Scottsdale

The 15 month program at Scottsdale Culinary Institute which takes place on the beautiful site of a former country club in balmy Scottsdale, is a unique and integrated learning experience. As a member of the International Cordon Bleu Culinary system the Scottsdale Culinary Institute benefits from international chefs that are continually on loan to the facility, plus the faculty often rotate overseas to pick up new skills and perspectives.

The program starts with a solid grounding in basic culinary arts, which includes French cooking theory, knife handling techniques, sanitation, and preparation of both cold and hot foods. The saucier section builds on these skills, moving into the fine art of sauce preparation, a crucial skill in gourmet food preparation.

Other classes include meats fabrication, kitchen management, restaurant operations, baking, garde manger (advanced cold food preparation), a la carte (lunch) food preparation, and even French terminology for culinary use. There's even more

Most of those classes are lecture/demonstration and hands on. Add to that practical experience in the Institute's own "Ecole" Restaurant (Ecole = French for School), and 3 months spent in a paid externship somewhere in the U.S. in a resort, hotel or other restaurant environment, and you get a thorough training in the art and business of the culinary world as a basis for your new or expanded cooking career.

The cost for all this is about $30,000, and there are various scholarship and loan programs available to help out with that. You get a couple of weeks off in the summer and in the December holiday season.

It appears that you can start the program in January, February, April, May, July, August, September and November of 2002. Of course, the longer you wait, the longer you will put off your new life as a top flight chef.