Let’s take a look at what you will be exposed to and learn by attending a top culinary school program. Of course a lot of your work and time will go into classes to improve your culinary skills. You will learn how to use many kinds of fresh vegetables in creative ways. You’ll learn all about different cuts of meats and about cooking poultry. You will learn about a multitude of spices and other flavorings. You’ll learn about preparing ethnic dishes which are a growing segment of the food industry. You will receive extensive training in preparing pastries, breads, cakes, pies and desserts. You will learn about the different wines of the world, different wine grapes, how different styles of wines are produced, like champagne, for example. You’ll also learn how to taste and properly evaluate wines and to make good pairings of wines with various foods. You will not only have classroom work on these subject areas, but most top culinary schools operate their own restaurants that serve the local public, and you will get practical experience doing all the jobs in the kitchen. And it doesn’t stop there because most top culinary schools have working relationships with nearby established restaurants where students will have the opportunity to work and learn. So you will have both a strong theoretical and practical background once you receive your diploma.

On top of all this you will be given instruction about the management and financial aspects of running a restaurant. You will learn how costs are controlled, including food, labor, rent, utilities and other costs, and you will learn how to read and understand the financial statements of a food based enterprise.

It would be very hard to learn all this by just starting from the bottom and working your way up in a restaurant or two. And doing it that way would most likely take the greater part of a working lifetime.