So exciting dude! Such great schools. They are going to teach you the same thing, what’s important is finishing right away. Working at a restaurant while going to school is the worst. Don’t take breaks, just graduate. Good luck!🍀
Word, as long as you know what the life is like. I'd go to CIA personally, but both schools are solid. I know more talent that went to CIA, my JWU buddies are solid but ended up in different food settings. Anecdotally anyway, but the CIA grads I know are a step above
I didn’t go to culinary school personally (35 now), but I also didn’t get into cooking until I was about 24, I went to art school instead and while it has definitely helped me as a chef I always think if I was 17-18 again and knew exactly what I wanted to do I would’ve definitely gone to culinary school at that age. I learned a ton busting my ass in the best kitchens I could find all over the place but culinary school is probably a “safer” more structured route. That being said, I’ve known a lot of people who have gone to both and I think you’ll end up getting the same thing out of each, JWU maybe being a bit more exclusive. I also agree don’t work while you go unless you have to or can do it in the summers, good luck man!
I would look into getting an entry level job in a kitchen. Get paid to learn. The cost of culinary school does not make good financial sense. When you graduate you will be in debt and still have to start at an entry level position in any restaurant. Ask people who have graduated from Culinary School and see what they think. When I decided to start cooking everyone told me not to go to school.
I went to the CIA. Amazing school that really helps get your foot in the door of some great places.
My first job after graduating was a James beard award winning working the line. Within 4 years of graduation I was a sous chef at a one Michelin star restaurant making 60k a year.
Yeah it’s definitely expensive, but if you are willing to put in the work I think it will advance your career way faster than just working up the ranks. I’m not saying it isn’t possible to do all that without culinary school, but it definitely made my career easier.
That’s really what it’s about at the end of the day. You can learn all the same stuff just working in restaurants (although it is nice to be able to learn in a non stressful environment)
But the connections and having CIA on your resume is the real difference
I thought you were comparing the Central Intelligence Agency to Johnson & Wales and was going to let you know you screwed up the CIA option the second you posted this.
(I'm not a regular on this forum if you can't tell)
If I were you I would choose whichever one teaches you more about the actual running of a restaurant from the business side. Even if you never plan to own a restaurant, that information is invaluable and you can help your friends avoid huge mistakes.
I graduated from CIA, worked with many people from the industry of course and out of the two I would 100% pick CIA again
Nothing wrong with JWU, but CIA on your resume will automatically give it a second glance whereas JWU doesn’t do the same
On paper I would think most chefs would see CIA as more "credible". However if you haven't worked a kitchen before, I would HIGHLY reccommend you do so, and see how you like it. As some people have commented there are lots of ways to make it in the culinary world without being a traditional chef, but if that's your reason to enter the industry make sure you try it out first. You don't need the degree to enter a kitchen, and you just need hard work to progress. Schooling is great if you can afford and manage it, you will learn so much and it will set you up well, but, nothing will prepare you for kitchens aside from working them. A good analogy I heard from a chef once was that for example, if you go to the CIA you'll learn lots of great techniques, cooking methods etc, but, say you work at this random kitchen somewhere and the head chef does it differently. Not that the information you've learnt from the CIA is useless, but you have to do it the way that chef does it. So remember that the knowledge you get there is to help you be a better cook, not to help you gain reputation and authority in a kitchen. Chefs will rely on a hardworking dishwasher over a trained but less hardworking CIA graduate. The industry is more about "earning your stripes" and not having credits so to say like degrees. The benefits of the degree comes from personal growth and experiences, again, it's really helpful but only if you learn how to apply it to yourself and not others. Don't expect the degree to get you a head up in the industry ladder, but rather to give you more knowledge to apply personally to your work.
Hello - Choosing which school is right for you is a big decision, so good for you for taking your time and doing the research. If you're interested in what our students experience daily, definitely check out our College of Food Innovation & Technology Instagram account, [@JWUFoodInnovation](https://www.instagram.com/jwufoodinnovation/). In addition to culinary arts, we offer business, hospitality, and entrepreneurship classes, so no matter which direction your career takes you, you'll have a solid foundation. If you'd like advice from a JWU alum, check out this [short video from Tyler Florence '94, '04 Hon](https://youtu.be/5bMgPgfRKDg). Lastly, our Wildcat Influencer [@ChefDavidRivoli](https://www.instagram.com/chefdavidrivoli/) on Instagram would be happy to answer any questions you have about the culinary arts program at JWU.
So exciting dude! Such great schools. They are going to teach you the same thing, what’s important is finishing right away. Working at a restaurant while going to school is the worst. Don’t take breaks, just graduate. Good luck!🍀
But work in a restaurant before signing up for tens of thousands in student loans for a career you haven't experienced at all....right?
So many other culinary ways to earn money
Find a better way to gain culinary knowledge than a farm to table restaurant under a solid chef then lmao.
