Attend Chef Colleges in Minneapolis, MN

From its big cities to small towns, the St. Louis arch to the golden arches, Minnesota blends the urban and the rural, the high brow and the low, the past and the future. You will find the same blending in Minneapolis, the largest city in the state. Once known as the world’s flour-milling capital, it has a strong food culture that has grown over time. After going to one of the culinary schools in the city, it’s possible that you can rise to the top of the restaurant scene in this growing metropolis.

Culling Your Choices

The aim of any culinary program should be job placement, so it should be evaluated based on how well it prepares you for your future career. The most important part of that training will be the kitchen, where you’ll be learning the fundamental skills that you’ll be using in everything you do in your work for years to come. You should have all the up-to-date tools and equipment you need. The kitchen should also be part of a student-run restaurant or café sponsored by the school. It’s here that you’ll get real-time training in the face of demanding customers. If there is no restaurant, look for schools that sponsor gourmet-dinner nights or other public events. Next, make sure that there are experienced chefs teaching the classes. Who better to learn from how to cook? Finally, make sure that the school offer support services for after you graduate, from job-placement services to opportunities for internships.

Most applicants to culinary school will make the cut. Students are usually only required to finish high school or to earn a GED. If you want to apply to a more elite school, expect to take a test of your kitchen knowledge or to support your application with a personal statement about your culinary ambitions or evidence that you’ve had work experience or other training in the kitchen.

Fast-Paced Studies

Finishing your degree will seem like a flash in the pan – though your career won’t. It takes about half the time of a traditional degree to finish a culinary degree, which usually leads to an associate’s. There are programs available that can be finished in a matter of months, or even weeks. You can choose from intensive study options or earning a certificate or diploma that can allow for quick entry into the job market. Management degrees can take longer – up to four years – though there are a range of options to finish in less time, as well.

Online programs offer the ultimate in flexibility since they can be completed at your discretion and often in less time. Cooking programs are sometimes available through video instruction, but more often, hybrid programs are offered that are meant to be combined with classes that are being taken or have already been taken at a campus location. Management degrees are more common online, and there are many options for finishing them.

Bringing Home the Bacon

As a recent graduate, you probably won’t be making bank right away. Unless you’re a star that gets scouted for your own show on the Food Network, you’ll probably get your start in a small kitchen at a diner or a small family chain restaurant. But to make the big bucks, you’ll need to be in one of the top positions (head chef or cook) at one of the top establishments (hotel, resort, spa). Upscale restaurants will pay more than chains or fast-food places, and you’ll do better working in the city instead of venturing out into the suburbs.

Start rubbing elbows with potential future employers early. Go to food festivals to meet local chefs and restaurant managers, and join professional groups such as Hospitality Minnesota to meet industry professionals and get access to job listings, conferences and more. You just might meet the right person to get your next job!

Campus-Based Programs

Minneapolis Community and Technical College
1501 Hennepin Ave.
Minneapolis, MN 55403-1710
612-659-6200
minneapolis.edu
Culinary Arts
Baking
NCACS accredited

The International Culinary Schools at The Art Institute of Minnesota
15 S. Ninth St.
Minneapolis, MN 55402-3105
612-332-3361
artinstitutes.edu/minneapolis
Baking and Pastry
Culinary Arts
Culinary Management
Hospitality Management
The Art of Cooking
ACICS accredited
NOTE: this location is no longer accepting new students.

Online-Based Programs

The Art Institutes of Pittsburgh – Online Division
www.aionline.edu
Hotel and Restaurant Management
MSCHE accredited

Ashworth College
www.ashworthcollege.edu
Hotel and Restaurant Management
DETC accredited

The Culinary Institute of America – CIA Pro Chef
www.ciaprochef.com
Culinary Arts
CHEMSACS accredited

Johnson and Wales University
www.jwu.edu/campus.aspx?id=25934
Baking & Pastry Arts and Food Service Management
Culinary Arts & Food Service Management
NEASC accredited

Le Cordon Bleu – Online Division
www.chefs.edu/online
Culinary Management
ACCSC & ACICS accredited

Penn Foster Career School
www.pennfoster.edu/
Hotel and Restaurant Management
DETC & CHEA accredited

SITE Academy
www.site.edu.au
Hospitality
Tourism
No regional accreditation
AHLA association

Sullivan College
www.sullivan.edu
Beverage Management
CCSACS & ACF accredited

Stratford Career Institute
www.scitraining.com
Hotel/Restaurant Management
Travel and Tourism
DlA member, no regional accreditation

Virginia College Online
www.vconline.edu
Culinary Arts
ACICS accredited