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PJdance7531

I love to cook but I am apprehensive about the snobbery and snootiness of cooking school. I am teaching myself as best I can. I do not want to own a restaurant per se... I want to own a space that I rent out for dinner parties in a low income neighborhood and cook 5 stars meals for people on a budget as well as other things associated with that.I hear plenty of talk about the CIA as the standard for French cuisine and traditions or cooking period, but what about Chinese or Japanese or Mexican or heck even plain ol' Southern and Na'lins cuisine? And furthermore I noticed none of my favorite chefs ever attended the CIA! Lidia Bastianich, Joyce Goldstein, Martin Yan, Deborah Madison, Penelope Casas, Alice Waters, Cecilia Chiang most of whom ran their own restaurants...not mention do it yourselfers like Rachael Ray, and even Joyce Goldstein was self taught and ran the legendary Four Square.So what are your opinions on culinary school and celebrity chefs and food network and all that? What would be the best way to become a great chef and to learn how to cook? Especially for one like me who is practically broke.

zeuz

A couple of things -Norman Van Aiken is self-taught, and he mentored Charlie Trotter. Norman taught himself through books. The CIA's "Professional Chef", the Larousse's Gastronomique and Jacques Pepin's "Techniques" are three quintissential books that you should master.With respect to the CIA, they have three campuses now. The NY campus is quintissential French. The Greystoke Campus is California and Asian/Fusion. Now, there's a San Antonio (which I assume builds on Southwestern -- think Dean Fearing & Bobbie Flay)