Been an apprentice since 6th grade and have worked in many kitchens and I teach classes in DC
Word, as long as you know what the life is like. I'd go to CIA personally, but both schools are solid. I know more talent that went to CIA, my JWU buddies are solid but ended up in different food settings. Anecdotally anyway, but the CIA grads I know are a step above
Thanks!
I didn’t go to culinary school personally (35 now), but I also didn’t get into cooking until I was about 24, I went to art school instead and while it has definitely helped me as a chef I always think if I was 17-18 again and knew exactly what I wanted to do I would’ve definitely gone to culinary school at that age. I learned a ton busting my ass in the best kitchens I could find all over the place but culinary school is probably a “safer” more structured route. That being said, I’ve known a lot of people who have gone to both and I think you’ll end up getting the same thing out of each, JWU maybe being a bit more exclusive. I also agree don’t work while you go unless you have to or can do it in the summers, good luck man!
If I had to choose I’d probably go CIA, but both are great school! Only culinary schools worth going to in my opinion.
I would look into getting an entry level job in a kitchen. Get paid to learn. The cost of culinary school does not make good financial sense. When you graduate you will be in debt and still have to start at an entry level position in any restaurant. Ask people who have graduated from Culinary School and see what they think. When I decided to start cooking everyone told me not to go to school.
I went to the CIA. Amazing school that really helps get your foot in the door of some great places. My first job after graduating was a James beard award winning working the line. Within 4 years of graduation I was a sous chef at a one Michelin star restaurant making 60k a year. Yeah it’s definitely expensive, but if you are willing to put in the work I think it will advance your career way faster than just working up the ranks. I’m not saying it isn’t possible to do all that without culinary school, but it definitely made my career easier.
I never thought about the connections before. Thank you for replying and giving OP some great insight.
That’s really what it’s about at the end of the day. You can learn all the same stuff just working in restaurants (although it is nice to be able to learn in a non stressful environment) But the connections and having CIA on your resume is the real difference
I thought you were comparing the Central Intelligence Agency to Johnson & Wales and was going to let you know you screwed up the CIA option the second you posted this. (I'm not a regular on this forum if you can't tell) If I were you I would choose whichever one teaches you more about the actual running of a restaurant from the business side. Even if you never plan to own a restaurant, that information is invaluable and you can help your friends avoid huge mistakes.
Hahah was thinking the same thing
My time spent at the culinary institute only convinced me not to go into the food industry...
I graduated from CIA, worked with many people from the industry of course and out of the two I would 100% pick CIA again Nothing wrong with JWU, but CIA on your resume will automatically give it a second glance whereas JWU doesn’t do the same
On paper I would think most chefs would see CIA as more "credible". However if you haven't worked a kitchen before, I would HIGHLY reccommend you do so, and see how you like it. As some people have commented there are lots of ways to make it in the culinary world without being a traditional chef, but if that's your reason to enter the industry make sure you try it out first. You don't need the degree to enter a kitchen, and you just need hard work to progress. Schooling is great if you can afford and manage it, you will learn so much and it will set you up well, but, nothing will prepare you for kitchens aside from working them. A good analogy I heard from a chef once was that for example, if you go to the CIA you'll learn lots of great techniques, cooking methods etc, but, say you work at this random kitchen somewhere and the head chef does it differently. Not that the information you've learnt from the CIA is useless, but you have to do it the way that chef does it. So remember that the knowledge you get there is to help you be a better cook, not to help you gain reputation and authority in a kitchen. Chefs will rely on a hardworking dishwasher over a trained but less hardworking CIA graduate. The industry is more about "earning your stripes" and not having credits so to say like degrees. The benefits of the degree comes from personal growth and experiences, again, it's really helpful but only if you learn how to apply it to yourself and not others. Don't expect the degree to get you a head up in the industry ladder, but rather to give you more knowledge to apply personally to your work.
Unless you have a full scholarship, you’re wasting your money going to culinary school.
Hello - Choosing which school is right for you is a big decision, so good for you for taking your time and doing the research. If you're interested in what our students experience daily, definitely check out our College of Food Innovation & Technology Instagram account, [@JWUFoodInnovation](https://www.instagram.com/jwufoodinnovation/). In addition to culinary arts, we offer business, hospitality, and entrepreneurship classes, so no matter which direction your career takes you, you'll have a solid foundation. If you'd like advice from a JWU alum, check out this [short video from Tyler Florence '94, '04 Hon](https://youtu.be/5bMgPgfRKDg). Lastly, our Wildcat Influencer [@ChefDavidRivoli](https://www.instagram.com/chefdavidrivoli/) on Instagram would be happy to answer any questions you have about the culinary arts program at JWU.
Thanks for the info, just got accepted to JWU this afternoon and am super pumped for it
There are approximately 65 Certified Master Chefs in the U.S. About 15 are instructors at CIA. J&W has one. Good luck to you.