Burnt Chefs

Funny how so many people say it is the military recruiter that is preying on young people. At least their promise becomes a reality. I have known many friends that enlisted in the Army's Culinary Arts program and moved on to become chefs (one is even stationed on Air Force One). Sad how so many young lives are destroyed going $50,000 or more in debt at such a young age. That explains more to me of the CNN/Money magazine story a year ago about high suicide rates over Staudent Loans. Looks like the truth is finally coming out. Thanks for the great investigative reporting.

Thank you for exposing the truth on CCA. The pain of debt, low income, and an unforgivingly difficult job has hit many myself included. We needed a voice. What now will come for thoughs of us with sally mae loans now that it too has been bought out. I had put the school in the back of my mind, I'm sick to my stomach after reading the article. We have all been dupt.

In relation to reading "Burnt Chefs" I felt that yes the point was made about how CCA can/is decieving when it comes to recruiting but you have failed to mention beyond the administrators smoke and mirror's. You fail to recognize the Chef intructors who help and guide students through these merky waters, helping them realise their mistake in the loans and the so called "Fame" they were promised.Alot of the Chef instrutors not only help students get part time jobs but also help in meeting connections,getting us to make our own decisions and building confidence in the industry. As a current student i feel insulted and hurt that this articule didn't really do much but make the currently enrolled students look like idiots instead of victims. Also it makes the instrutors look like undermining money lurkers who don't care about the well being of the students but just getting a pay check. I am proud to be a CCA student under the circumstances and don't appreciate the slander about the school or instrutors that i respect and care about greatly.

I too have been wronged by the CCA promised all these same things, and then told about all these loan companies, I was approved by Dollar Tree, and signed the paper work, but somehow the school had changed it to Sally Mae and all their private loans. I went from having a 0% interest rate while in school to paying WHILE attending school. My payments started 3 weeks after I enrolled in college. I have fought the school long and hard while attending, and received no help. I am looking to take legal action. I do not know where to go though. If anyone has any information please contact me. I for one, signed up for the B&P class and when I moved from Maine to San Francisco to go to this college, they had enrolled me wrongly into the Culinary Arts program, told me I had to pay the difference for their mistake, and Also that the 5 day trial period didn't apply. How messed up is that? This school is horrible. I know a lot of the chefs, and they had wished that they could talk to the students first, to tell them how this place is horrible. I wish I had the knowledge i had before i went there... I would have definitely gone to NECI (New England Culinary Institute) Which now I know is definitely a better college. I regret going to the CCA 100% I feel I am owed my money back. I learned nothing, and have yet to get a job. The job placement they promise also doesn't work. I have found getting a job without putting my college education on my resume works best. That is a sad thing. Very sad.

I am former admissions rep. and I confirm virtualy very allegation that was made against CCA. I worked just about a year and recently left to get out of that diploma mill. Reps. in many cases are just as hard pressed to find a job out of college, or pay bills in expensive Bay Area rental markets. CEC schools and CCA are considered the most high pressure educational sales institutions in the country. It is rue that in many cases students are nrolled who we know will never attain top chefs jobs that they can make a career of, but we rationalize it by saying college isn't for everyone, accelerated training is beneficial; but not everyoe is going to be Emeril, Bobby Flay, or even Rachel Ray. Yes, there are success stories, but most pre-date the Corportae Takeover several years ago. The Corportae beast that run the school and company have one concern-"Are the shareholders happy", that is all.

They have no care for the students or their lives after graduation. There are qaulity chefs and qaulity students, but they could have gone anywhere and had similar outcomes. Le Cordon Bleu is ruse to lure students in and have them think they are really connected to the famous French culinarry school in Paris. It would be appealing if there were not 20-30 students in some morning and afternoon classes. There is no way that most students can effecively learn and retain information in what is supposed to be a hands on learning environment.

I would like to apoligize to any student that feels any distressed in anyway. I know that some will be happy with there education and that receiving some type of training was a positive for them, but they didn't have to pay 50-80k when you tack on interest payments for a non-transferable AA, that's not really a traditional AA. Current reps. and former reps. owe their past students an apology and to future students the truth about the school, the corporate investigations, and most importantly the financial burden after garduation. It is my hope that current and former reps will have the courage to write or speak up about what they truly know is wrong, high pressure sales to many people in difficult circumstances without many options in life.

There is so much more that can be said about CCA from the high pressure sales training reps. receive, particularly how to tap into the "hot buttons" that attract students, how to deflect inquisitive questions about salaries, and ultimately overcoming "objections". It's true sales psychology that some reps have mastered and are awarded handsomely. Those that cannot are shown the door through management pressure to get it together or get out. Others get burned out and turned off by what they really know is bad and immoral business. Recently, CCA has lost over two dozen employees within the last three months-admissions representatives and financial aid counselors. Many left because of bad management and a "blame the rep" attitude when things get bad.

It is time to close CCA or make it a non-profit business, that is solely dedicated to attracting top qaulity students rather taking in impulsive desperate students with few options. The reality is there are plenty of options ranging from community colleges, to other culinary schools that have actual admissions standards. Unfortunately, most students that walk through the door do not do their research and most representatives certainly don't inform them of their options, which is why we are called representatives and not counselors.

Sorry about those early morning type-os. It was late. My edited corrections.

I am former admissions rep. and I confirm virtualy every allegation that was made against CCA. I worked just about a year and recently left to get out of that diploma mill. Reps. in many cases are just as hard pressed to find a job out of college, or pay bills in expensive Bay Area rental markets. CEC schools and CCA are considered the most high pressure educational sales institutions in the country. It is true that in many cases students are enrolled who we know will never attain top chefs jobs that they can make a career out of, but we rationalize it by saying college isn't for everyone, accelerated training is beneficial; but not everyone is going to be Emeril, Bobby Flay, or even Rachel Ray. Yes, there are success stories, but most pre-date the Corportae Takeover several years ago. The Corportae beast that run the school and company have one concern-"Are the shareholders happy", that is all.

They have no care for the students or their lives after graduation. There are qaulity chefs and qaulity students, but they could have gone anywhere and had similar outcomes. Le Cordon Bleu is a ruse to lure students in and have them think they are really connected to the famous French culinarry school in Paris. It would be appealing if there were not 20-36 students in some morning and afternoon classes. There is no way that most students can effecively learn and retain information in what is supposed to be a hands on learning environment.

I would like to apoligize to any student that feels distressed in anyway. I know that some will be happy with there education and that receiving some type of training was a positive for them, but they didn't have to pay 50-80k when you tack on interest payments for a non-transferable AA, that's not even a traditional AA that you can transfer units toward a college degree. Current reps. and former reps. owe their past students an apology; and to future students the truth about the school regarding the corporate investigations, and most importantly the financial burden after garduation. It is my hope that current and former reps will have the courage to write or speak up about what they truly know is wrong, which is the high pressure sales to many people in difficult circumstances who don't have many options in life.

There is so much more that can be said about CCA from the high pressure sales training reps. receive, particularly how to tap into the "hot buttons" that attract students, how to deflect inquisitive questions about salaries, and ultimately overcoming "objections". It's true sales psychology that some reps have mastered and are awarded handsomely. Those that cannot are shown the door through management pressure to get it together or get out. Others get burned out and turned off by what they really know is bad and immoral business. Recently, CCA has lost over two dozen employees within the last three months-admissions representatives and financial aid counselors. Many left because of bad management and a "blame the rep" attitude when things get bad.

It is time to close CCA or make it a non-profit business, that is solely dedicated to attracting top qaulity students rather taking in impulsive desperate students with few options. The reality is there are plenty of options ranging from community colleges, to other culinary schools that have actual admissions standards. Unfortunately, most students that walk through the door do not do their research and most representatives certainly don't inform them of their options, which is why we are called representatives and not counselors.

I thought long a hard about how to respond to this article. Frankly, it made me really mad that someone would publish something like this, when ALL of their sources are from people who hate the school or were fired for one reason or another. How many actual ACTIVE students were asked about the school? As far as the Ritz goes, if they hate us so much, why do they recruit from us? They're here at ever career fair and they keep signing us up. I know of a couple people working for the Ritz Carlton in various areas that are CCA grads and are doing just fine! Why did the article talk about the Chefs that go above and beyond the call of their job to make time for EVERY single student in their class? And as for having a virtual one-to-one ration of students to instructors, frankly, I don't know a single student who would want that. In the real world, you won't have your Chef standing over your shoulder telling you what to do every step of the way. We don't either. But if we need them, they're their in a heartbeat. Admissions? Frankly, this is what you get for talking to people that were let go THREE years ago. My Admissions rep didn't treat this like a used car dealership. She told me the truth, and steered me towards Anthony Bourdain's book, which is essentially a tell-all about the cooking world! She said read it, and if you still think that this is a good idea, and this is still what you want, then we can talk. A student with a learning disability, huh? Should I take this as the SF Weekly advocating REFUSAL of entrance because you have a learning problem? What would you have them do? Get sued for not letting him come here, or get abused by this rag for letting him try and learn? This article is pretty pathetic, frankly. Sadly, it's really been a hurtful chunk of refuse that has caused many students to feel down about themselves and their abilities. But I was happy to hear a lot of the students in my class, after reading the article that our instructor talked about with us after we read it, say, "What a bunch of crap!" Congrats to you, SF Weekly. You've really hurt a lot of people with a piece that has very, very little basis in what's actually happening at this school right now. I hope that's what you wanted. OH! And you write an article accusing people of bad recruiting practices and impropriety, I think that is' really bad form to have a link at the bottom of the same page that says, "SF WEEKLY IS HIRING...click here to learn more!" Really...that's just...not right. Ick.

I am a CURRENT Admissions Representative at the California Culinary Academy and I can tell you - what we tell students is that it's up to YOU: you can get a $500 education or a million dollar education - just like ANY OTHER SCHOOL, what you put into it is what you get out of it! I can't speak for any other person, but I do know that we have students doing externships at places like French Laundry and at the Food Network, so clearly, the opportunities are out there for motivated, career-minded students.
Personally, I work with High School Seniors and their families and I bend over backwards to be sure that I give students a realistic vision of all their future possibilities. And if I was in this for the numbers, I probably wouldn't be personally mentoring many students, inspiring some to persevere and get their GED's, helping others to achieve the future they want, despite learning disabilities, overcoming the challenges of being a foster care youth, offering encouragement to those who have alarmingly low self esteem - EVEN IF THEY DON'T ATTEND SCHOOL HERE. Frankly, I am insulted by the Weekly's article - I fully support Free Speech and their right to print it, but I certainly don't recall myself or any other of my CURRENT colleagues having been contacted by any reporters to give a more factual, balanced, or unbiased report.

Dear Ms. Eliza Strickland,

It appears you have definitely done your research regarding our admissions process at the California Culinary Academy but apparently you have overlooked one source…me! I am highly offended by your one sided, disgruntled employee and student story. I pride myself on finding students that truly want to be here. Everyone deserves an opportunity to follow their dreams. Who am I or you to tell someone not to invest in an education? My job as an admissions representative and human being with a conscience is to provide potential students with all of the information to make an educated decision on whether or not the California Culinary Academy is for them. You have portrayed my department, and essentially me, as a cold and heartless person who is trying to swindle people out of money. Every interview I have given has been with the intention of having the best interest of the student in mind. You allude to the idea that we “promise” students jobs at top notch restaurants. If you would have done some research and spoken to me, you would have realized that I specifically tell students that “the world is their oyster.” Students can create their own destiny. By being punctual to class, studying, practicing, establishing a relationship with their highly experienced chef instructors, taking advantage of our extensive culinary library, and career services center will only get them closer to whatever dream it is that they have. I tell all of my students “Do not expect a job to land on your lap, in the culinary world you will have to earn your stripes.” If this not an appropriate and realistic attitude to take please let me know. In your article you plowed through statistics and testimonials but you not once mentioned how to remedy the situation or how it has changed. You searched high and low for unsatisfied students and employees but what about the happy ones? I have been here this entire time waiting for someone to ask me for my opinion which clearly is to follow your dreams regardless of what people say!

Dina Perez
Admissions Representative
California Culinary Academy

To all of the students attending CCA or enrolled future students…and especially my students…do not feel down in any way shape or form. People are always looking for someone or something to pick on and CCA just happens to be it right now. You have all made decisions to go to school and should be proud of yourselves. I don’t feel that I owe an apology to anyone as everything I have said to MY students, to my knowledge, has been the truth. I would never work anywhere or be a part of something that I am not proud of and I am proud to work for CCA and for my students.

Hey SF Weekly, the Chronicle called and they want their typerwriter back......Jimen Nitaly!!!(Richard Pryor quote) It's amazing and shameful the way you characterize admissions representatives at the Ca Culinary Academy. As a proud admissions representative, I go above and beyond for students. I can't believe you guys call this hard hitting journalism. I liked it better when you paper would tell us where the best bars, restaraunts, shows and nude beaches were in the Bay Area. Please, stick to subjects like when the next P-Funk or Bootsy Collins concert is taking place......Hard Hitting Journalism. Not!!!! The only good that I got out of your article is the lining of my bird cage. Have at it Pollie!!!To quote Donny Osmond and the Osmond Brothers.. One Bad Apple (representative) Don't Spoil the Whole Bunch!!!!

THE BOTTOM LINE IS READ BEFORE YOU SIGN ANYTHING.A ADMISSIONS ADVISOR CAN'T MAKE YOU DO ANYTHING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!YOU DON'T WANT TO DO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

To the admissions rep and current students, I think you missed the point of the article.

I have the up-most respect for the Chef instructors there (well, except for 2 or 3) as well as the MAYBE 20% percent of the students in my class. The rest of my class were filled with druggy losers, slackers, rich kids that didn't want to go to a REAL college so they thought this was was easy out, and people that haven't even touched a knife before. Put it this way, the 20% of my class that did well, all had prior experience in the kitchen. Do the math. The gist of the article is spot-on; It's about the money, bottom line. Why else would you recruit from high-school? Why else would you let anyone in? When I flew up there for my admission's "interview", I thought the school was real tough to get in and that they had STANDARDS of admissions, like ALL colleges. Sadly, it took the first day of class to realize i was wrong.

