Culinary schools attract more seeking career changes

Nation's Restaurant News, Oct 18, 2004 by Dina Berta

After 34 years with a consumer products company, Bill Bigham has traded in his leather briefcase for a backpack and has taken a seat in a classroom of 18-year-old freshmen who are studying culinary arts at Johnson & Wales University's new campus in Charlotte, N.C.

"The kids kid me about being the old guy, but it's done out of respect," said the 56-year-old former executive.

Bigham is not alone. Colleges and cooking schools nationwide report that an increasing number of students are older adults with prior careers. Whether fulfilling lifelong dreams or trying something different, older students are attracted to the wide variety of jobs in foodservice and to the possibility of success in an industry the National Restaurant Association projects will need an additional 1.8 million workers in the next 10 years.

Fifteen percent of this year's freshman class at The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y., are career changers or are those who previously studied subjects other than hospitality, said Drucilla Blackman, the school's dean of enrollment.

"We're seeing a strong response to recruitment efforts with students from other careers, or from those who have been in the kitchen and are looking to improve their skills and increase their likelihood of achieving the goals they set for themselves," she said.

To appeal to older career changers, schools are offering shortened programs, smaller classes, fast-track application processes and internships in restaurant and food operations.

Along with two-year associate's and four-year bachelor's degrees, the culinary-arts school of the Art Institute in Denver offers a one-year cooking program for older students who already have degrees in other disciplines or who want to enter the industry quickly, said Janet Scott, executive associate for the school's admissions department.

Sabrina Garcia of Denver had worked in accounting and customer service before deciding two years ago to attend the institute. Since graduating she has worked as a line cook at a hotel in Broomfield, Colo., for the past few months.

Career changers may be naive about what it takes to become a professional chef, said Christopher Burgos, culinary chairman for the New York Food & Hotel School in Manhattan, where the majority of students are older adults seeking new careers. Burgos is a CIA graduate who switched from forestry to cooking.

"I think people get into culinary because of the glamour," said Burgos, who worked at hotels and restaurants in Manhattan and San Antonio before turning to teaching. "You have to be organized, think on your feet and have a certain temperament for it. There is stress, heat, hot oils, boiling water, sharp knives. You have to be organized and focused and have a real passion for it. I think school shows you that cooking in a restaurant is very different from cooking at home."

Jeffrey Kyle Vaden wanted to be a chef, but as the first generation in his family to attend college, he felt compelled to study political science. After he was laid off from his marketing position, he decided to pursue his dream.

He enrolled at the CIA, where he learned about the less-glamorous side of the industry, like cost management. His coursework and internships well prepared him for the challenges of professional cooking and running his own restaurant, jk Restaurant and Bar in Peekskill, N.Y., he said.

Bigham, who has about three hours of homework every night, said he is thinking of becoming a personal chef. He always has enjoyed cooking for his family but never had thought about a culinary career until J&W opened its campus in his hometown. When he turned 50, he attended a seminar to prepare employees for retirement. "I'll never forget a guy who said, 'Don't retire from something, retire to something," Bigham said.