re: My son wants to go to culinary school. Where should he go?

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Very specific skill sets required. An exacting adherence to recipes, detailed focus on measurements, artistic flair for product presentations. Pretty much anyone, who likes to cook, can do savory stuff. Desserts require a different mindset and approach. More like a science.

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I doubt the science aspect is above him. He is very intelligent but just sucks as a student. I believe, tell me if I'm wrong, he just hasn't found a goal. If this is his passion, it might be the key to his success.

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Nicholls in Thibodaux, LA has a culinary school. No idea how how good it is.

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This.

A good friend of mine in high school did their culinary program, and he basically became a chef throughout the years on a bunch of cruise lines around the world: Alaskan cruises, Mediterranean cruises, ones in SE Asia. He settled down in Bangkok and now works at a very high profile Thai restaurant there (forgot the name). I would say he is doing pretty well and has traveled the world doing so. A bit jealous honestly.

There’s some good points in this thread from people who actually worked on a line in a restaurant. Foodservice industry is different and unique and there are a lot of directions to go with a culinary background.
I went to culinary school and worked in a kitchen. It can be hot, stressful, long hours, weird people, low pay, and monotonous. It can also be rewarding character building.
I figured it wasn’t for me, mostly because I wanted a 9-5 m-f job. I took my skills and went into sales built a company, sold it and retired before 60.
Many companies in manufacturing will hire culinary people because of the ability to talk and know the experiences potential customers may have. Bachelors degree is a huge plus to move up along with practical restaurant experience. I never hired a person who didn’t know what a #10’ can was.

He’ll find his path. Good work ethic mixed in with some shite kitchen jobs can motivate you to succeed.

Auburn University
Auburn University - Culinary Science Curriculum

TONS of helpful advice in this thread for you & your son.

I started in kitchens at 16 yo as a prep cook, dishwasher, line cook, etc.

Fell in love with it for many reasons at the time. I loved to cook & I was certain that is what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. It was fast paced & exciting. It wasn't as glorified of a profession was it is today back then. But the thrill of putting thought into & creating something that people enjoyed brought to a young me an indescribable feeling of instant gratification.

Toyed with the notion of culinary school but had colleagues tell me that it was unnecessary for me, personally. Not to mention, I didn't have the $$ for it & was somehow wise enough not to go into debt.

I was learning from guys that went to culinary schools all over the world, all the way down to seasoned line cooks with 40 years of experience & no formal training, that I would put up against the best of the best. I did it all the way through graduating LSU. Managed BOTH at handful of fine dining restaurants. Started a successful catering business. etc.

I can tell you this from my experience. Some of which echoes throughout this thread. Around 25-26 years old, I looked around my industry & saw that almost all of my peers were batting drug & alcohol addiction. My own drug & alcohol intake was crossing the line from recreational to just stopping short of full on abuse. Some died from it. Some lost their families over it or had no families at all because of it. Almost none had any acumen in running a successful business or accounting backgrounds. Those were the ones that were taken advantage of & tossed aside when investors started pulling their money out of various establishments.

I chose to get out of that life mainly because I wanted a family & I knew my personality & that following that career path any further would not allow me a successful family like I had envisioned. So I was fortunate enough to get out into an entirely different career path. I now have a wife & two kids that adore their Daddy & I don't regret the decision one bit. (especially after seeing what Covid did to the industry - my goodness)

The high-stress, hours & workload take a serious toll on your personal life & you both have to be willing to face that fact. I say "you both" because he will likely not be home to celebrate Thanksgiving, Christmas, Father's Day, Mother's Day, etc. And when you do finally get to see or talk to him on those days, he will probably be coming off of a 12 hour shift & the holiday cheer will be sucked right outta him. The work/life balance is almost always going to tilt in favor of work.

Avoid the temptation of drugs & alcohol. It's rampant in the industry.

Be prepared to not make very much money, out the gate. Most restaurants can't afford to have a lotta folks making 70-80K per year in the kitchen. If you are making that much, then the expectation is you are working your arse off.

Someone mentioned The Bear earlier & I cannot agree more that the show is an incredible depiction of the high stress, day to day shite that goes on at restaurants.

Don't want to scare your son off from chasing a dream. Coming from someone that seems was in his shoes at one point, I was just hoping to shed some light on the reality of it & to the fact that being a professional chef is not as glamorous as the Food Network makes it seem.

I suggest that he go stage a few places to see with his own eyes, exactly what he is getting himself into. But I would also suggest making a plan in doing that as well for him to experience all ends of the spectrum. Try to stage at a major hotel/resort or where it's more of a professional setting (high end & high volume). A local, well established successful "mom & pop" operation to see their struggles & how they manage staff/food cost. Even a corporate kitchen of a high-end chain restaurant, like Ruth's Chris or Pappa's restaurant in Houston to see that aspect of it. All of them operate differently.

Good Luck to your son. He will find his way. Keep us posted.

Very good advice.

I will also say that the experience of working in a kitchen translates to lots of other aspects of life as well. So even if if goes to work in a kitchen and decides the life isn't for him, it will be time well spent.

The "dance" of working quickly and efficiently with other people translated well, for me, to later manual labor jobs I had in construction. Then it translated to office jobs as well, as I analyzed how workflow could be streamlined and made more efficiency. Then it translated to my personal life as well, where my family wonders how I can get so many things done in a given amount of time. The pace of a kitchen teaches you how to be quick and efficient and how to collaborate with others effectively, and that's something that is worthwhile to know in life in general.

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I highly doubt he can’t get a job as a dishwasher,

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Think again. GM's don't want an aimless middle class white kid who might quit in a week or show up late or refuse to stay late. They do want a Jose or a work-release type who will be there when they are supposed to be there and do the job they are supposed to do and be happy with what little pay they are getting.

I know locally a lot of people take culinary art Delgado while working in kitchens to get their chef degree.
Technically you're a cook until you get a degree or attain the proper level of training. .