Thank you for the article. I was scheduled to start classes in the Baking and Pastry Arts program on August 13. I will definitely cancel my enrollment and consider SF City College or Laney College that has a retail baking and pastry arts program. I am now an Archaeological Technician, but I wanted to change my career to something I enjoyed. Since I already have a mountain of debt from my undergraduate education, I rather enroll in a school that gives me more training without the expense. I feel deceived and became suspicious when they started pushing co-signers on me and asking if my relatives had any property,etc. I am so fortunate that all of this information was brought to light before I made a horrible mistake.

Mmmm...no, I really don't think that I missed the point of the article. The SF Weekly would apparently take the stand that schools shouldn't make a profit off of students that are attending. If that's the case, why wasn't Harvard, Yale, Brown, USC, and all the Ivy Leaguers included in here? Do you believe that they are there strictly for the betterment of Mankind? I mean, really, if their argument is with the company that bought out the CCA, than make THEM the target of the article. The CCA was just a victim of this article, not a subject. Oh, and honestly, as for rich kids, druggies, and various other idiots in class with us while only 20% of the students are really worth the time...WELCOME TO COLLEGE! Come on...UC Santa Cruz, anyone? Do you have any idea what the statistics are for people that actually use the degree that they get from college? It's just a sad fact of life! Before I came here, I worked with a bunch of people in an office that graduated from Cal State LA, USC, UCLA, Devry, and UNLV. And then there was me, with no degree and going to school at night. Please explain to me how their respective schools actually put them in a situate to be working on the same level as myself? You can't, because they did the same thing that the CCA students working at Starbucks and selling Knives door to door did...they didn't put everything they had in to it. It's just a fact of life. If you want to be mad at the CEC, great. Their is obviously something unsettling about them. But the CCA didn't do this to people. Let's stop pretending that their the Devil You Know.

Thank you for writing this article. I have been researching schools for Baking and Pastry education for some time and while exploring the admissions process at CCA I observed a lot of these high pressure tactics which ultimately turned me off to the school. I can see how they may work for some, however, as a career changer (high tech) I am not so naive about inflated dreams. The classes did indeed seem "factory" like and the student to teacher ratio is way off. I moved on and decided on the San Francisco Baking Institute for my education as their classes are truly hands on, well focused and there is a no-pressure admissions process. I hope this article has opened the eyes of other prospective students looking for a quality education.

This article resonates with me on so many levels, and the posted comments all have it about half right, regardless of whether they're pro- or anti- CEC.

I've been on both sides of this situation. I worked as a rep for just over a year for another "for-profit school", ITT Tech. Now I'm working on a master's degree in photography at Academy of Art University. Both schools without a doubt fit the very definition of "diploma-mills". Working for ITT Tech was by far the worst, most miserable time of my life. The environment and structure described by the former CEC reps sounds EXACTLY like the environment and structure at ITT Tech. I worked my ass off for dead leads, constant intimidation and threats to terminate me if I didn't meet my numbers. I wasn't informed that the three reps before me in my lone high school recruiter position had quit in the previous 6 months, one of them with a nervous breakdown and onother one after successfully suing the school for trying to cover up the harrassment she'd received by trying to delete intimidating emails sent to her. Their first settlement offer after being caught: offering her a reinstatement into her previous position. She held out for more, and the school director and recruitment manager who'd been caught didn't even receive any punishment.

My time at AAU has been a mixed bag. I researched a lot of different programs all over the country, from small two-year Associate of Art programs to master's programs. City College does have a great photography program and I've heard good things about the instructors and facilities. However, my future plans include non-profit administration and education, so a master's degree makes more sense. I did look at San Francisco Art Institute's program, which is very prestigious and much more selective, but seemed a bit limited in scope in a photographic industry that has become very fragmented, requiring successful photographers to be more versatile and live in commercial as well as fine art worlds. I'm generally pretty happy with my education at AAU, but it really is frustrating that the school just lets anyone in. Several of my classes have seemed remedial, and the constant increases in enrollment has left the department scrambling to NOT keep up since I started the program two years ago. I have one year left, and I'm already over $100k in debt, even though I have been working for most of that time for about 25 hours/week at $16/hour. (Ironically, I work for a non-profit organization that provides college scholarships for VERY carefully-screened underprivileged SFUSD high school graduates). I have adopted a similar attitude espoused by some of the admissions reps and students of CEC schools quoted in the article and the response posts: I try to get everything out of the resources available to me from AAU. The question that everyone should be asking, though, is "Is it worth the debt?" The answer is a resounding "NO!" No one should have to take on this much debt -- not even students pursuing law or medicine degrees. Face it, though -- we live in a country that lives, eats, breathes and craps debt. This brings us to the very center of the issue of the cost of college, ANY college:

It costs so much because of the loans available to cover it.

I think that most people still think college costs are driven by market forces, just like anything else we can "purchase" in a capitalist economy. Sure, there is some price-adjustment based on competition between educational providers, but the real driving force is the amount of available credit, and there's plenty to go around. The federal loans provide the most inflation-fodder -- they'll support almost anyone for almost any amount without batting an eye. Trust me, every college -- whether private, public or corporate -- hires people who are very adept at knowing EXACTLY how to squeeze every dime out of the dozens of federal, semi-private (federal "preferred" lenders) and private lenders that they can. Not only that, but I'm sure even the top-level vendors and service providers for these institutions (textbook companies, food services, parking and security contractors, etc.) also follow the financial aid landscape very closely. When the index of available funds per student rises for any reason, it's hard to know who pushes the costs higher first -- the school or the vendors. But you can be sure that the school will point with a crocodile tear to the vendor costs when tuition and fees increase. Is it any concidence that when the PLUS or "parent" loan became available to me last spring semester my tuition also went up? No surprise at all. It's also interesting to note that the PLUS loan was previously available only to undergrads with a parent as co-signer. They must have realized the huge market they were missing out on, because I was offered the same loan without a cosigner. Suckers...

I speak from a lifetime of experience, not just from my ITT Tech and AAU experiences. My father just retired from his professorship of 35 years in a small, private liberal arts college, where I got my bachelor's degree and was an admissions rep in the late '90s. My grandfather was a lifelong college professor and administrator, and most of my aunts, uncles and cousins hold or have held similar positions all over the U.S. and Canada. I grew up with this issue and I've seen it change so much in my lifetime.

Wanna know how much it's changed, from paying for education to the realities of life afterward? When my grandfather started college in the mid-30's, the Depression still had a grip on America. He got a small scholarship for college, but his family had a small farm nearby, and he paid for his freshman year by bringing a few horse-drawn carts full of apples to the college's kitchen from his family's orchard. From his sophomore year to graduation, he survived by keeping the family's best milk cow at school and selling eight bottles of milk every morning for 10 cents apiece. After graduation, he married my grandmother, got a job in a small town as a teacher, and immediately built a beautiful, 2-story house that still stands today. All of that without incurring any debt, and without my grandmother working. Those days are LONG gone, baby. We're in a new kind of Depression...

Where to begin...Well, for all of you out there that are "disgusted" by this article, I don't understand you. You obviously are missing the point of the article. YES, there are CCA grads that "make it" in the culinary industry, YES, there are instructors that are top-notch, YES, there are some sales reps that truly put it out there for you and let you know what you are getting into...but, the school as a whole....NO!! It's all about "how much money can I get from you", and "what little can I give back"!!

I for one am a recent graduate from CCA. About 6 weeks into my training, it was apparent to me that the school will let ANYone with money into the school and that everything that was promised to me seemed a little far fetched.

I was really really lucky when it came to my instructors. I think that 90% of them are incredible chefs and I am honored to have trained under them...however, there are several reasons as to why I am upset with CCA. Like the pressure that was put on me to ENROLL NOW!! For starters, NO ONE that I spoke with over the phone before enrollment would give me any insite into the education I would receive as well as financial responsibilities I'd endure. No one told me that the certificate that I would receive upon graduation is just as "impressive" as going to a community college for $2000 and receiving a degree in massage therepy...not that there's anything wrong with massage therepy. My point is, I had to write a paper and go through SEVERAL interviews and jump through SEVERAL hoops to get "accepted" into CCA. Upon being accepted, I was SO proud and happy for myself. I felt like I was about to go to one the most prestigious schools in the country and that they don't let just ANYONE into CCA and that I could really do something with my life in an industry that I love...WOW, was I wrong!!!

If CCA is SO impressive, I want to know why my class had 30+ students in it. Talk about NO time for "one on one" training. I want to know why I had to work SO hard to get in (I'm not blowing smoke, but I already had an impressive resume and feel that I'm an intelligent young woman) and I was in a classroom where 75% of the students were losers, drunks, druggies, useless, brain-dead, disrespectful to instructors AND other classmates, a DANGER in the classroom, rich spoiled brats that didn't care where they were because "daddy" was paying for everything and a HUGE disruption to me and the other small handful of students actually wanting to learn and benefit from the program.

As far as where our money goes...The tuition that I was paying was more expensive than the previous classes the semester before us. Yet, our tools were much cheaper quality (My Chef knife was just that, a brand called "Chef Knife"...I could've picked one up at Target for $8.99 and saved $1000)! Our Uniforms...what a joke! We paid the SAME amount of money that students in classes before us had paid, yet our names were not embroidered on our jackets. Hum...instead, the gave us 3 little name tags. Total price to replace all three...$15. Where'd the rest of my money go? When I asked to get reimbursed for NOT having my name embroidered, I got the run around, OR no response at all. I was also issued HRM shoes!! They said that they RAN OUT of chef shoes in my size and that they'd get them to me soon. Did I EVER see Chef shoes...No, I had to go out and pay over $100 for a pair on my own. Also, on a few different occasions, I went to the current Executive Chef to make my complaints about these "dead-beat" fellow students and wanted to know HOW they got into the same class as me and what was being done about REMOVING them! Well, that was also a joke! I have NEVER in my life heard such a "double talker" answering what would seem like a simple question that should get a simple answer. I was told in a nutshell: "we do have entrance exams now just for that reason.", "as far as the other students, we can't kick them out...they paid to be in the class too". WOW!! It was at that time that it dawned on me. CCA doesn't care about it's integrity, CCA doesn't care about ME! CCA doesn't care if I go from graduation to the French Laundry or a stint at Burger King, CCA doesn't care about MUCH, unless you got the money, baby!! I spoke with a chef on campus about this new "entrance exam". He laughed out loud. He said that YES, CCA is starting to test students upon being accepted...He also said that the student could take it several times, fail and STILL get in. Amazing!

I was actually lucky with the Externship I got after my campus schooling was over. However, I spoke to SEVERAl classmates that not only were MISERABLE in their externship, but were treated like DIRT from the very 1st second they walked into the kithcen. Why? Well, because they were from CCA. Enough said. The sad thing is, these fellow students that were telling me this, were some of the most talented and hard working students on CCA campus.

It's a shame that it would be better for me to take my CCA accomplishments off of my resume. I worked really really hard, mostly "A's" in all classes and had Honors in several of my classes. And who was sitting all around me at graduation? A very very small handful of winners and a WHOLE auditorium FULL of "F" making losers...I don't understand.

I do not feel like I got the full training that I deserved for $48K...oh wait, it's now up to $60K. Making $10/hr in a kitchen for the next several years while paying Hundreds and Hundreds of dollars a month while slowly going deeper into a debt that I don't see how I can get out of is NOT appealing to me. I signed my name on the dotted line and will work hard to pay off my student loans. It's a shame that it's going to take me 20 years and several more thousands of dollars in interest to pay off. Maybe when I'm 53, I can "start" living the good life...HA!

I believe CCA President Gibson is mistaken in her denial of compensating admissions reps. As a former CCA Admissions Representative, I specifically remember getting a balloon and candy bar as a reward for every appointment booked during a phone-a-thon.

I also am a former Admissions Rep., and I wish that I could say that I truly believe in the admissions process there at CCA, and that I had a rewarding career at CCA, but in all honesty, it just isn't the truth. I went into it wholehearted, and came out with only 1/2 of a heart. Since CEC bought the CCA, it truly has been a sad story and has led to its demise. Many chef instructors(including the previous Head Chef Instructor) have been screwed, the sales team (aka: admissions reps) have been screwed, and, in fact, the previous vice-president and president were fired. Ms. Gibson has been president of the school for a VERY, VERY, VERY brief time, and has to respond in some positive manner to keep her job. But, the bottom line is that there is a MAJOR structural problem.

You do NOT have to search high and low for unsatisfied students since the CEC takeover. It's a fact. Ms. Strickland certainly didn't have to go out of her way to find them. If you are a rep there currently, you know that's it's a hoax and that students are lied to every day. COME ON! It's sad, and, NO, not all schools are like this. Granted, you get what you want out of a school, but the CCA does not follow typical guidelines.

To the “former admissions representative”

You are making some bold statements! Are you sure they are factual? As far as the current reps, which I am, knowing that it’s a “hoax” …not everyone is like you. It sounds like you are dealing with some personal guilt and trying to loop everyone into your category. Sorry, no guilt trip here. And for future reference if you are going to mud sling…reveal yourself.

I find all of the commentary that I have read to be beneficial. It is good to air out dirty laundry and any hurt feelings. I don’t doubt some of the things that people are saying but…did anyone hold a gun to anyone’s head and force them to come in and sign on the dotted line or to attend school? The answer should be NO or else we have an entirely separate issue on our hands.

The point of the matter is, yes, there are hurt feelings on all ends no matter how you slice or dice the situation. A great point was made about the “loser/druggy/rich kid crowd.” Yes, I agree, welcome to reality, that exists everywhere. Anywhere you go in the world, including the 130 thousand plus dollar private school that I graduated from has the same mixed crowd of good, mediocre, and bad. There will always be people who “make it” and those who “just can’t cut it.” Who am I to decide which potential student will and which will not? Isn’t that being called judgmental or discriminatory? In my eyes education is never a lost investment and everyone deserves the opportunity.

