04 March 2013

Culinary Skills at George Brown College Review

For those aspiring chefs or just regular peeps thinking of acquiring a new skill, why not try the Culinary Skills program at George Brown!?  No, you do not need to do all 3 years unless you want a diploma.  You can do a simple 1 year and get a training program certificate at the end.  So you interested?  Keep reading.

COST

First term (Sept-Dec) - $2,159.55
Second term (Jan-April) - $2,275.45

Total - $4435

Add another:

$20 for locker rental for the year
$1200 for academic equipment and books for the year (this is for a good knife set, small wares set, books, and uniform*2)

You are looking at approximately $5655 in total.  You can save a few hundred dollars if you opt for a cheap kitchen tools set and buy only 1 pair of uniform.  Just make sure your uniform on a regular basis before the labs.



TIME COMMITMENT


Next to the financial issue, time commitment may be a problem for you folks.  I’m sorry but there is no distance-ed or fast tracking options available.  You will have to attend labs and classes in order to pass.  That’s 27 hours of classes in the first semester, and 19 hours in the 2nd.    Of course this doesn’t include an extra 2-4 hours’ worth of homework each week.  Class start as early as 7am and ends as late as 5pm.  On average you have around 5-6 hours of classes per day.  But who goes to all of them right?  There are about 6 lab courses for the year and the attendance policy for those is very strict.  Skip more than 2 labs and see yourself repeating that course.  With that said, there are a handful of theory courses (math, English, food theory, nutrition etc.) that are much more lenient with attendance.  As long as you pass the tests and finish the assignments, you’re good to go.  Even with 27 hours of schooling in my first semester, I was able to manage 28 hours at my part-time job.    


COURSES/LABS

Baking
I swear I’m not suppose to like this class.  I do not particularly enjoy sweets, too much emphasis on measurements, and baking is are for girls right?  Well, funny how having an awesome chef and seeing progression in my baking skills changed my initial thoughts of this class!  I love it!  The best part of this class is you get to bring home the sweets and also get to share it with family and friends! 



Culinary Skills
Have you ever watched one of those cooking competitions on the food network?  You know where you have a set time to prepare several dishes and then have to present it to the judge for an evaluation.  Well I feel like I am on one of these shows every time in this class.  The intensity is really high as everyone is trying to making their timings, and sometimes things can get really hectic.  It’s priceless to see someone burn their food as their presentation time is coming up!  In this class you really learn how to work on time management, multi-tasking between recipes, controlling heat, and decorating your plate.





Banquet/Productions
In productions class, the emphasis is on quantity!  The food you cook here is sold at the school and there are always leftovers to take home!  Take home meals, free groceries, and eating while working J what’s there not to like!


Butchery
A competent instructor, few dishes to wash, and free steaks to take home made this course my favorite.  We learned how to butcher lamb, veal, pork, and fish, as well as learned how to make and stuff sausages from scratch.




 

FINAL OPINION



It’s worth every penny!  At times I feel like I’m on one of those cooking shows on the food network.  You are not going to be a master chef after this 1 year program.  Experience is what you need for mastery of any skill.  However you will overcome the fear of the kitchen and realize that cooking and baking is actually pretty fun and easier than it seems.  I have never baked any cakes or create sauces from scratch because of the intimidation factor.  But after just a few hands on experiences, everything just fell into place.




For more info visit:


http://www.georgebrown.ca/H112-2012-2013/


Or email me and I’ll be happy to answer any of your questions:

Dennis_luu@hotmail.com




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