A few weeks ago I announced the recipient of the 3rd Reluctant Gourmet culinary school grant in association with Chef4Students.org. Her name is Karly Krentz and she is attending the Secchia Institute for Culinary Education in Grand Rapids, MI. You can read the announcement and learn a little more about Karly at Reluctant Gourmet Culinary Grant Winner Karly Krentz.

I wanted to learn more about Karly and how she decided to attend culinary school and pick Secchia Institute so I asked her to participate in my Novice2Student interview. If you are thinking about going to culinary school and want to learn more about the process of choosing a school and applying to get in, I think you will find this interview useful. If you have any questions or comments, please leave them below.

I also asked Karly to update us every once in a while about her adventures in culinary school and I will start a new post that I can update as I receive updates from Karly.  Stay tuned.

Interview with Karly Krentz

Can you remember your very first culinary class in high school? Did you immediately know that this was something you’d be interested in?

My first culinary class in high school was just for fun. I never thought that it would turn into a career for me. I knew that I was interested in cooking, but I never expected to end up in culinary school because of this class. My mind did not change until my competition team in high school took second place at he national competiton. I then realized this was what I wanted to do as a career.

What do you think is the most important lesson you learned from your classes at Fruitport High School?

The most important lesson I learned was definitely team work! I learned how to be a good team member and to do my part. I also had to learn to trust others to do what they were supposed to do.

When and how did you decide to attend culinary school?

I decided to attend culinary school because of the competition team that I was a part of. I was very excited to be a part of the team. Every experience on the team caused me to enjoy the culinary arts field more and more. This lead me to making the decision to make culinary arts my career and to attend culinary school.

When you were deciding on which schools to apply to, what were you looking for?

My plan for going to culinary school was to attend New England Culinary institute, because of the scholarship I received. There was not much searching involved for me until I talked to the program director at Secchia Institute for Culinary Education. He suggested that we take a tour of his school. I basically looked for somewhere that I felt comfortable.

Affordability was also an important decision maker. I also talked to some chefs that I knew and asked for their opinions on the schools.

Can you tell us a little bit about the application process? What advice can you give future applicants about the process?

The application process is different for every school. Some you fill out an application and write an essay along with turning in letters of recommendation. Other schools just require the application.

When I took the tour of Secchia Institute for Culinary Education I had no intentions of actually going there. I was set on going to New England Culinary Institute. As we took the tour, I realized this was where I wanted to be. All of the chefs were very friendly and I could tell that they genuinely cared about their students. I loved the environment.

How does culinary school compare to your culinary classes in high school?

In high school my culinary arts class was held in a small classroom with 4 50’s style kitchens. At culinary school everything is commercial grade. The equipment at high school was nothing compared to what I am able to work with now. In high school we covered a small portion of every area of the culinary industry, but in culinary school we have classes devoted to each individual area, and we learn in depth lessons on each area of the industry.

What is a typical day like for you in culinary school?

A typical day at culinary school is different depending on the classes that you take. I am in a bakery class at this point in my studies. This class is held Monday through Friday from 7 am to 12 pm. In this class we bake breads, muffins, cookies, etc. every day. As I progress in the program, I will work in our schools restaurant serving and cooking.

What are some of the standout lessons you’ve learned since beginning culinary school?

Since the beginning of culinary school I have learned a lot about how important confidence is. When you don’t have confidence you step back and miss out on learning. Also you will never get better if you don’t think you can do it.

What are some of the challenges of culinary school that you face on a daily basis? How do you work to overcome them?

Overcoming mistakes is the hardest thing for me. I never want to mess anything up, and it is bound to happen. A lot of times the mistakes can be fixed and it turns into a learning experience.

What advice can you give to young people still in high school who are looking to go to culinary school?

I would totally recommend looking into culinary schools. If you are not into school, it’s nice because a lot of the learning is hands on.  I would recommend looking around at the best option for culinary school for the individual. Sometimes you are able to get just as good of an education from a school that is less expensive.

Also it is very important to take your classes seriously. Your teachers are the ones who will write letters of recommendations for you. Chefs know other chefs and if someone asks about you, you want them to give a good recommendation. If you don’t take classes seriously culinary school will not be beneficial for you.

What are your favorite cookbooks and are there any you highly recommend to someone thinking of becoming a professional cook?

Usually I get my recipes from the internet or from family recipes and I adjust them for what I need. For one of my classes we used the On Cooking textbook. I really liked it because it has a basic recipe for a broad range of items. That way it is easy to change it up for how you want it.

What does it mean to you to be selected out of more than 1350 applicants to receive The Reluctant Gourmet Culinary Grant in association with Chefs4Students.org?

I am honored that I was chosen out of all of the other students. When I received the phone call telling me that I had won, I was completely surprised. When I learned that there were 1350 applicants, I was shocked and unbelievably grateful.  I want to thank chefs4students.org for their grant program, as well as The Reluctant Gourmet for the sponsorship of my grant! You don’t know how much this means to me. I am so thankful for all you do.

What are your career goals for after you graduate culinary school?

After I graduate culinary school I would really like to work in the industry to receive more experience. After that I would like to teach either in a technical center or at a culinary school. I would really like to pass on my knowledge as I continue to learn.

Where do you see yourself 10 years from now with regard to your career as a chef?

In ten years I see myself as a teacher in either a technical center or at a culinary school. I would like to be coaching a culinary team as well, so I can pass on what I was able to learn in my two years on the culinary arts team I was a member of.