I have been hearing a lot of complaining but no one has come forth and given constructive criticism or suggestions for change. CCA is in my eyes a historical diamond in the culinary world. It is a pity having to listen to the abuse the school is taking. What can be done to turn the negative attitude toward the school around? What needs to be changed or done?

First I would like to say you should get the whole story before you decide to publish something. There are many great chefs who have graduated from the CCA. My name is Adam and I currently go to the CCA. I do have hopes of becoming an award winning chef some day, but I know that I’m not going to step out of school and make six figures in my first year. The fact of the matter is that school is just that “school”. It’s not a guarantee of fortunes. If you decide to show up to half your classes and fall asleep in the rest of them you will be stuck making 10 dollars an hour for the rest of your life. I have known many to graduate the CCA, some with very well paid, very respectable jobs. If you’re not willing to put effort in to what your do then why do it? If we get mad at the CCA for not fulfilling “dreams” as you put it, then all other schools who preach that we can be what ever we want when we grow should be shut down. Going with that we should get rid of all collages or privet schools, where you pay to learn. Do all Harvard alumni work exactly where they want, and make millions doing it? I think not! It is not the CCA that is at fault. If the people who are having there dreams smashed really want to do something with them selves they would stop complaining and actually do something… like some work? I bet that the people who spoke in this article weren’t the ones with the best grades or the ones who showed up everyday. They probably though, I’m going to take easy way out. Anyways I’m off my tangent. I do think the SF Weekly need to do another article about all the successful graduates from the CCA. Maybe that will help people make the right judgments.

As a former admissions rep, I agree that it is the student's responsibilty to be aware of what their money, $50,000, is getting them. If you were paying that for a car, wouldn't you test drive a few, and weigh them against one another before buying. HOWEVER, as admissions reps we were very aware that our "target audience", as the school officials liked to call them, were not that savvy. After all, our commercials aired during Jerry Springer, Maury Pauvich, Montel... and our students needed co-signers for THEIR co-signers on to get a school loan. Also, this is the same school that encouraged a representative to enroll a homeless woman who was high and reeked of booze during her "interview". I know this case to be true because I witnessed it firsthand. It was and still is, a despicable place. Ms. Gibson is well aware of that. She will be regretting this step in career shortly, if not allready.

As a former admissions rep, I agree that it is the student's responsibilty to be aware of what their money, $50,000, is getting them. If you were paying that for a car, wouldn't you test drive a few, and weigh them against one another before buying. HOWEVER, as admissions reps we were very aware that our "target audience", as the school officials liked to call them, were not that savvy. After all, our commercials aired during Jerry Springer, Maury Pauvich, Montel... and our students needed co-signers for THEIR co-signers on to get a school loan. Also, this is the same school that encouraged a representative to enroll a homeless woman who was high and reeked of booze during her "interview". I know this case to be true because I witnessed it firsthand. It was and still is, a despicable place. Ms. Gibson is well aware of that. She will be regretting this step in career shortly, if not allready.

As a former admissions rep, I agree that it is the student's responsibilty to be aware of what their money, $50,000, is getting them. If you were paying that for a car, wouldn't you test drive a few, and weigh them against one another before buying. HOWEVER, as admissions reps we were very aware that our "target audience", as the school officials liked to call them, were not that savvy. After all, our commercials aired during Jerry Springer, Maury Pauvich, Montel... and our students needed co-signers for THEIR co-signers on to get a school loan. Also, this is the same school that encouraged a representative to enroll a homeless woman who was high and reeked of booze during her "interview". I know this case to be true because I witnessed it firsthand. It was and still is, a despicable place. Ms. Gibson is well aware of that. She will be regretting this step in career shortly, if not allready.

Before I begin my rave on the latest article attacking the culinary industry by second rate culinary students having high expectations on their nonchalant attitude toward their classes I would like to say that Ms. Eliza Strickland should report both sides of the story and research the exact statistics on the students coming out of culinary school and compare with the grades and attendance. I firmly believe that in order to achieve you have to consistently attend and appropriately take part in the learning environment.

My name is Jamie and I am currently a student at the California Culinary Academy. While I too aspire to be a successful chef one day I am prepared to work my way up the industry ladder. I was never promised to be financially successful or even stable, that is not why I am here. I am here because I have the passion to learn and create amazing dishes that would be pleasing to the senses, for the true passion of the industry.

I would like to start out by commenting about one sentence in the beginning of the article which states: “The third chef, Chris Kronner of the Slow Club in Potrero Hill, says the school does not have the best interest of the students at heart.” This is interesting because my boss, before moving to the housing department worked in the Career Services department where he would spend his days making phone calls getting former students jobs. Even before students leave the school the chefs will jump to the opportunity to help you. Maybe it was that Chris Kronner never had to ask for help but I believe that it is common knowledge that if you ask for help it can be received and without asking you forfeit the chance of ever knowing.

While I agree the Admissions Representatives will say anything to get the students to “sign on the dotted line” that does not say anything about the chef’s talent providing valuable knowledge to the students but rather the morality level of the sales industry itself. If you wanted to start attacking the school for its well found talent in the sales department, why not go after Ford, Chevrolet or any number of companies selling higher priced items for a smaller long term value. With this education we are receiving inestimable information that will live on in our notes years after we have finished school.

As far as any illusions to the school cheating their students, it is up to the student to get the education they want out of what the school provides.

While an Admissions Representative sold me on the school and promised he would be there on my orientation day and through out my whole school etcetera I do not see the school in a different light because he told me lies. If anything I appreciate him getting me here and opening the door on a new career for myself. What I am trying to say is just because one department is bad don’t dismiss the whole company.

As far as the comments made about the student debt, there is always going to be student loans that need to be paid off years after school has been completed.

In conclusion I would like the see the reporters at the SF Weekly write a contrasting article about the graduates and current students that appreciate the school and the education they provide.

It's not just the admissions process that is off...the placement office is no better.

I was contacted by CCA to see about placing students from the management program into an externship (required for graduation). I took a chance on a young, inexperienced graduating student and placed him in a junior management position at a large well-known, busy, successful restaurant in SF.

He lasted two weeks and opted to pull a no call / no show. Two days later he called crying, begging for his job back so that he could graduate.

I informed the people involved with externships that the situation did not work out and explained exactly what happened. I was brushed off by the CCA staff without even an apology. Apparently they don't teach Work Ethic 101 at CCA either.

Another culinary student did a practice at the restaurant and an hour into the night, cut his finger cutting green beans and ended up with stitches. I thought they entered the workforce with some training???

And what about the groups of students hanging outside the school in their whites, leaning against dirty cars smoking cigarettes. So much for the sanitation classes.

I still work with culinary graduates from CCA and the sentiments are the same regarding the education and loans and feeling misled. It's disturbing to see so many young people excited to embark on a new career and think they are making the right decision become disillusioned with hospitality after finding out CCA cares more about admission numbers than real people.

Thank you for showing San Francisco what is really happening on Polk Street.

I, too, am sick to my stomach after reading this article and the above comments. I also graduated from CCA in 2005 and this article brings to reality the $800 monthly payment that I owe to Sallie Mae. My problems started when I applied to the California School of Culinary Arts in Pasadena, also operated by CEC. I was pressured by the same exact system as when I transferred to CCA, only three months into the program. I lost nearly $5,000 in credits when I transferred between the schools, despite them both being owned by CEC. I was told that I would receive credit for all of my transfer credits, which was a complete lie. I had to fight the CCA system after I was enrolled for the transfer credit. I had to go back again and again to the student services center, while I received lip service for nearly a month. I was already disgusted by this point.

I was never explicitly informed of the interest rates on my loans when I signed and after graduation found that nearly $25,000 of my loans has a 19% interest rate. After consolidation and a cosign by my parents, they are now down to 14%. After some contemplation, I left the industry after my workplace training because I had no choice. There was no way that I could pay the loan and live on $12.50 an hour in San Francisco. I graduated with a 4.0 GPA and can't find a culinary job that can pay my monthly payment and allow me to survive in San Francisco. I also have been contacted by their job placement services to determine if I was still in the industry, but never offered any legitimate help, other than lists (as mentioned in the article). Many in my graduating class were looking to take legal action against CCA because of their manipulative practices.

When I looked into transferring to CCA from the California School of Culinary Arts (because I desired to move back to San Francisco), I was told that there were only two places left in the next program, which was a complete lie. I signed up because I thought it was true. I had many excellent chefs and I am not doubting that. However, I am angered that I was lied to. I found many identical stories to mine after I started my classes. Nearly everyone was tricked into signing immediately so their place wouldn't be lost to someone else.

My class also included an individual that we all knew had serious learning disabilities. They passed him from class to class because they wanted their loan payments, yet the chef instructors clearly knew this student has serious problems. They pressured him to a point that we all knew was unacceptable. I don't know whatever happened to him, as he was forced to leave nearly 75%+ through the program, yet I am sure that he still owes thousands on his loans.

I regret ever hearing the words CCA or California School of Culinary Arts. I know that I'm an excellent chef and I also have heard the stigma attached with the name from professionals in the industry. The education and the prestige is mortally wounded. There is nothing prestigious about a school that advertises in the afternoon during Jerry Springer. I owe nearly $60,000 now and for what? Years and years of loan payments to pay for high-pressured sales people and corporate dividends. Even more sick to my stomach now... Anyone know of a lawyer willing to take on another case?

Anyone who is reading these comments and those from the admissions reps above, don't listen to them. DO NOT EVER LISTEN TO A CCA ADMISSIONS REP! I am angered that they decided to respond and blame the author for her accurate account. They are looking to hang onto their jobs, more than anything. I suspect some of them were forced to respond, either in fear of unemployment or to be in the good graces of management. If they really cared what happened to their students, they should call me (you know how to get in touch) and explain why they repeatedly lied to me.

I lived with a Chef who taught at the school for 7 years. What CEC did to the school is a crime. I can't believe there is no class action lawsuit being organized after this article. The things he told me about the school would blow people's minds. Grades being falsified, students being pushed though so they can keep there finacial packages. Instructors without classes to teach, being made to teach other subjects they had no experience in. He said there was an expression the Chefs used... "D you later" meaning the would just give the failing students D grades just to keep them enrolled. Calling the admissions reps "used car salesmen" is an insult to used car salesman everywhere! BTW, he heard from a friend that still works there that they just started charging students for their food! Can you imagine, you go to culinary school and have to pay for your own lunch!?! Thank god he left last year. This place will be closed soon.

I want to mention to all current students, please read this article carefully and don't be disillusioned by what instructors, admissions reps and administration are telling you in response to this article. In my educated opinion, leave CCA now before you incur any further debt (regardless of how far you are in the program) and follow the advice of the article. Go to City College and pay 95% less and get a better education. Save yourself from debt, misery and headaches...there is nothing worse than having $60,000+ debt and have collectors calling you incessantly. No matter how good of a chef you may be, you will be hard pressed to find a job in this industry that will allow you to make $10,000+ in payments a year right out of school. Don't be fooled, you are warned! It is a shame what this school is doing to students, who by nature are vulnerable. For a really good article on this same topic, visit CBS's 60 Minutes article here http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/01/31/60minutes/main670479.shtml. It had invaluable information on the deceptive practices of Career Education Corporation, the parent company of CCA.

I am a recent graduate and finding a job in the city has proven its challenges. The word on the street is CCA= Can't Cook Anything.

I would be interested in seeing the number of students graduated from CCA who are in HIGH PAYING (over $60K/yr) culinary positions vs. the number of positions available at that level and the number of schools producing candidates for those positions. I think the point to be made here is the industry does not have enough jobs to support the number of graduates coming from CCA (whether skilled or not) at the income level advertised. YES, there are successful graduates from CCA, but does CCA produce ACCURATE data reflecting the level of opportunity acknowledging that unless you are in X percentile of the highest performing chef's, you will likely not earn more than the average of $60K or whatever that current number is depending upon what type of position. Also, the industry itself has a very low profit margin which makes it far more complicated to "move up the career ladder" as you see great restaurants open and close daily. With regard to financial aid and the belief that students should already know what it means to get a loan. 18-20 something students should not be expected to understand the impacts of financial aid given that most of them never managed a loan (much less one that is more than what they will make in their first year of employment no matter how much of a "Rock Star" they are in a kitchen). The CCA (and all educational institutions) should take some responsibility to offer education on the loans they are recommending vs. their income potential (high and low end), they are after all, an institution for learning. If they accepted the students and sent them off on their own to find the funding they need, then the school has no responsibility to assist in educating the student about financial aid.

Oh, and to the person who had the audacity to compare an Ivy League education to a 2-year culinary program that does not even give you an Associates Degree so you have the option to complete your Bachelors, get your head out of your butt ;-) When was the last time you read an article about an ex-Harvard student whining about not being able to pay back their student load because they really didn’t get an education? Or the Admissions Officer stating they had quotas and the pressure to fill the student roster was unbearable? Whether the statements are true or not, it’s a ridiculous comparison.

Well, I used to work for the CCA, too. Definitely not in the same capacity as some of the admissions reps, and my coworkers and I in our very important (Purchasing) department resented being overlooked for our raises and new hires in the department, while every admission rep was making 60g's a year to lie. That department was constantly seeing new hires. I waited for over a year for any pay increase, even though I was working as the assistant manager. Another coworker NEVER got a raise in the entire 2 years she worked there and ended up going back to school for another BA. We worked on a skeleton crew. When I was hired, they had just opened the new Potrero campus. The old campus had 5 employees. They split up the employees from the department for the 2nd campus, promising to hire more to cover the ever growing work load, which they never did. By the time I left, there were 2 employees at the 1st campus, and myself at the 2nd.

But the real kicker is that the CCA has to comply with government regulated ethics exams and tests. The Manager for the purchasing department cheated on one of these exams in Dec 2005, not only for himself but for the ENTIRE PURCHASING DEPARTMENT. When the certificates materialized we were all scratching our heads as to how that was done. I guess it worked in his favor because our ethics questions never materialized regarding our unfair treatment as we didn't take the test. Turns out, the majority of the chefs also cheated on that test, and actually paid the computer guy 20 bucks per test to do so.

