London, United Kingdom
17 Hanover Square, Mayfair
N/A
+44 2080872501
My journey at Chef Academy had been the greatest despite being affected by this pandemic which I’m sure the school has too. I think like all schools they provide the basics for new learners and an introduction to the industry of fine dining, but for someone that wanted to advance my career they mentored me to achieve the skillset required that allowed me to branch out to a different area within the world of culinary. Even in universities they require you to think outside of the box and this academy is the same. We are encouraged to self-study and proactively seek ideas to improve our skills and techniques to get to where we want as a Chef. At the end of the day it’s all about our passion to learn about the culinary world. The internship stage is a big part where you learn how various fine dining restaurants operate in reality. The only hiccup is this pandemic delayed my final placement but still, the school tried their best to place me in my first choice and I have built friendships there and inspired to try new methods to achieve different results. I have to praise the best part is after graduation where the school tries to provide you the best options for employment and they try to match your requirements and not the other way around which is very rare because most schools won’t really try to help as much. They mentor you along the way and explain to you how to showcase your best abilities at the trial shifts and how to read between the lines of the job description. I am not saying the school is 100% perfect, but I want to provide you my personal experience on how the school has gone over and beyond in getting me to where I am today. I am now a Private Chef and started my own business during this pandemic. The school is still mentoring me in my journey and believe me all you got to do is keep in contact and ask for advice when you need because I believe their passion is to help you achieve where you want to be in the culinary world.
like
Don't go for this. I had a very bad experience where my cousin admission fee was not returned in spite of him not being able to join due to student visa got rejected. I seriously doubt this academy intention to return money due to the process of asking entire course fee before getting Visa. I can understand someone taking initial application fee which we paid and we also had to pay for entire course fee in advance. I hope other don't fall to prey like we did. Thanks.
So you want to be a Chef? But you haven't gone to culinary school? Fine, no problem. Just dont waste the incredible amount of money this course demands from you. This course is for rich trophy house husbands and or wives. Real Chefs will actually laugh at you. I should know, I have done the course. In the industry you can Stage, this is an unpaid \Internship\ at a resturant. Due to a chronic lack of Chefs in London, almost everywhere will take a pair of hands at some level these days. Chef accadamys primary selling point is the \hands on experience in some of the best kitchens in London\ and they will charge 5k plus for this. As explained above, you can do this for free without the middleman of the school. Something the owner and director of this company knows only too well. Buy a set of knives, some whites, be honest about your experience and head to a resturant instead. Learn that way, its by far the superior way to learn and you save 5 grand! Dodgy course learning that can be easily obtained from hands on (FREE) experience while working, and youtube videos. I did meet some people, so from a networking point of view maybe it has a tiny percentage of merit. It is and I cant stress this enough NOT WORTH ANYTHING LIKE WHAT THEY CHARGE, they are ripping you off. Good luck future Chef, but look elsewhere, or endeveour to work somewhere for free for a few months.
Many of the flaws previously mentioned by others still exist. The initial training is riddled with organisational problems: our chef trainer confused octopus and squid; we had several days of seafood and fabricated loads of chicken, but didn’t once touch beef; pastry day was a disaster, with almost everything being burnt... However, the two weeks did adequately set me up with the basics, especially in terms of knife skills. By far the most valuable part of the courses offered is the time spent in the partner restaurant(s). That is where the learning really happens, within a bustling working environment. There is a “curriculum”, but it is essentially an x-month long internship, working alongside and learning from some of the top chefs in London. Choose your partner restaurant wisely: it will form the bulk of your experience... I am giving them 4-stars because Chef Academy serves its purpose well: to introduce aspiring chefs to the restaurant industry through its many connections. I am now working at the partner restaurant where I trained, thanks to Chef Academy. If only they could improve those initial weeks, although I have heard that they have undergone some organisational restructuring since I left in April... PS: Don’t buy their didactic kit: it’s not worth the money. Spend some time investigating and buy the tools you personally prefer.
Chef Academy of London is a great start up school for people with no professional kitchen experience or for chefs who are looking to work in high quality fine dining restaurants. Having looked at cooking schools accross London prior to taking up a course in this particular academy, it is the more budget friendly, placement based option. If you're looking to get a career change and be fully equipped with the right tools and right contacts within 3 to 6 months, this is the right place. They have great connections in the industry and their main aim at the end of the training is to get you employed. I cannot recommend it highly enough.
Deli
The best companies in the category 'Deli'