And lastly, what are a few of your personal favorite recipes?

My first year on the culinary team we made coriander seared sea scallops in a tomato chardonnay sauce with a pickled vegetable and shrimp salad. That is probably my favorite dish that I have made. I also love my great grandmas recipe for German chocolate cake.

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Where Did the Chef Hat Come From?

The great thing about working in a kitchen is the tradition. From the techniques used to prepare dishes to the uniforms chefs wear, everything has a history. It’s part of what makes being a cook or being a chef so incredible; when you step behind the line of a kitchen, you are becoming part of a historical traditional that dates back to over 2,000 years ago.

The Beginning

Legend has it that even earlier than seventh century A.D., chefs in Assyria wore crown-like hats that differentiated them from other kitchen help. Why? It seems that kings were being poisoned left and right by indignant chefs, so in order to placate them and make them feel special (thus hopefully eliminating the desire to poison the leader), they were presented with a unique piece of headgear.

Around this same time, chefs spent a great deal of time reading to learn new recipes and techniques. Since so few people at the time could read, chefs were considered learned men. Unfortunately, being smart wasn’t “in,” and many intellectuals were persecuted. Chefs sought refuge in the Greek Orthodox Church, where they donned the wardrobe of the monks, wearing robes and caps. Those caps later evolved into an early version of the chef hat.

Fact or Fiction?

One tale from Henry the VIII’s era said that when King Henry found a hair in his soup, the king, so to speak, lost his head. Or rather, someone else did. The owner of the hair, a cook, was beheaded, and his replacement was politely requested to wear a hat to prevent further issue.

Today, this problem is handled with the much less traditional (and much less glamorous) hairnet. While few cooks embrace the hairnet as a fashion statement, they do go a long way in freeing up a chef from the worry of wayward hairs so he or she can focus on the real star of the show: the food.

Adding a Bit of Fashion

With all the variations of the hats worn by chefs around the world, a little creativity and design was needed to get to the crisp white cloth hats, also known as toques blanches, we’re familiar with today. In the 1800s in France, a chef named Marie-Antoine Carême decided that chefs deserved a specific uniform, and white was his color of choice, since it signified cleanliness in the kitchen.

Each station and rank in the kitchen had a different height hat. The chef, being the highest ranking of all kitchen staff, wore the tallest hat, much in the same way that papal hats are used to designate class and standing. Rumor had it that Carême’s hat was 18 inches high and had to be reinforced by cardboard to keep it standing.

How Many Pleats Do You Have?

Pleats, too, are steeped in a rich history. Their origin came from the idea that the more experience a chef had, the more pleats his hat had. A pleat could signify a technique or recipe he had mastered.

At one time, a chef had 100 pleats in his hat to signify the 100 ways he knew how to prepare eggs. Chef hats today don’t hold so many pleats, but they still signify a chef’s level of experience.

Modern Times

Today, the chef hat remains a symbol of authority and knowledge, and few pieces of headgear are as recognizable as the traditional white hat that many chefs today still embrace as their own. While few still wear the traditional cloth hat, due to issues related to air circulation and cleaning, many chefs wear paper versions, nontraditional hats (like baseball caps), or even no hat at all.

Whether or not you wear the chef hat upon graduation from culinary school depends on your personal preference and the rules and regulations of the kitchen you call home. Some Executive Chefs save the traditional toques blanches for those in charge. Others prefer the clean look of a line of cooks all embracing the rich traditions of the kitchen. Regardless of which hat a chef wears, however, one thing remains the same: all chef deserve the respect of being part of a team.

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When it comes to the issue of going to culinary school, debates tend to be heated and abundant. On one side, you have culinary professionals who swear by the time-honored tradition of jumping right on the line to learn alongside prep cooks, sous chefs, and chefs who have been working in the business for decades.

This has been a practice for the technical trade since the dawn of the culinary profession; in the Middle Ages, when books were rare and the ability to read was even rarer, everyone from cooks to surgeons learned with practical hands-on skill building. This type of “apprenticeship” approach has been in operation for thousands of years, and is still used in many types of fields to great success even today.

On the other side of the argument, you have culinary professionals who believe that no real culinary arts career begins without formal training from a recognized and accredited culinary school. The belief is that cooking is no longer just about making food to eat; it’s about combining food safety, technical skills, and artistry to create things that please the body, mind, and soul.

Culinary schools didn’t become very popular until the early twentieth century, when French culinary training became the hallmark of any good chef, and students came from all over the world to learn the prized techniques.

While both sides of the debate make good points, the truth is that going to culinary school is a decision that can only be made by the student. In addition to considerations of the type of training you receive, there are also issues related to:

•      Tuition costs
•      Cost of books/supplies
•      Student loan debt repayment
•      Time commitment for training
•      Degrees/Certificates/Diplomas awarded
•      Job outlooks
•      Program admission requirements
•      Career growth potential

As a general rule, on-the-job culinary training is a more cost-effective solution for those who can’t afford heavy tuition costs or the amount of time required to complete the degree. However, a culinary arts degree may be the ticket to higher paying jobs and greater opportunities, particularly at the hospitality and management level.

If you’re interested in becoming a cook or chef and are asking, “Is culinary school right for me?” then you’re already on the right path. By researching the costs, time commitments, and benefits of culinary school, you’re more likely to choose a culinary training program that is right for you, and to do it with the full knowledge that your career will be stronger for it. Continue exploring this blog and our other resources on culinary school to determine the perfect fit for your life and your future.

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