Making matters worse, the Manager was fired a few months later, when the department complained (individually) to HR. I believe that HR knew about the cheating, but wasn't planning to do anything about it until they had actual people complaining, then they had to do something. I was stupidly strung along, thinking that I would replace the manager because I was already doing all the work anyway. Adding insult to injury, the department head who fired the manager, asked me if I took the exam, and when I responded, no, she said, "According to corporate we are all in compliance, ok?" Further proof of the universal attitude toward ethical practices at the CCA.

If this is any witness of the ethical issues regarding the CCA, if I were a student or even someone looking for employment at the CCA, I would definitely advise both to find something that looked out for their own interests. Working at the CCA or even being a student is only going to help out the CEC, you will never feel like 'wow, this was a good career move for me.'

CCA...What a joke....
Lied to the Cordon Blue to get certified.
Make employees lie on the ethics exams.
Managers resold products and made lots of extra $$$$
Chased AWAY former graduates when they wanted something to eat because they could not afford a meal....ASK Chef Maddingly, he did the chasing away!!!!
Made employees work in a room filled with cigarette smoke, even after they complained!
I myself, was an employee and wanted to attend the school and did the whole admin process, and yes, you all did lie, you promised me a top job.....Luckly I continued to work for you until I found a better honest job!!!
And why is the current president speaking up for the times she wasn't there....You fired the other president because she wasn't making the ##'s and now you here trying to justify what??? You are only here to cover up the mess!!! As for the admin rep who "lashed out" Get over it lier....your still getting you large checks and sitting pretty, sounds like you haven't been in our shoes.....I left because I wanted to, I was also told that the CCA would always have a spot for me! I was a wonderful employee and I would be missed.....Guess what, I saw the crap the CCA pulled and you will never change my mind! I love all the chef's that do work there, and I know in there hearts in the love of cooking that keeps them there, but face it, you lied to me, to sucker me into paying all that money, and it didn't work. I read all you lies and that is what caused me to leave!!!!
So pretty boy, get a real honest job, and stop covering up your lies and the CEC lies!
you think your so smart with your big words? Well, experience takes over and the truth comes out....
And for all of you who were wronged by the CCA.....I can only say, look to the high beings and thank them that you got out. As for the former student's, you learned a valuable lesson, now go forth and try to be a excellent citizen! The sky is the limit. Work hard and live long, we all make mistakes, and now we learn from them!!!
Keep a positive mind and do you best!!!

Before I came to the CCA, I had been working in the culinary field for approximately 3 years. I then attended the Baking and Pastry certificate program. Since then, I have been working in the field for another 3 years. Take it from someone who has more experience than ANY student there. The CCA and CEC are so full of crap, they smell like a septic tank that has been overflowing for quite some time, and with something like that, any amount of time is far too much. Lets start with the dorms. No kitchens. None whatsoever. Not even a community hot plate. Maybe I'm just using way too much logic here but I would expect SOMETHING to be provided. Hostels in the area usually have community kitchens that the students can share and from what I hear, this is a rough system but works for what it is. I read a comment that said to compare it to an ivy league school is absurd. How many ivy league schools cost $40,000 for seven months? None that I have heard of. When you put this ratio out there, it really puts things in perspective. Call me crazy, but I would think that the best part of attending a culinary academy would be the food. You should be trying new flavors and exotic ingredients at the expense of the school. This is their job! This is what they agreed to do for their students! On the contrary, the food is TERRIBLE! More than a few students were sick due to poor sanitation and preparation techniques. Sometimes, food sat for hours before being served. There is NO EXCUSE for this. The standards should be far higher BECAUSE this is a school for FOOD. In a blind taste test, if you were to tell me the chef that ran the cafe had passed the supposedly rigorous test to get the job to begin with and that food was his number one passion in life, I would have told you that he/she better find another passion. The ethics exam fiasco is so twisted its funny in a sick way. Cheating on an ethics exam. I think I have actually used that in a joke at some point. I know that the artist of Dilbert did. I think that the biggest problem in this school and possibly the entire culinary industry is a lack of accountability. If an army seargent is ordered to lay waste to a village, he is blamed as being a villain. What about the general that gave the order to begin with? What happens to him? He is promoted. Possibly even given a medal. The problem does not lie with the chefs. Many of the existing chefs and ones that have passed through have wonderful ideas and try their best to give each student their undivided attention. But they follow a curriculum. Given to them by corporate scumbags who would like to turn food and the ART of cooking into a commodity to be bought and sold like livestock. If one cannot have a passion far what they are doing, then surely they will fail. If not now, then very soon. You know who makes the curriculum for the CIA in Hyde Park? Chefs. Not some prick in a suit. Gee, I wonder if they're successful? What I am trying to say is, don't blame this all on the CCA and it's workers. Blame the corporate leech that is the CEC. As with any form of art, especially in this country, once a corporation is allowed to take the reins, every bit of soul and passion that once existed will eventually be cut up and sold off piece by bloody piece until all that is left is the skeleton of a once truly beautiful animal. Remember. Cook for yourself, and life is NOT a kitchen.

I was a former student at CCA. I take pride on what I have learn in school, The Article it self can be true or just a lie, as far as I know if you believe on your self in to making to this industry of Chefs. gear up cause its not what you see in school or TV, you have to bust your A hole to be on top no matter if your smart or stupid you have to pay your dues to climb to the top. Don’t ever let any one tell you that you can't reach that dream of top chef or the best of the best it your future it’s in your hands to make it so.

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I am a CCA graduate, I enrolled right out of high school because I had always dreamed of being a chef, and so when I went to meet with the rep he promised me the world. He told me of the great things that I could be after a year of hard work. He promised that I would be a chef prety much a year or two after graduation. But after I graduated and went to work for a very large company for my externship, one that everyone sweared by, I realized that I would be at the bottom of the chain for atleast five years if not more. I feel like they promised everything but yet in the real world, I am only making $12 an hour, and thats a year and a half out of school.
They said that everything would be okay when they fired all of the sous chefs, but honestly that was the worst decision that they could have ever made. I was there the morning that they fired all of them. We were so pissed because we knew that we would be getting the worst education now. They were who made it a little better. They helped teach the class, and in the hand book they said that they were supposed to be one chef to every fifteen students or something like that. It was just redicilous.
I hope to warn people who are going to enroll to be careful. They need to make sure that they reserch the school before they sign anything. Check every community college that says that they have a decent program before shelling out the $50,000 for the CCA. In the end all that will happen is you will be working for minimum wage, in some little unknown restaurant, worrying about how you are going to make rent, and pay your other bills. STUDENTS BEWARE!

I left CCA after three months because I did not agree with the admissions practices and false promises to students. For profit education is disgusting from all aspects of the admissions process, the financial aide process and the post- graduation placement process. It made me sick to call students to congratulate them on being admitted to the program, when I new that anyone who wrote a check and signed the admissions application would get in.

To the current reps- you are kidding yourself if you think you are helping potential students by encouraging them to attend CCA. In fact, you are doing the opposite. Would you pay 60K for the equivalent of an AA degree? Would you encourage your kids to go a school like CCA?

CEC has totally transformed the CCA into a joke- it's the students and instructors who suffer.

Ms. Strickland has every right to publish an article about the CCA even if the article is completely one sided. I would of have liked to have seen the flip side of the coin and read about CURRENT students, Alumni and employees not ones that are disgruntled 3-5 yrs ago that have no back bone and have to speak anonymously. I know the Reps are the issue and they were when I was recruited, but I took the time to research what I wanted before signing my life away to CCA. . .maybe because I am older and a career changer, but where are the parents of these 18-20 something yr olds helping them out? They should be involved in the admission, loan, etc so their children can understand what a commitment they are getting into. I am a current CCA student on my externship and I am currently employed. I showed up to class everyday, I have a 4.0, I network with 2 organizations, I talk to chefs at different restaurants, and I am actively learning outside of the classroom as well. This is like any other school, you can't just show up and graduate to expect the world handed to you on a silver plate. I already have a bachelors degree. . .no one I know except a few lucky ones left college making a ton of money out the gate. you have to start somewhere. . .the bad stigma of the CCA with chefs. . .well most I've talked to require a try-out for the externship or for job placement - these ones don't care where you came from, but you as an individual better show what you know. . .and unfortunately there are some students that don't know crap and make the CCA look bad. I don't blame that on the CCA I blame that on the students. . .do you know how many would not show up to class or would come but leave to the bar across the street? Its not that the Chef instructors don't care. . .its that in the real world if you do that you will be fired. . .and these students don't get a clue. In fact I was glad they didn't come to class. . .that meant I had more elbow room to get my tuition worth. . .so for those students I don't pity. . .that's their fault. I'm not saying that all the students interviewed for the article were like this, but I can't completely feel for them since I know the different personalities that existed at the school.
If a chef comes across my resume and instantly puts it in the trash because they see CCA and overlooks my experience, my involvement in the chef organizations and the community. .. then I don't want to work for them. The chefs who I want to work for will call me to Stodge ( try-out live at a shift) and judge my skills then. They are worth my time and respect.

I never had a problem with the Financial Aid department. They steered me in the right direction and the reps came to our class several times through out the program to remind us of important items that were due, on educating us about the loan terms. In fact anytime I've needed help and understanding about my loans, I have received it.

Yes, the job market is hard our there. . .but we live in the bay area, it will always be saturated. Not only in the restaurant industry but take a look or just ask people that are looking for jobs, its tough out there as a whole. The last career fair - the Ritz-Carlton SF was there as well as the fairmont, kimpton hotels, etc. . .I have several classmates working at the Ritz, the palace hotel, rubicon, salt house, greens for their externship. . .maybe its free labor that got them the job, but they are all still there.

I get the issues in the article and yes, some are valid, some are old, some are just way out there. I had a good experience and still am with the CCA. . .it depends on who you are. . . If you are looking into the CCA just look at all your options - all the schools in the area, your finances and if you don't have restaurant experience go get some first before you attend school. If want your hand held every step of the way - don't go to the CCA. Its a fast paced curriculum so unless you are mature enough to take the school seriously, to show up everyday and to be active in the industry go to to the community college and work in the industry.

I am an ex admissions rep and also someone who worked on the management team in the admissions department at CCA. We reps truly believed in the school. What we told incoming students is what we truly believed because it was told to us by our superiors. Don’t jump on the reps. Those of us with integrity (and there were a lot of us) finally left. It was our work environment that made us sick. The micromanagement that went on, the push for more ‘dials, appointments, and enrollments’ was unbelievable. Every 15 minutes a person on the management team would ask how many dials have you made? How many appointments? How many enrollments? They even have a device that can tell how many dials a rep has made on the phone!! It was disgusting. As part of the management team I was made to participate in those tactics until it made me ill so I left management and became a rep again. It was no better. I finally couldn’t take the sickness anymore and I, too, left.

By the way, the managers are treated to big dinners at fancy restaurants when their admissions teams made the enrollment numbers for a class start. The admissions reps were never paid anything so don’t let anyone ever mislead you on that point. Anyway, while at one of these dinners, one of the Directors of Admissions talked about “lacing up her boots” for the admissions reps! In other words she was saying that they had to put their foot up the admissions reps butts in order to get them to enroll more! I was so sick at that moment. I remember looking around and knowing I had to get out.

The chefs were wonderful, no doubt about that, but the micro-managing and stress tactics used eventually made most of the reps sick and stressed and disenchanted. Now, those of you that have downplayed this article and dismissing it because it is the result of two disgruntled, ex-admission reps-you are sadly mistaken in your dismissal. If that was the case, then how can you explain the exodus of the entire food chain from the top to the bottom that has made a mad dash for the door in the past six months? The president, the VP of Admissions (not the one that was let go but the one that quit!), the Director of Admissions, the Director of Finance, the Director of Financial Aid, approximately fifteen admissions reps or more, more than half the Financial Aid reps, reps in Career Services, Housing, and Student Services have all left in the past six months. How do you dismiss that? You can’t dismiss it; you have to wonder what the heck is going on over there? I think the article has partially answered that question.

Another short comment....for those of you that are calling us cowards for not exposing our names on our comments you have got to be kidding! Most of us are still in the industry and even if we are not we still need our references in order to obtain employment. That school's managemnet style has shown us all that it is mean and ugly so why would we want to jeopardize future employment? Those that work there run into us ex-reps frequently every time an "Exit Party" is thrown when someone else leaves the employ of CCA (and at times they are thrown on a weekly basis!). We are always quite vocal in person. No need to ruffle the feathers of the current managment.

And I agree with "Cheffy" above. You get out of what you put into your education. I never said the education was lacking, so sorry to any student that may think that I was expressing that in my opinion of the management team at CCA. It is just a sick place to work at.

Reading this article and the comments are a real eye opener, for most, and I'm glad to see this exposure. I do not know first hand what students are told by recruiters, however, I can imagine it is something that encourages them to attend punctuated by pressure and hype. The debt these students are left with is insane! Unless you get a premier job in the industry (and there are only a few of these), CCA graduates will be paying for their schooling for the rest of the their lives .

I have known several of the school's former chefs and auxiliary employees. They were dedicated, talanted and popular with the students, but they were fired. Being treated this way has been demoralizing and in some cases it has caused stress so severe it is debilitating. Current chefs and staff are on edge, wondering each day if they are next? The bosses, outside California, make decisions based on unknown criteria, (profet?) and the ones that suffer are the employees and the students.

