those who, like Julia Child in 1950s Paris, are passionate about mastering the art of French cooking, may want to enrol at the Canadian campus of Le Cordon Bleu, located in the nation's capital. The school provides students with rigorous culinary training in state-of-the-art kitchens, under the guidance of award-winning chefs.
Four diploma programs are available: Cuisine, Patisseries (pastry), Le Grand Diplôme, which includes the Cuisine and Patisseries programs; and Le Grand Diplôme Professionnel, an accelerated, one-year, four-level program that integrates culinary technique with gastronomic theory, key industry certifications (e.g., Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points, or HACCP;First Aid and CPR; Responsible Alcohol Beverage Service Training)and internship at Le Cordon Bleu Bistro @ Signatures restaurant.
Stratford Chefs School, Stratford
Located in one of the province’s best-known arts towns, the Stratford Chefs School is the subject of the reality TV show, “Chef School”, on The Food Network. In addition to practical experience in cuisine and pastry, program courses explore the theory of gastronomy, food style, culinary history, wine appreciation, and restaurant design and communication. Culinary instructors are recruited from top North American and European restaurants and high-profile chefs are invited to participate in a Celebrity Chefs in Residence Program. The school also runs the Joseph Hoare Gastronomic Writer in Residence Program.
Many Ontario colleges offer chef-training programs. Here are a few:
Algonquin College School of Hospitality, Ottawa
The one-year Culinary Skills-Chef Training program at the Algonquin College School of Hospitality teaches the fundamentals of food preparation, baking techniques, food safety, nutrition, and other topics. Students also have access to on-the-job training at the school’s Restaurant International where they have the chance to create gourmet menus and deliver service.
George Brown College Chef School, Toronto
George Brown College Chef School offers basic, intermediate and advanced courses, such as apprentice, certificate, diploma and post-diploma, as well as certificate programs for people in the industry who want to upgrade their skills. The college describes several of its programs as unique in Ontario, including an Aboriginal cuisine program, a post-diploma Italian culinary arts program with a three-month work placement in Italy, and advanced culinary training in emerging areas.
The Niagara Culinary Institute, Niagara College Canada, Niagara-on-the-Lake
The Niagara Culinary Institute offers one- and two-year culinary programs in a facility that includes interactive food and baking labs, a food and wine sensory lab, a culinary demonstration theatre, and a 100-seat dining room where students benefits from hands-on experience in a fine-dining restaurant. Starting in the fall of 2010, the college is slated to launch the Executive Chef Graduate Certificate program to prepare graduates for senior management positions in the food and beverage sector.
Training World-Class Chefs
While gourmet cooking schools such as these offer recreational cooking courses to the general public, the main focus is on career programs designed to produce world-class chefs who can succeed in a competitive industry. In addition to teaching culinary arts and gastronomy, these schools work with students to develop related management skills ranging from communication to cost management.
For a complete list of Ontario cooking schools, visit Cooking Schools Worldwide or the Canadian Business Directory.
Valerie Ward - Valerie Ward In her 15-year-career as a freelance writer, Valerie has delved into everything from home renovation and health care to ...
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