Should you take cooking classes or sign up for culinary school?

The answer depends on what you hope to achieve. If you want to develop the foundational knowledge and skills required to work as a chef or own your own business — restaurant, food truck, catering, etc. — culinary school is a wise place to start.

If you want to expand your palette and learn about new types of cuisine, you may want to take one or more cooking courses or classes. Of course, you could do both!

What Do Cooking Classes Offer?

Cooking classes are designed to be fun! They are a great way to enjoy a night out, have a new and unique experience, or taste an ethnic cuisine you haven’t tried before.

These courses are scheduled as single sessions. Expect to be exposed to new recipes, ingredients and flavor profiles.

Cooking courses or classes provide a balance of learning and social interaction that can be both fun and educational.

What Does Culinary School Offer You?

While a one-off cooking class might teach you how to make a specific dish, culinary school teaches you why the recipe works. One-off cooking classes can only scratch the surface. Culinary school opens up the world of food science and technique.

You begin to understand why recipes are written the way they’re written. And soon, you can throw out the recipes and develop your own dishes.

Certain basic techniques drive professional chefs. No matter how many recreational classes you take, you will only be working with part of that craft. It takes longer than a 3-hour class to dig into the art and science of cooking. In fact, many of the techniques taught at culinary school go beyond what you will see in most restaurants.

If you want to build your repertoire of flavors, ingredients, sauces and methods, attending a culinary institute like Park City Culinary Institute will prepare you with a robust range of skills you can put to use in virtually any commercial kitchen setting.

Choosing a Culinary School or Cooking Classes

Many potential students are new to cooking and don’t have any experience. Other students have worked in a kitchen for several years, or even own their restaurant. Small classes make it possible to work with a variety of different skill levels.

Maybe you want to learn only the savory side of the culinary arts, or the skills necessary to be a pastry chef.

In northern Utah, the Park City Culinary Institute has something for everyone. We offer both day and evening programs in the culinary arts, including a full professional certification program.

We also offer cooking classes in a variety of subject areas, from sushi to cake and candy-making. Whatever you want to learn, our state-of-the-art institute can help. Contact us today to learn more, or to request a schedule of our upcoming cooking classes and certificate programs.