I enrolled in 2001 after another culinary school I was attending shut down. The one option given to me was to transfer my credits and enroll at CCA. I was at least three months in at that point and there was no refund, so it seemed logical and I thought it was the right choice. In meeting with admissions reps and touring the "campus" I felt like I might not get in. I figured I was chump change compared to the culinary wolves I might be assigned to roast bones and brunoise vegetables with. I had worked in restaurants off and on for about ten years at that point, but this was San Francisco so prestigeous, so glamourous, so official with those stupid neckerchiefs and hats (no offense to the old schoolers)nevertheless I thought I might not make it. I had just been laughed out of a kitchen by a chef when unable to explain how to make mayonaise. Fast forward.
It became very obvious the more the classes shifted from talking about cooking to actually doing something that at least half of my class had no business there. Mind you alot of them were nice and there were those who didn't bother showing up anyway, but it was very obvious that there was a huge discrepency in the reasons I was here versus others. I scored a job at a 3 1/2 star restaurant and dove into the business head on smelling, tasting, touching, observing, and emulating everything I could. I made ten bucks and hour and even when I was struggling to survive living in the crack den of San Francisco we all called home, up to my eye lids in prep at 5 pm every saturday and most other days as well, chefs screaming for orders I hadn't even heard, just burried in a hole that if I could find my way out I might have some self respect left, I would humbly clean my station as exhaused as I was and limp down to the nearest bar to ease my mind. To my suprise, I had the desire to get up and do it again and again. I knew this business was for me and if it wasn't, I had another degree. However, I did not see the same passion or desire from my classmates. Regardless of their GPAs or number of honor pins, restaurants and their customers dont care about grades. The real dissapoinment came when my class switched from night to day classes. Our classes and instructors became less and less interesting and grading scales seemed to become more and more lax. Our classes schedule was changed and some classes that were in the ciricuculm had been erased. At more than one point I considered calling it quits and working full time but I wasnt going to deviate from my goal even though is was very apparent that I would soon be graduating with people who rarely attended class and others who believed they could cook lasagne without first cooking the pasta.
So then comes the externship. There was a coordinator and an office but every sight I applied to from their list I recieved no response. I bugged the chef I worked for enough and he made some calls, but that only got my in the door. Luck hit when I answered an ad on the web and a few weeks later I was working in one of the most esteemed kitchens in the city with a world renowned chef and get paid for it. To this day, I consider my time there my biggest mistake and my greatest blessing as far as my career goes. But I was still struggling to get though class and the absurdity of my life. Anyone whos gone through the 15+ hour day between work and school knows what Im talking about. It probably was in my best interest that I never mentioned the word "extern" but for once for a signature to appease the office. But as far a I knew they had know idea what i was doing. I had know idea what I was doing, besides having my behind handed to me night after night. Eventually, I was replaced and returned to my former house of employment. To the coordinator it was shocking, but it was clearly a business decision on behalf of the chef. He found someone better, faster and with more experience. Bottom lines. Thats where I was. On the bottom. However, the chaos kept calling my name. The sweat, the pain, the noise, all the liquor you could drink; for a twenty something this was cool.
Fast forward. The payback. The advisors spoke of the repayment and had secured me state and or federal approved loans. But that is a far as they went. No mention of what to do if one could not afford payments 3 months post graduation. They never explained the loans could be bought and sold by other lenders who charged higher interest. That seperate "dispursements" were actually seperate loans. Fortunately, I have made it to a point where I am comfortable making payments and have paid off roughly half of my debt. However, I still cannot secure a loan for such things as a house, as my income to debt ratio is to high.
I do think that I made the right choice in attending CCA, but it was my own drive that got me to my position today. However, I would not recommend the school to anyone. No offense to some of the great faculty I befriended while I was there. I dont know if I feel sorry for those who signed the line and will probably never recover financially as it was their choice but I do believe CEC and all schools should be closely regulated and severly punished for any wrongdoing. And I wish the best of luck to anyone out for the next 54 million pair of pants.

IM SO GLAD THAT THE SF WEEKLY WROTE AN ARTICAL ON THE CCA. I HAVE ENROLL TO CCA AND START CLASS IN AUGUST. AND NOW IM DECIDING TO GO OR NOT, I HAVE THOUGHT ABOUT IT MANY TIMES AND NOW I HAVE TO MAKE A FINAL DECISION. I KNOW THAT THE TUITION IS ALOT, BUT IS IT WORTH IT? IM SCARE THAT AFTER I GRADUATION FROM THIS CULINARY SCHOOL AM I GONNA BE ABLE TO PAY OFF MY LOAN AND BE ON TIME WITH IT...THERE SO MANY THINGS GOING IN MY HEAD RIGHT NOW!!! ITS LATE AND STRSSING OUT!I HAD READ ALL THE COMMENTS AND FEEDBACK ABOUT THE ARTICAL AND EVERYONE WAS EITHER DISAPPOINTED OR MAD ABOUT ATTENDING THE SCHOOL. PLEASE EMAIL OR WRITE BACK WHEATHER I SHOULD ATTENT OR NOT ATTENT THIS SCHOOL THANKS

^^John, that was very well written. To all the new wanna-be cooks and chefs, remember that you must WANT to work in a stressful environment, WANT to work 12-14 hour days AND still goto school, and WANT to be challenged physically and mentally each and every second at work. The reward is at the end of the night or rush and you're standing there drenched in sweat and you say to yourself, "Dayam, I DID IT!!". It's not for everyone.

If you are already enrolled, my advice is to go out and find a job IMMEDIATELY. Even if it's a non-paying job, the experience you will learn from prepping or cooking on the line is invaluable and nothing you could learn from a school environment.

If you are enrolled fresh out of high-school, be warned, THIS IS NOT COLLEGE. I know you will have the urge to get out and party, but you will need more discipline and self-control to be a culinarian. Take the time to learn the terminology, nothing will piss the Chef off more then asking a Chef (like a cook recently asked me), "What's a buerre blanc?".

The school can never give me the two years of my life back, but Im going to sue them in hopes of getting my student loans payed off, so I can go back to chool. The non transferable AA is useless, and they can keep it. I just want a shot at making something of myself, like anyone ells who gos to college.

Anyone who wants to join me in the law suite, let me know. I have seen some terrible things. We had a partially retarded kid in our class, who would steal everything, and when he was caught didnt understand what was going on. We also had this nice little girl who had only one leg. She was so nice, and it sadens me to think how she must be getting treated now, considering how hard it is for me to get a job.

CCA has its problems, but every educational institution does. You show me a school where every student, past, present and future is 100% satisfied and I will give you a shiny trophy. It just doesn't happen, people will always be unhappy with their school, or their job or whatever they happen to be involved with. It's just human nature... The problems with this article? Well none really, she tells the truth, everything she said is accurate. Our school is filled with slackers and wastes of space. The admissions reps? Oh my god don't get me started, used car dealers...and don't you dare believe they aren't. However in their defense they are just doing their job, and you know what...they do it well, they got me to come here. Some of them even acknowledge you in the hall when they see you, after you've signed your paper.

Anyone who comes to a junior college and expects to leave a celebrity, be it in cooking or acting or any other discipline is in for a rude awakening... if they are so starry eyed that they can't separate fact from fiction then at least they will get a taste of reality...and hey, it only cost them 50k. Better to pay 50k mistakenly and grow up a little than to live in a perpetual haze of believing they are something special. If you have the charisma and skill to be a celebrity than guess what, you won't need an AA to make it.

The CCA still does add something, despite what everyone says. It's far from perfect, but it's not quite as evil as people would like to believe, it's a business, and they listen to their students if they actually take the 5 minutes to complain to someone who can make a difference (instead of their friends). Basically I fluctuate daily between loving and hating
the school, I also pegged the CCA exactly for what it was the first time I talked to an admissions rep, and I'm still here. If people are so unhappy with the program there is a simple solution, leave. You will get all tuition refunded for classes that haven’t started yet and there will be one less body taking up my kitchen space, win-win.

To students who took out extravagant loans with horrible interest rates. Sorry, sucks to be you. Here's a tip, if you really can't afford something or can't figure out a way to pay for it reasonably, maybe you should look at other avenues. Most junior colleges offer culinary programs that will teach you exactly the same skills, they are competitive programs to get into, but they are also about 20 times cheaper. I don’t drive a Mercedes because I can’t afford it, I drive a Toyota and it gets me from A to B, I just don’t look as good doing it. Apply that lesson to your education.

If I had a magic wand and could change whatever I wanted with the school believe me there would be changes aplenty…but I don’t, and my solution is to suck it up and get over the things that bother me, and put 100% into getting every ounce out of the 50k I paid. Another tip for students… if you skip school regularly don’t you dare complain about anything…you are pathetic for wasting your time and money and you don’t have the right to complain about something you consider yourself too good for.

I HAVE BEEN AN ADVISOR FOR MANY YEARS, AND CCA WAS THE WORST COMPANY I HAVE EVER WORKED FOR. THEY LOOK AT ALL STUDENTS AS A # THAT IS IT. I KNOW FOR A FACT THAT A STUDENT IS IN CALSS RIGHT NOW THAT DON'T PASS THE TEST BUT THE VP PUT HIM IN SCHOOL ANYWAY FOR THE VP AND DOA TO MAKE THEIR NUMBER. SO FOR ANY STUDENT WHO WANT TO ATTEND CCA THINK BEFORE YOU SIGN. ADMISSION'S REPS DON'T LIE THEY ARE JUST DOING WHAT IT TAKES KEEP THE JOBS.

Thank you Sara, Allen and all the former reps and students that came forward with their personal strife and experiences. There is one minor or lets say major detail missed in this article. How many times did we go into a class room to cook, ie. for a test and there was NO FOOD. How many times did the Chefs in their understanding empathetic tone state "It's ok, do your best with what you have." or we'd run around to other kitchens trying to find a single usuable herb? Now I know what you're saying, this conditions you for the real world. BS! Im paying $50K to learn how to boil water? I thought the idea of going to a culinary school was to cook.

The school admissions reps promised me Id pay off my student loans in two years. Now Im stuk working for 10$ an hour! How is that ok? I say you need to but out if you havent graduated, because you dont understand the reality of the industry yet, or the gravity of how they treat kids how out of high school. Its preying, taking advantage. It shouldnt be allowed, and we should have a voice so new kids wont ruin their lives.

The school admissions reps promised me Id pay off my student loans in two years. Now Im stuk working for 10$ an hour! How is that ok? I say you need to but out if you havent graduated, because you dont understand the reality of the industry yet, or the gravity of how they treat kids how out of high school. Its preying, taking advantage. It shouldnt be allowed, and we should have a voice so new kids wont ruin their lives.

IS CCA REALLY A BAD SCHOOL OR A RIPOFF??
IM GLAD THAT THE SF WEEKLY WROTE AN ARTICAL ON THE CCA.
I HAVE ENROLL TO CCA AND START CLASS IN AUGUST. AND NOW IM DECIDING TO GO OR NOT, I HAVE THOUGHT ABOUT IT MANY TIMES AND NOW I HAVE TO MAKE A FINAL DECISION.
I KNOW THAT THE TUITION IS ALOT, BUT IS IT WORTH IT? IM SCARE THAT AFTER I GRADUATION FROM THIS CULINARY SCHOOL AM I GONNA BE ABLE TO PAY OFF MY LOAN AND BE ON TIME WITH IT...THERE SO MANY THINGS GOING IN MY HEAD RIGHT NOW!!! ITS LATE AND STRSSING OUT!
I HAD READ ALL THE COMMENTS AND FEEDBACK ABOUT THE ARTICAL AND EVERYONE WAS EITHER DISAPPOINTED OR MAD ABOUT ATTENDING THE SCHOOL.
PLEASE EMAIL OR WRITE BACK WHEATHER I SHOULD ATTENT OR NOT ATTENT THIS SCHOOL THANKS
EMAIL: gotitallday70@yahoo.com
Thanks

This whole mess seems to be boiling down to this;

Should student(s) who are obviously not exactly "college material" be allowed to sue a COOKING SCHOOL for letting them in, because - or so they now claim - they were actually too stupid to know that they were too stupid be admitted, but NOT too stupid to loudly complain that they were actually too stupid to complete the program - even though they DID manage to complete it?

...and so now they are angry that they are being told by prospective employers that they are not talented enough to make "Big Bucks" - but (sadly) - they are actually too ignorant to know that they are not talented enough to deserve them?

Would they have been happier if the school had said to them: "Sorry, but we can see that it's a pretty safe bet that YOU will never be Top Chef, The Next Food Network Star, or winner on Hell's Kitchen, so just please pack your knives and go...or better yet - don't even bother to come here at all"?

OR do they actually truly believe that the CCA should have known from the start that they were really stupid, and that the school should never even have issued them a suitcase full of sharp utensils in the first place...

... because they are - or at least they claim now - too ignorant/stupid to have known when they signed up for the CCA that less than 2 years of cooking school would not somehow magically "entitle" them to make more money than graduates of any other c-school, including City College?

OR was the problem really that their "Chef Knife" was not sharp enough, and THAT is actually the REAL reason why they cannot get a job, and so they should get all the money back and go to City College, where the knives are better, or at least cheaper? Then would they be able to get a $45,000 year job?

...should THEY now be entitled to get all of their money back (after they already graduated) because they were actually too stupid to have finished at CCA, but they now want to go...umm...where? Some other cooking school that they ARE smart enough to learn enough from to get WHICH other job that they can't get now?

DO ANY OF YOU ACTUALLY PERSONALLY KNOW ANY OTHER CULINARY SCHOOL GRADS WHO ACTUALLY MADE $45,000 A YEAR FROM THE MINUTE THEY GRADUATED FROM SCHOOL? ANY CULINARY SCHOOL? CITY COLLEGE? CIA?

Where exactly IS this other great cooking school that DOES actually guarantee that every single graduate will make the Big Bucks as soon as they graduate, and it's actually TRUE!

I am dying to find out where this other school is that will entitle anyone who goes there to a one-way ticket to fabulous wealth in less than 2 years? I wanna go THERE!

