You fell in love with culinary arts, what now? Welcome to CIA Greystone

The Carrillo Culinary room (Keira Eicken / The Puma Prensa)

By Keira Eicken, Staff Writer

Many students find themselves deep in their high school's cooking classes, and yet they don’t know where to go from there. Here's your guide to the CIA Greystone college and becoming a chef.

What is Culinary Arts?

Maria Carrillo High School currently offers Culinary Arts 1, Culinary Arts 2, and Culinary Arts 3 (Hospitality) along with high schools worldwide.

Culinary Arts consists of fundamental skills, safety measures, food safety, cooking techniques, nutrition, hospitality management, professionalism, and recipe and menu planning. Students will earn ServSafe certifications or attend competitions based on their skills. Culinary Arts aims to be an outlet for high schoolers to begin their career as bakers, chefs, or managers of a restaurant.

Why does it matter?

The culinary industry can encapsulate professionalism, different cultures, art, science, sustenance, and business all in one. Many find their identity within flavors and techniques dating back to a whole other country. Food can be a mix of science and expense, or it can be a messy yet appreciated dish shared by a dozen. Culinary Arts are crucial to continue expressing individuality through history.

What can the CIA offer?

The Culinary Institute of America is said to be one of the world’s best culinary schools, with campuses all around the world. The CIA Greystone campus is located in Napa, California, with some dorms and a large castle-like compound. The students at CIA are welcomed with a vast alumni network, culinary connect, and career fairs that secure their specific and personal future. Chefs like Anthony Bourdain and Anne Burrell are proud and successful former students who echo many of the values of the CIA. Apart from a beautiful campus and huge community, there are many different opportunities within cooking, baking, hospitality, and management. Students can find themselves fitting in easily when knowing what they might want to do.

Cost and admissions

Although admission rates are high–about 92%–there is limited space, as only about 2,000 people can get in. The average GPA of successful applicants is 3.3, although higher GPAs will prove you are ready for the regimen of college. The admission requirements and steps include requesting official transcripts, submitting an essay, and getting a recommendation from someone with experience teaching culinary. One year will cost about $40k-$50k, but the majority of students say it has been worth it. There are many scholarships available for financial aid or academic excellence.

Becoming a chef

When considering the career, you should know that being a chef entails long hours, difficult customers, multiple responsibilities, multi tasking, and time management. You are expected to be on your feet most of the time and ironically have little time for meals. The benefits include good pay, strong connections, and the cultivation of multiple skills.

CIA details

At the CIA, you will be expected to adhere to a dress code, demonstrate punctuality, respect, and codes of conduct, as well as stand out somehow in your work. You will most likely begin in a fundamentals class with a smaller work load and a rotating course system, while in your final year you will most likely be taking a class specific to you. The overall classes will be included under Culinary Arts, Baking and Pastry Arts, Food Business, Food Studies and Sustainability,  Culinary Science, or Hospitality Management. Students are expected to obtain 12-18 credits per semester depending on graduation status.

Types of chefs

Types of chefs can range from general chefs, bakers, restaurant managers, winery sommeliers, and private chefs. The most notable thing about the industry is that people are usually very specific and individual. Some bakers may not offer cooking services at all while another baker may only sell bread. Your choice in futures should depend on salary, what is realistic to you, and resources you have available.

Advice

Experience is key; you should start out in classes and then part time jobs. You should try to maintain academics even outside of cooking and extracurriculars and build some type of portfolio. Other helpful tips could be to learn techniques and be able to teach or explain them, be able to accept criticism, show full interest and passion in cooking, and have meaningful recommendations.

Other culinary schools

Although CIA isn’t for everyone, other renowned culinary schools include Le Cordon Blue, Institute of Culinary Education, and Johnson & Wales University. The culture the school originated from may determine its focuses and practices. 

In summary, the culinary program is a great example of how hobbies and classroom experience can change who we become, and small progress will always beat no progress.