Can You Learn Culinary Arts Online Effectively?

Culinary Arts has long been established as a practical discipline. How could it not be?—it’s the art of cooking and preparing food! As expected, it’s taught in a face-to-face environment and physical campus where students and culinary professionals can exchange feedback and learning is applied almost immediately. The internet age, however, presented exciting changes and opportunities to the teaching of culinary arts, and has moved it from the classroom or modern commercial kitchen to the comforts of one’s home.  Many of you are probably curious on whether it’s possible to ever get a degree or learn a culinary course without ever stepping foot inside a physical training venue. You’ll be surprised at how many people have actually obtained their culinary or food and beverage degree online! And make no mistake in assuming where they are now--these graduates have actually landed competitive careers as a chef, sous chef, or operations executive at leading F& B chains or hotels in the country. What makes online culinary arts courses capture the attention of people interested in building a career in the restaurant or hospitality industry?  Is it really possible to “homeschool” yourself in culinary arts? Let’s consider the two main aspects that make up teaching culinary arts, as stated on the Culinary Schools website: theoretical and practical. Theoretical courses are subjects that focus on the principles of food safety, food science, sanitation, and business management. Since these courses are largely built upon concepts, retention is better when they are studied online, where a student can control how fast they move through the lessons/modules. Studying theoretical courses online also allows students to review concepts they find challenging without real or perceived judgment from peers and trainers. Of course, there’s also the practical aspect of online learning, which includes demonstrations that are usually conducted in person at a facility with a tutor, or live demos via webcam. This demonstration can help students gain a first-hand experience of the skills they’ll need to apply on the job. Of course, the practical aspect is indispensable to learning but it’s not required every time, especially when enough guidance from a trainer is provided. As some of you may know, leading F & B websites and CTP websites like Learn2Serve.com and 360training.com are listed as state-approved online training providers for food handler training and alcohol seller and server training. Known universities and colleges such as Le Cordon Bleu, the Art Institute of Pittsburg, Kaplan, and Ashworth College have culinary arts programs that are growing in popularity across the United States. Meditec has also branched out into the culinary field recently, with the release of its Culinary Arts and Pastry Arts programs. The existence of the above online training outlets is only proof that online culinary arts training has a growing target market and will only continue to grow in years. With Bureau of Labor Statistics data saying that cooking jobs will increase to up to 8 percent (2,212,000) by 2020, more and more students will be turning to online culinary arts training to get their degrees for quality learning and convenience.