PS: Some of you might have better luck with your job hunt if you get some help witt ur speling. It's rilly hard tu git a guud job if yur rezoomay iz not ritten verry guud - evin fur a Sheff!!!
If yoo need help, there iz alsew a thing on your computr called "spelchek" that cood maybee help allott to ;-D

You really want to know the deal? This industry, just as every other industry, is not based on your degree. We all know chefs that have no "formal" culinary school training. Further more, choosing a school is like buying a car. If you choose a school based on the reps. reccomendation without doing your own research than I feel you have no reason to call yourself a victim. I was a graduate in the Hospitality/Restaurant Management Program. I graduated recently and found a job at a 4 star hotel, and my annual intake was cut in half from when I worked as a server in a restaurant. This is something I totally expected. I advise anyone interested in going to culinary school in any facet, know the industry prior to going to school. If you feel that is is something that will benefit you then go for it! If you think it will be a waste of your time, then find another job and keep grinding it out. I really have no opinion on students that feel they were "duped"... You should know your industry and weigh your options. Best of luck to all in their decision

my name is andrew and i am a graduated of the cca. i worked in the financial dept on polk, and am struggling to pay my 1000 dollar a month loan. i need help.

CCA is a Farce and more!
There are a couples comment by actual CCA "SALES STAFF" praising the CCA , as a former Chef Instructor coming with a background 5 diamonds AAA stars Mobil and a lifetime achievement working along the best and with the best World wide, I wopuld never Hire any CCA Graduate at any price even if it was free labor.
The reason is very clear during my tenure we were told to give a passing grade to all to make the student happy keep the administration happy , the bosses and the share holder in return I had a Job and this was making my wife Happy... I voiced my concernes when they changed the student curiculum to make free labor out of them as it was a conflict with the state and Federal education license , I was told we can do it with you or without you, they did it without because my life time professional integrity has more value than their crooked deals.
The IRS and the SEC would be much better looking closer at their book , the shareholder would certainly appreciate some clarity.
Since we are on the financial subject for over 10 years they held hostage my 401k, I had AG Edward,Prudential Securities, Wachovia Securities and Finaly Smith Barney and that 401K was only made available because they liquidated the plan, in the mean time I am aware of one Family who was not able to collect these 401k fund as the Chef Instructor passed away prematurely, not even in Death and anyone expect such organisation to be straight and forth coming, before believing the propaganda fropm the current enrollement staff ask them how long have they been on the Job, simple easy question to answer.Any hesitation they are lying to you.run awayand fast.
their rate of success less than 20% after 5 years why? simple they are looking at the student as a comodity and do not screen them properly,watching a cooking show is great 12/16 hours in a kitchen totally different.
before enrolling do the math tuition cost + finances charges / $ per hour expected usually $10-15 and the chances you willget that job , by the way if you stay in the large Cities leaving expenses to take in the equation .
Trust me you want a culinary Art education check out the CCA , Johnson and Wales and other with a great record ther you will have companies looking for your talents not you begging to the grease joint around the corner for a Job.
CCA student, shareholder , Staff you have all been taken advantage off and if anyone ever want me to testify of all the above fact in Court I will do it.

I am a graduate of the CCA and personally all this news about the school being bad and students not getting what they thought they were going to get is a bunch of b/s. Personally if your paying that much for a school you should at least sit down at the computer and research what kind of field you are putting your self into. I dont know why so many people that go to this school think "oh when i get out im going to be the next top chef of america" i mean come on lets get back to reality you have to work your ASS off to get into that position a paper means nothing unless you have passion and love put into what you are doing. You should know that the reason your paying that much money is for the name that goes onto the diploma and later on in life when your going for a executive chef position that diploma will come in handy but for now you have to work hard and make a name for yourself. I swear so many people these days are so ignorant to the fact they actually have to work hard . They think since i graduated from the academy im going to be an executive chef making tons of money. Yea maybe in 10-15 years. All of these story's made me laugh i can't believe people are this stupid honestly.

As a recent graduate of the CCA...I have to agree with most of the comments being made. The school has a lot of admin problems and their career services/externship program is something to be desired. There is a complete lack of support while going through the program, especially for the night group and once you start the program, you are on your own. The school needs to take their enrollment seriously and only allow students in that are serious about the program and want to go out and make a difference in the culinary industry. Those who aren’t serious, should be expelled from the program, they are wasting the time and energy of the instructors and serious students.

However, like most things in life, you get out of it what you put into it. I enjoyed myself while going through the program and met a lot of wonderful people and instructors. The knowledge is there, you have to take advantage of it. While attending the CCA, I worked a full time job (in a non-culinary industry), as well as picked up catering jobs on the weekends so that I could get some hands on experience. I completed my externship with a catering company and was hired on by them, as well as another catering company. I have also started my own catering company. So, do I regret going to the CCA??...Absolutely not...it opened the door to culinary opportunities for me, but I still have to be the one to prove myself.

With that being said, it is completely silly for anyone to think that because they went through the culinary program at the CCA that they are entitled to a high paying position. What ever happened to working your way up??? Earning your title/position??? You are a fool if you think that you are entitled to anything without working for it. The school's program is a foundation and if you don't like the way they are running it...then do something about it, rather then just complain about it and feel sorry for yourself!

For future CCA graduates...get out there and get a job in the industry while you are going to school...you have to start somewhere. When you graduate, you will be that much further ahead. Also, be open to learning…if you think you know everything, you will only short change yourself and miss out on a lot of opportunities. I believe that culinary professionals are willing to take on an inexperience person if they show potential and the ability to learn. Good luck…success is out there if you are willing to work for it.

i graduated CCA in 2004, and have to say it is somewhat embarassing to state that on my resume. the associate's degree (that you basically just buy) has definately lost its credibility. so what, you graduated from CCA? so have thousands and thousands of morons who cant cook a hardboiled egg correctly. the number of incompetent people who graduate CCA (who call themselves "chefs" even though they have never stepped foot in a kitchen) outweigh the number of students that are actually good cooks and willing to work hard in the industry. so that means that tons of wannabe-chef-primadonnas are being released form the school, quarter after quarter, to apply to restaurants, to work in them and do a crappy job, only to marr the reputation of the school name and its fellow graduates/alumni. ive seen so many job postings on craigslist where it said, "CCA students need not apply". many of my fellow classmates have in fact graduated, and left the culinary field altogether. they simply didnt have a realistic idea of what the true food industry is like. i am, however, fortunate enough to work under a great chef and carve a niche for myself in a popular fine dining restaurant, and love it.

the bottom line is that the school is the about turning and burning its students. its about the sheer quantity of kids and stealing their money over the quality of eduation that they are instilling.

if ive offended any REAL cooks with real asipirations (you know who you are), im truly sorry. i am NOT sorry, for talking sh*t about the school and those people who give CCA students/grads a bad name.

DO NOT EVEN THINK ABOUT ATTENDING the: California -Gives People False Hope That They'll Be A Famous Chef Right Off The Bat-I'm a Joke, Not a School-I Don't Care About You, I Just Want Your Money-I'll Hire a Bum Off the Street As Long As You Sign Here-You Might As Well Leave Me Off Your Resume Beacause I'm So Embarassing- Academy.

Can someone get a great culinary education at the CCA? Absolutely. Do most? No way. I would never recommend the CCA to anyone. I am a current culinary student, almost finished with the program. Let's try and see the glass half full, and talk about the positives of the school. The first is a big one, and this is probably the deal breaker for most of us on the fence about the CCA: the chefs are excellent and most of the instructors I have had really do care about their students and use their contacts and knowledge to help students outside of school, whether it be with a job, or extra help, or just talking about the industry. If you are hungry to learn more than what the curriculum offers, they will be there to teach you. If you need a job to gain more experience and to start making some money, they will make calls and hook you up. The chefs are the best part about the school, and the networking may be worth the $50,000 entrance fee.

Of course, there are those that are virtually worthless, speaking little English and having a bad attitude about it. One instructor, from France, constantly asks us, native English speakers, if WE understand English because we cannot understand what he is saying and ask him to repeat himself. Perhaps he's joking and I don't understand French humor. Whatever the case, it is frustrating to not be able to understand an instructor, especially since they know what they are doing and have a lot of experience in what they teach. I've never thought, "What is he doing in a kitchen?" about any instructor.

There are two campuses, North and South, and the South campus is new, clean, and a pleasure to work in.

Now on to the negatives, which are why the school is definitely not worth the close to $50,000 tuition. My two admissions representatives were "good" in that they didn't lie to me and tell me how rich or famous I was going to be, but they were very disorganized, much like most of the administration at the CCA. Be prepared to send copy after copy of paperwork because they lose or somehow do not receive it. I had to fill out parts of my application three times. The administration, as a whole, is a discombobulated group of individuals, and many of my fellow students get so frustrated getting basic questions answered. There are certain individuals who get things done, and if you go to the school, you probably know who they are.

We didn't even get all our tools until the second week because they ran out of them. Come on CCA, you know the exact number of students coming in, there's really no excuse. Uniforms aren't uniform, as people have different logos, colors and fabrics.

Your classmates are probably going to be individuals who are borderline retarded with very little motivation and work ethic. In one of the classes, Kitchen Math, we learn how to do fractions, so that tells you the caliber of education that the students have received prior to the CCA. I don't expect everyone to be able to be proficient in calculus, but when most students have problems figuring out how many 7 oz. portions one can get from a 32 oz. bass, that's an issue. Not only do my classmates not know basic math, the whole cooking aspect escapes them as well. In restaurants in California, at least one employee must hold a Safety Sanitation certificate. We take a three week class to pass this test, and the majority of my class failed. The questions asked on this test are pretty basic and common knowledge, such as, "Is it a good idea to leave raw meat, outside, in the sun, if there is no more space in your refrigerator?" If you are wondering, the answer is "No." Don't worry, you'll do just fine and graduate with a 4.0 at the CCA.

You have to realize that to move up in the industry, you need to be versatile and need more skills than a firm background in how to cook. After seeing my classmates, I realize that the CCA turns out line cooks, and not even good ones at that.

It's not an environment conducive to learning when your fellow students fail to grasp the concept that green beans should be blanched before sauteing. Or how to hard boil an egg. Or the water needs to be boiling before pasta is thrown in. Honestly, it really wouldn't be all that bad if people genuinely tried and didn't understand it, but the majority of my class looks for ways to skip and or take extended breaks from class to go to the bar or Taco Bell. Or when students come to class high or drunk. During Restaurant Production, where we cook for a paying public, we have students taking off for an hour or so during service to do who knows what. The no care attitude is disheartening and firms the belief that since they will graduate, and people like them have and will graduate, a diploma from CCA means nothing but a piece of paper that states, "I have enough purchasing power to spend $50,000."

There are three time sections that the school offers: morning (7am - 12pm), mid (12:30pm - 5:30pm) and night (6pm - 11pm). I am in the mid section, and what I wrote may not be reflective of students in the other sections. My classmates are mostly straight out of high school, 18 years old, so your experiences may vary. The people in the morning shifts are generally older, and have jobs, so I assume they are more responsible. One student in our class regularly misses class to work. Why is he working? To pay for school. Yeah, that's the kind of logic that runs throughout CCA.

CCA will accept and graduate almost anyone. One would really, really, have to try to fail out of school (if he/she is still paying).

If this still doesn't turn you off, consider that our student/staff dining was recently shut down, because the food was not consistently good. The South Campus had decent food, but the North Campus lunches and dinners were terrible. Think about it: the food, cooked by students at the end of their program, overseen by chef instructors, was not good enough, and was shut down. At a culinary school.

I really can't see why anyone would go to the CCA, unless one is very attracted to the Le Cordon Bleu name and lives in the area, and has $50,000 that has to spend. If you want a culinary education, look elsewhere, including working at a restaurant, where the learning curve will be steeper, but you will also get paid.

This school is a rip off, without a doubt. But these predatory "institutes of learning" are all around trapping victims like flypaper. Ever hear of F--U? IASHS, The Institute for Advanced Study of Human Sexuality is the worst sham imaginable. Even worse than CCA if you can imagine. Check it out... It'll burn your eyeballs to see the shams people are dumb enough to get sucked into. Thanks for this bold and revealing expose. Now get on the "Institute."

I worked 8 years in CCA management. I saw it as it was before and after cec. before cec the school had money problems but was ran by people with a passion for cooking and they looked at it as an art form. cec bailed the company out and pumped money into the facility only to turn it into a puppy mill. Along with that came higher tuition then staff cuts then reduction in services to students then more staff cuts. cec was never about serving the students and it was never about producing chefs. it was all about the money and how much they could squeeze from every start. take a look at the Clery statistics (annual crime report) do you really believe that such low numbers could exist in the tenderloin? upper management purposely left out neighborhood crime and only reported on campus incidents. If a student was a crime victim in a "Contracted" dorm (across the street from the school) it never counted but should have. Ask about the rampant drug use in the dorms and how they needed to use drug dogs to keep the problem in check. drug offenders in the cca owned dorms MIGHT get "evicted" only to be moved to a contracted dorm. ask about the female student who was assaulted and literally pissed on by some creep in the dorms. she left school and he was allowed to stay until graduation just to "preserve the numbers" i am NOT a former employee who was fired. I left on my own because I couldn't take the lack of ethics at cca. i could no longer stand by and watch cec rape the students of their money and give them little in return. as becca stated, cec treats their employees like crap as well. some support staff were paid nearly minimum wage even though some were 20 year employees (janitorial and stewarding staff). anytime an employee spoke up they were terminated. many former employees including me didnt receive a final paycheck until days after leaving (8 days for me). one department wanted to unionize and the entire department was fired and replaced with contracted staff to prevent organized labor from entering the building even though organizing is a protected activity. most of the chef instructors are the best in the industry and teach because they want to pass on the art. some instructors were hired soon after graduating from the program. lots of great experience watered down to "show off graduates". promotions in the faculty were never based on real experience but were based on whether the candidate was a graduate or not. every aspect of cca was micromanaged by cec 3,000 miles away. by business people who have no clue as to what a culinary education is other than a great revenue generator. the career services department would get grads jobs at starbucks or denny's and counted them as placements to fatten up their stats after all these were "food related jobs". to anyone considering cca as an alternative - look deep and hard at the program and the cost. consider your options ccsf, cia and other institutions. to the parents wanting to send your kids there - ask hard questions. ask for the full clery report and then ask why local street crime isnt listed. to my former co-workers - i pray for you everyday. there is life after cca, employers who will pay you what you are worth, give you the tools you need to get the job done, treat you with dignity and respect. you CAN go to work and not start the day off thinking "no matter how i give it my personal best, when the day is done i have still failed". you dont have to go to work fearing it may be your last day because the school doesnt need a social worker, counselor, faculty coach, housing manager, security manager, operations manager, associate instructors, an executive chef or any of the other "non-revenue generating positions" if cec had their way the school would be nothing more than admissions reps and students. cca has talented and dedicated employees who are hobbled by an ineffective upper management and a greedy, micro-managing multi-national corporation get out while you can the free world is a wonderful place.

I only have one question to all the Staff of CCA responding to this. If it isn't true then why are you so adamantly defending it? If the truth is what you say it is then it will surface. Right now you sound like the kid who got his hand caught in the cookie jar and defending that it wasn't their hand in the jar. You are merely pointing an accusing finger back at the accuser which in a way is just as childish. Just because you disagree as a rep. of the school doesn't mean its absolute and that it is right.

Prior students successful or not are entitled to an opinion of the quality of the program. As a prior student myself I find myself in agreement with a number of points in the article. So yes I would say at least half of this material is well founded. But there was many good chef instructors during my time as a student that mentored me in the reality of what came after graduation. Selling the dream is one aspect but the reality which is presented in this article occurs quite a bit as well. I think the situation really needs to come to light, both sides if necessary. Not just for one school but the education and business aspects of the culinary world in general.

As a former senior executive of Career Education Corporation, I believe there are some outstanding faculty working at CEC schools. Outside of the few great teachers, it is a shame that so many students are racking up high interest rate loans to attend schools within a company that cares about profit at any expense. The day of the smoke and mirrors high pressure sales masked in an "admissions" process will come to an end. The company has put so much pressure on getting students in at any cost. Eventually the dismal graduation rates and placements in $10/hour jobs will become so prevalent that the company will have to become more than a marketing company. Thank you SF Weekly for exposing the truth about a corrupt company.

I wish I'd known about all of this before I came back to the culinary academy. Now I'm a drop out and it doesn't feel good. But being left without recourse for feeling ripped off feels the worst of all. I hope that one day I'll be able to point at the california culinary academy and say I didn't need them after all.

The CEC Corparation is BAD. I went to their school in Chicago called Chic. When Chic was privately owned it had good rep., but once CEC took over all hell broke loose.First they went up on price, drop alot of indivisual programs from the community,cooking classes.Next thing you know, more and more people were inthe class room 30-40 students with one teacher. Don't even owe them money, they'd actually will pull out of class,drop you till it was paid up.I recently got the article written back in June, everything was the damn truth,everything that happen at CCA,same thing at Chic.I dropped from Chic with four classes to finish,just didn't feel good about the school. Recently I decided to go back,they said I would have to go back for additional 15 mos. The excuse was they change the program, so only six classes would transfer over. This is the same school I took the classes from.So this company is only after the money and that's it. Anybody out there,pass the WORD don't deal with ant school that's under CEC Corp.

The CEC Corparation is BAD. I went to their school in Chicago called Chic. When Chic was privately owned it had good rep., but once CEC took over all hell broke loose.First they went up on price, drop alot of indivisual programs from the community,cooking classes.Next thing you know, more and more people were inthe class room 30-40 students with one teacher. Don't even owe them money, they'd actually will pull out of class,drop you till it was paid up.I recently got the article written back in June, everything was the damn truth,everything that happen at CCA,same thing at Chic.I dropped from Chic with four classes to finish,just didn't feel good about the school. Recently I decided to go back,they said I would have to go back for additional 15 mos. The excuse was they change the program, so only six classes would transfer over. This is the same school I took the classes from.So this company is only after the money and that's it. Anybody out there,pass the WORD don't deal with ant school that's under CEC Corp.

Thank you for this very informative article. After seriously considering this school, I now know to definitely not apply (or just show up).

Though I realize there are two sides to every story, it seems apparent that the CCA isn't what it once was and attending the school has caused hardship for many, many individuals. In the end, it was good that this article came out because of the open discussion that resulted. Now, potential enrollees will have more information on which to base their decision. More importantly, there is more information at hand before a person plunks down $50K+ on something that may not even net you a $10/hr job doing something outside of the cooking industry. A "thank you" to SF Weekly as well as to all the readers who left their comments.

My name is Sylvia Valdez, my sn Jesus attended the CCA back in 2004, and now as many other poor young adults is facing his loans in default, he came to live with soon after graduating, and now the only way to get a handel of his ever growing dept we are moving out of our apartment, my son will go and live with my niece and I will live with my elderly mother, so that we can find a good attorney to help us, we have made many calls to the CCA and I have spoken to the President and the Vice President of the CCV and they have both preet much blow us off, if you can please lead us into the right direction in finding an attorney, that would be wonderful..

Thank you

Sylvia Valdez 408 308-0084

The CCA was pretty much made out to be something it wasnt when I attended the Baking & Pastry program there in 2003. Its unfortunate that there are so many people getting pulled with all these broken promises. I remember being told about the endless amount of wonderful jobs w/good pay that were supposedly available to me upon graduating. Ya... right. During the time I had been there, my "career counselor" had been switched maybe 5 times. Ea. time you'd TRY to get aquainted with the one, theyd end up leaving and you'd have to start all over. I was asked for a resume once.. supposedly to get sent out.. riiight. I was never offered any other 'job placing' help after that. I can't believe how much was spent going to that school.. especially when my class had probably about 30 students in it. Equipment was said to be topnotch... but some of the kitchen aid mixers were old, and with the 30 students in a class.. probably only 5 of the mixers worked. There were students in class who I have NO IDEA how they passed.
After graduating, I did attempt to apply for positions in the B&P field, however, with no success. I even tried little mom&pop shops to start getting experience.. only to get rejected over someone w/no schooling from another country (thats another story), so Ive forgotten about the industry and headed into another.
Its sad, those lies.

My son attended the instute a few years back, along with my daughter-in-law and we have the same complaints that the other student have, low wages etc. Another thing that I was advised from my son & other students was that the equipment they were given was not what they were told.
Now we are in the same situation, he had to leave his career to find a better paying job in order to pay off the loan.
If there is somewhere I can contact either the lawyer or whoever is in charge, I would appreciate the information, thank you

I, like many others here, am a CCA Alumni. I can tell you from my experience that the promises made by the school and faculty were a complete and utter lie. You can pay $50K (and with interest over 100K) for a $12/hr job, or you can just be a prep cook for a year. You decide.

If you are interested in attempting to recoup some of the "loss" lumped on you by CCA, go to: http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/CCAFraud/ !

I have been praying since I graduated in 2004 that an article like this would surface. Thank you for your research and letting people know exactly what they are getting into. Go to a junior college if you want a culinary degree, you will recieve far more respect with that on your resume than CCA. One chef laughed out loud at me when I applied for a job, and then told me I am more qualified to be a hostess with a degree from CCA. How embarrassing.

I have been praying since I graduated in 2004 that an article like this would surface. Thank you for your research and letting people know exactly what they are getting into. Go to a junior college if you want a culinary degree, you will recieve far more respect with that on your resume than CCA. One chef laughed out loud at me when I applied for a job, and then told me I am more qualified to be a hostess with a degree from CCA. How embarrassing.

This school is a complete and total joke they want money and plenty of it and dont care about what it does to the students who attend the so called prestigous school it nothing more and a way to syphon money out of bright eyed young adults who think this is what they want to do with their lives i would tell any one who asked to stay far away from this field and if they ask me why i'll just show them my student loan bill with it 10 percent on top of national average interest rate

I read this article yesterday morning and left the computer all revved up. I turned on the TV a short while later and looked through my recorded programs, which include the Suze Orman show. For those of you who don't know, Suze Orman is a Finance Whiz and she has her own show giving advice to people with financial trouble, etc. I pushed play on one of her programs and was shocked by the coincidence of seeing a young woman in a chef jacket (with the Le Cordon Bleu insignia embroidered to it) as a guest on the show telling her woes of having over $100k in student loan debt (double the initial tuition because of the ridiculous interest rates) and only making $7/hr (!) in the pastry field in Florida.

There was no easy out that Suze could prescribe for this poor young woman, just the advice to find a second and even a third job, or another higher paying job altogether and pay off the debt slowly but surely. Student loans are with you until you pay them off, no getting out of them by filing bankruptcy. The saddest part was the statistics on what a recent culinary school graduate can expect to make in the field. With that figure being barely above minimum wage, relatively speaking, I don't understand the point of even going to school. It's pretty much a math equation to me, if having the education doesn't mean having a higher paying job, the cost of the education is not worth it because one simply can't pay for it! If one graduates from a culinary program, whether it costs a lot or a little, and is only qualified for an entry level job, one might as well skip the education and just learn on the job, being paid to do so.

I read comment #16 and almost choked. My husband graduated with an "Associates" from ITT almost ten years ago. I put associates in quotations because it isn't transferrable to other colleges. And while he did go on to be very successful, I believe it's because of the incredible drive he has, not the education. I'm not saying that school didn't help him and doesn't help culinary graduates, but it's not what guarantees success as the years go by. But, now with pressure from bosses to finish a BA, he had the choice of either starting over at a conventional school, or paying over $40k more to ITT for it. He chose the latter, and now I doubt the intelligence of that decision. And, as I type this, am switching back and forth to my e-mail screen, discussing with him possibly quitting ITT! To add insult to injury, after he signed on the dotted line, the "customer service" flew out the window. Getting someone to return a call or answer an important question is like pulling teeth. They've failed to send him books, and have enrolled him in a class he'd just completed the quarter before! Once, after he had already begun classes, he called with an important question and the next day, instead of someone calling to answer that question, an Admissions Rep called to follow up on the lead!

Back to the CCA... I feel the current students and employees of the school are justified in defending themselves, because they don't want to feel stupid. But, I also feel that the students will change their tunes after graduation. Unless, possibly, daddy has paid for their education in full. To the employees of the school: you know deep down what you're doing is wrong.

I have another interesting angle to add to this comment board. I graduated from the "Prestigious" Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, France with a Diplome de Patisserie in 2005. I'd like to change everyone's idea that Le Cordon Bleu is the cream of the crop. Le Cordon Bleu, like the CCA seems to have started its life as a legitimate school, but is now also a for-profit school, owned by the Cointreau (of liquor fame) family. That they sell their name to schools across the globe is a sure sign of being for-profit, I'd say.

I paid around $16k (the exchange rate was much better than it is now) for what I thought would have been about 10 months of classes. Sound like a good deal? It did to me, too, especially when I compared that to the price and length of other Pastry programs in the U.S. Adding to that was the romantic idea of living in Paris.

Information on their website was vague, and it wasn't until after I had enrolled and paid for almost all of the tuition (cash, in advance, because one can't get federal student loans to go to a foreign unaccredited school) that I realized that the school is set up for students to take both cuisine and pastry at the same time and graduate with the "Grande Diplome." If a person takes just one or the other, as most of us were, you'll find yourself in class very little during the week. How much? For pastry, about 15 hours. On top of that, between each level is a break. I had three weeks between level 1 and 2, and was to have almost two months off between level 2 and 3. This very long break was due to the holiday season. I didn't find out about the long breaks until after I arrived and had started school.

How little an education I would receive became clear when I found out that if one wanted to take the "intensive" courses offered for either cuisine or pastry, translated as full days of class, five days per week, it would only take 18 weeks to complete. I just did the math, and what I paid per week of school is almost exactly the same as what a CCA student pays.

At Le Cordon Bleu Paris, there are no Kitchenaids, we whisked everything by hand. There was no air-conditioning, the butter melted out of our puff pastry and croissant dough as we struggled in the 95 degree heat of a scorching summer day on the 4th floor of an ancient building. We often times found ourselves out of certain ingredients when it came time for the practical. Once, I vividly recall, we were making confiture and I was so disappointed to learn that there were no lids to the jars we were to store our finished product in. We were sent home with jars full of still hot pineapple-fig preserves, topped with plastic wrap!

If one goes to Le Cordon Bleu's website today, they'd read a description of the Pastry program as having lots of "introductions," which is exactly what I would call the entire course: an introduction to pastry. We did baguette once, and in a 2 1/2 hour practical, there of course wasn't enough time for the dough to rise properly. We were told the class was just "meant to give us an idea of how to do it."

Half of the entire third course was on sugar work. We spent more time on it than any other topic and while I am glad of the experience, I would trade it in a heartbeat for more practical pastry experience. I bet they do that because sugar is so cheap, a lot cheaper than the butter, cream, chocolate and fresh fruit in actual pastry.

My final advice to anyone thinking about attending any type of school: Do your research. Then, when you think you've learned what you want to know, have friends and family come up with lists of things to research, and do those, too. At this point in your life, you're excited about your passion, your prospective school, and your future and you're dreaming big. But you've got blinders on and you're probably not being honest with yourself. The experience of school itself can be so much fun, and so I won't blanket the issue by saying everyone should just learn on the job. Just please do your research, and then do some more, and then some more on top of that.

And if cuisine or pastry is really it for you, don't be afraid to just jump in and learn on the job. A big lie I think the entire country has bought into is that culinary school is a necessity for getting into the industry.

Wow what i hear about my X-CCA is a littl upsetting.I graduated in "93 from CCA.Back then we learnd reality facts about the food indusry from the first class,I had great chefs showing me the real strada to a successful career.Skepinsky,wood and Dean Linda Carucci had surly made a great impact on my life.We worked and studied real hard while been directed by a professional staff.There were always the students who were in it for an easy ride and they all didnot last.I live in Italy and have two restaurants,still guided by my x-instructors notes& advices.My tuttion was well spent and i owe CCA a great deal of my success.

I went into the School to dine in the Careme Room. It was a delicious meal, and I decided to inquire about the program.

The pressure to attend was un relenting, I checked out CHIC in Chicago (same shite different City), the St Paul MN version...all pure garbage.

Whilst in Chicago, I had the luck to meet Rick Tramanto, and told him of my desire to be a chef.

He sent me to SF City College......2,200 dollars for a degree that is transferable to SF state, or any other College.

Had I gone to LCB or the Art Institutes I would not be able to afford to work in my profession.

I was Flat out lied to by the admin rep told I could start out making 35-40 k fresh out of College.

Rick said it was utter BS.

More like 20K with 650 monthly payments. Do not let these bastards take advantage of your inner snob.

You get third rate food at 5 star prices.

AT SF city, I was amazed at the program never more than 16 students. Fantastic facilities, and top notch instructors.

I went to CCA for the Baking & Pastry program after being laid-off my job in 2001. I was very honest with my admissions rep about not having any industry experience and she "assured" me that a CCA B & P certificate would help me get in the door. Now when I enrolled, I was told of how great the job placement service was and that was not the case at all. I found all my jobs and on every interview, the B & P certificate meant nothing even though I had been an honors student. The job placement counselor was an absolute joke and would just e-mail me job listings. I never expected to be making $45,000 out the door, but I could not even get a job at the local Safeway with my certificate! I owe $25,000 in student loans for nothing! Believe me, a diploma from Harvard means something and CANNOT be compared to a piece of paper from CCA. Yes, I did my research on the school and was told good things about it, but those references were before the corporate take-over. I liked all but one of my instructors and did enjoy the program, but I was misled. I went back to my previous career after six months of trying to get low paying jobs in bakeries for experience to no avail. I no longer even tell people that I have a B & P certificate, because I am in a totally different field. I was 31 years old when I enrolled and a collgege graduate so I can only imagine what the reps did with young kids and families. CCA is a waste of money. I would have done better by going to CCSF.

It is really sad to read this about CCA, I graduated from there in 1997 and it was a great experience, we were not that many students, and chefs wanted us to really learn. It opened a new world of opportunities to me and actually I am doing great back in my country and I have a great chef reputation here because I´ve learned my working ethics at CCA. .. so sad to read that is not the same now.

I am very succesful as a chef back in my country, and consultant for new foodservice businesses, and even though I had my diploma at CCA , I am well aware that is not only a degree but your personal effort specially in this industry. So school is good but if any student got to study culinary arts thinking that they will become the next "famous" chef then there is something wrong about the students and also, on your first year after school you cannot expect to be paid as a "chef" because only experience and hard work in a kitchen will give you that salary and a "chef title".

I'm so unhappy and displeased with sallie mae and the CCA. I graduated from the CCA in 2005 with high hopes and a naivety about the restaurant industry. CCA reps and the staff pumped me up with notions that hard work and a year of working in the industry, I’ll be making money and will be on my way up to becoming like Julia Child, Jacque Pepin, Alice Waters. They were definitely correct with the hard work aspect of it. What they don’t tell you is that they’ll saddle you with high interest loans, and that the reality of this industry is that you’ll start off making $10 an hour and you’re left pretty green or unprepared. Yeah, CCA reps said that their school IS prestigious and that my degree will take me far…But the TRUTH is that CCA USE TO BE prestigious because it use to be a private school. Now, they’ll take any person who can get someone to co-sign for their Sallie Mae loans. That means about 30 or more (at least when I attended) students to a class room with only one chef instructor. So, you basically have to fight tooth and nail to be able to “cook” something to a certain way according to your instructor. Otherwise, all you really do is watch, and lots of cleaning and hardly any actual cooking. CCA promised to help me find an internship and a job. All they did was to hand me a small booklet with restaurant locations. I intern at Piperade and I got hired at McCormick’s, without there supposed help. Yet, they called both restaurants to confirm that I worked there as if they had helped me get those jobs! I had to work really hard to prove that I’m not just any person that the CCA could get money out of because the restaurants that I applied at turn up their noses at the mentioned of CCA. So, my degree came with a 16.25% interest rate which makes my monthly payments over $900 dollars. My loan is now up to $69,300 dollars. I advise anyone to don’t fall for that Le Cordon Bleu crap unless you’re doing pastry and instead go to a COMMUNITY college where you pay way less than $20 grand for a AOS degree AND an ACF certification. CCA didn’t provide an ACF.

I'm so unhappy and displeased with sallie mae and the CCA. I graduated from the CCA in 2005 with high hopes and a naivety about the restaurant industry. CCA reps and the staff pumped me up with notions that hard work and a year of working in the industry, I’ll be making money and will be on my way up to becoming like Julia Child, Jacque Pepin, Alice Waters. They were definitely correct with the hard work aspect of it. What they don’t tell you is that they’ll saddle you with high interest loans, and that the reality of this industry is that you’ll start off making $10 an hour and you’re left pretty green or unprepared. Yeah, CCA reps said that their school IS prestigious and that my degree will take me far…But the TRUTH is that CCA USE TO BE prestigious because it use to be a private school. Now, they’ll take any person who can get someone to co-sign for their Sallie Mae loans. That means about 30 or more (at least when I attended) students to a class room with only one chef instructor. So, you basically have to fight tooth and nail to be able to “cook” something to a certain way according to your instructor. Otherwise, all you really do is watch, and lots of cleaning and hardly any actual cooking. CCA promised to help me find an internship and a job. All they did was to hand me a small booklet with restaurant locations. I intern at Piperade and I got hired at McCormick’s, without there supposed help. Yet, they called both restaurants to confirm that I worked there as if they had helped me get those jobs! I had to work really hard to prove that I’m not just any person that the CCA could get money out of because the restaurants that I applied at turn up their noses at the mentioned of CCA. So, my degree came with a 16.25% interest rate which makes my monthly payments over $900 dollars. My loan is now up to $69,300 dollars. I advise anyone to don’t fall for that Le Cordon Bleu crap unless you’re doing pastry and instead go to a COMMUNITY college where you pay way less than $20 grand for a AOS degree AND an ACF certification. CCA didn’t provide an ACF.

Thank you for writing this. I am stuck in a dead end job working seven days a week trying to pay my debt off. Honestly I have thought of suicide because of my situation. I feel like my culinary school caused me to be in financial hardship and there's no way out. I had to apply for food stamps the other day. How sad.

I applaud you for your article.

I live in Australia where we have no culinary colleges as such and have been looking at schools to fastrack my baking and pastry education in the US for the last 6 months. Aside from an amateur blog written by a student at the CIA, this is the one and only source I have come across that has really exposed the ramifications of having a college education. I'm having a hard time finding any blogs and other online sources reflecting on positive experiences at culinary institutes also (if you don't include college website 'testimonials' from the 1980's) which does seem a little strange considering the huge amount of graduates that are apparently pouring out of these said colleges year after year. I've personally completed my certificate 3 in commercial cookery, I did it in 6 months and have been working as an apprentice for the last 3 years. I'll be a qualified chef in november and have a city & guilds of london diploma in culinary arts to boot. I was one of those students who signed up wanting to work in hospitality for the ease of travel, without knowing anything about the industry but I've come to love it despite the trials and tribulations synonymous with cooking. I have to say that I agree wholeheartedly with some of the older and more educated students (although I myself am only 21) in saying that how fast and how far your career progresses depends almost completely on your personal drive. I've already spent a year and a half working for Matt Moran at Aria - the largest fine dining establishment in Sydney and from next week I'll be working under the famed Kylie Kwong. If anyone reading this has experienced a fast and positive learning curve at a GOOD culinary school please let me know (you can contact me through my blog http://xxcadavrexx.blogspot.com). For everyone else searching for colleges I wish you all the best of luck!

I just read the article about the CCA program. I attended the baking and pastry program at the California School of Culinary Arts in Pasadena, California. The same thing happened to me and many other students. My dream was to become a pastry chef and after graduating with honors I am now working in medical records as I could not find a job after graduating. Over half of the material we were taught our chefs told us "you'll never use this in the real world". We were specializing in baking, yet we were never taught how to properly make a wedding cake. For our final we just had to decorate "dummy" cakes. I can't pay my student loans back. I was told that I would be making $45,000.00 after graduating yet there "job placement list" included jobs at Pizza Hut and many other low paying jobs. My friend from school managed to get a job at a bakery for $8.00 an hour. Her boss told her she interviewed to teach at the school. She refused to take the job after she was told that she was expected to "pass" students through regardless of their skill. She was also told that it doesn't really matter how much experience she had as long as it looked like she knew what she was talking about and could intimidate the students. I attended the school for my love of cooking and now I feel as my dream was stolen from me and I'm left with nothing but a mountain of debt with no way of paying it off.

Wow. I am pretty taken aback from reading this article. "For-profit" is pretty self explanitory. I was on my way full speed to becoming a student at CCA. I actually have an appointment to speak with a finacial aid rep in about an hour and a half. Needless to say Im having second thoughts now.

then again, maybe all of these unhappy customers really just had no place in the industry. whats called "non-hackers" who cant take what they have been tought to actually better themselves and be successfull. Anyone who believes that attending a highly accredited school of any arts will automatically place you high in the ranks are just fooling themselves from the start. So, upon second thought, Ill be answering that phone call.

I graduated from CCA in 1984. It wasnt accredited then, but they put out a far greater chef than now. I worked as chef at the Blue Fox, Il Fornaio, Vivande Porta Via, etc. I worked in the City for 20 years. I came to realize in the 90's that these schools were just cranking out "chefs" for the money. The market became saturated with terrible student chefs with terrible attitudes. They mostly thought they should be the chef. In order to become a true Chef takes years and years of study!! Paul Bocuse, Wolfgang Puck...they are still studying cuisine. That's what it takes to be a true Chef!!

I graduated ‘04, and frankly I’m at a loss about this whole thing. I really feel both the school AND the students are to blame. First of all, I’d really like to know what was going through these students’ heads when they decided to enroll.“Being a chef in a kitchen…peice of cake??” Even the ones with no experience (and I was one of those) must have at least dined at restaurants before and seen those tired, sweaty cooks making their food! Life is what you make of it! No school in my opinion, no matter what they charge or what they promise, is responsible for not teaching that motto. It’s common sense. Sure, the tuition was outrageous, but you know this going into it. And yeah, they promise affordable loans but everyone should know that’s always tricky business. I’m sorry, I’m just not really seeing what case there is here to file a lawsuit??!! I signed up in ‘03, they gave me the whole song and dance about all my amazing opportunities, but I knew I would have to work hard for those! I got out of CCA just as much as I put into it. I knew I needed a degree and an internship somewhere amazing so I worked my ass off to get that. I went to Tuscany for my internship and it changed my life. CCA gave me that. You can say what you want about all their lies, but I owe my amazing, life changing experience to them. But I made that happen. And when I came back from Italy, I staged and worked wherever I could to learn more, before finally stepping out of the kitchen and exploring other branches of the industry like food writing and restaurant administration. I’ve worked with magazines, newspapers, restaurants like Bouchon and Quince. And none of that would have happened had I not went to the CCA because it gave me that first small step. That’s all they can do…YOU have to do the rest!

In fact, the worst thing I can say about CCA is that they’ve shelled out so many passionless and talentless cooks lately that I'm embarrassed to even mention I went there now. No good restaurants I know will even accept CCA grads. That school's biggest fault is turning it into some kind of heald or devry business school shelling out degrees left and right to kids who are so unmotivated, so clueless that I almost wonder if they even liked cuisine…or was it just a coin toss? Like, heads-culinary school, tails-medical assisting? And CCA’s biggest fault is preying on kids like this, and reducing their curriculum in order to squeeze in as many victims as they can. But should they be sued for this? I don’t know. I think other corporations like them would give them an award.

The last thought I’ll leave on this very long comment is this: Aren’t we all supposed to struggle and fight for what we’re passionate about? Doesn’t that make it better? And if you weren’t passionate about it, and just wanted an easy degree to get out there and start making cash, aren't these just the consequences of your actions?

Back in September I enrolled into the CCA. After reading all of these comments are giving me 2nd thoughts about actually going to school there. I start on January 5th, 2009. After reading about how many people actually struggle after their experience, and God Forbid I can not deal with idiots. I'm not sure if 50k is worth all the hype. I am from South Bend, Indiana and I am looking for a new experience and a new change of scenery. Hoping that California is a good move, but now after reading the article, and all the comments, my gut feeling has totally changed towards. Yes, there is the saying, go and see it for yourself, but if it's worth people constantly struggling even one that I read even having thoughts of suicide, does not give me any peace of mind at all. I agree with the statement above, you must struggle and fight to satisfy your passions in life, but hell from the overall feel of this board makes me feel indifferent about the CCA altogether. I realize there are kids from all over the country that go here, but personally I don't want to deal with ignorance if I'm shelling out 50k to go get an education. From what it seems like, they are even giving degrees to kids who don't even go to class? That's high school stuff. I'm beginning to feel a little ripped off. I had my own aspirations going into this, and only I can make the best of it, but it seems there is a lot of flaws that were not told to me. I'm glad I read this article before actually getting on the plane. Thank you to all the alumni of the recent past for giving me the head's up. I mean it's one thing to pay 50k for a high quality education in culinary arts, it's another thing to pay 50k for a bunch of idiots who will never persevere in the culinary field. At this point I have mixed feelings about actually leaving my family behind, to go see a bunch of half brained morons get a degree, and tarnish a school name that I thought had some recognition. If anyone can give me more information about how the daily routine of life there is, my email address is blask83@gmail.com. Thank you everyone.

Thank you for a very informative, very well written article Eliza Strickland. As a restaurant worker, ethics in the business can come in varied shades of grey. Twelve to fourteen hour days are quite common for kitchen people - poor diet, lack of sleep, lots of caffeine, intense work environments and low wages should NOT be marketed as anything glamorous. It can be amazing synergy - but it's not an easy way of life.

Getting an education in any field doesnt mean you will make tons of money. You need to be good at your craft.

Working in kitchens first and going to culinary school second is the key here. You still have to work your way up, even if you have a culinary degree.

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