Entering the Industry: KPs vs Culinary School Grads

For most passionate foodies, the thought of attending culinary school is a dream; something you fantasize about while you work your 9–5 in a stuffy office space.
The reality is, culinary school is not only much less glamourous but much more expensive than you think. So for those of us wishing to enter the industry, formal training is something of a conundrum.

It’s a debate that’s been going on for many, many years. Is it worthwhile to spend a small fortune to get classical training at a fancy school; or is it better to get straight into the thick of things via an entry level position as a kitchen porter in a restaurant? Which one offers the most direct route to making a success of yourself as a chef? What do actual chefs think of culinary school graduates?

These were all questions I asked myself when considering whether or not to attend culinary school. In the end, I chose to do it: I was lucky enough to afford it and a restaurant kitchen wasn’t necessarily my desired end destination. Overall, it was the right choice for me. But is this formal training vital if what you really want to do is get into a great restaurant kitchen? In an effort to clear up some of my doubts, I interviewed two well-known chefs: Karl Omell, Head Chef of St John, who completed formal training at culinary school, and Scot Paterson, Head Chef of Shangri la, The Shard, who started out as a youngster KP in a kitchen and worked his way up.

First off, Karl, what made you decide to go to culinary school instead of going straight to a kitchen and asking for a job as a KP or for a stage?

K: I left school at 17 after realising I was not particularly academic; I was lucky enough to be able to attend Leiths in London for a year instead of finishing my A levels. The idea of walking straight into a restaurant kitchen was fairly daunting.

And Scot, how did you end up in a kitchen from the get-go?

S: My first job was in a pub as a kitchen porter when I was 14. As time went on, I slowly got involved in the cooking side of things. This was when I realised that I enjoyed cooking… In my second job there were so many great chefs who put in so much time moulding me into a chef.

You don’t get this at college. They teach people how to cook but I see so many young chefs who think being a chef is easy and just about cooking food. But it’s not. College doesn’t prepare you for the real world of kitchen life.

When you graduated, Karl, how were you received in your first restaurant kitchen?

K: It was tough at first going into a busy kitchen and learning how things are done… Culinary school didn’t prepare me for the long hours of restaurant work. But after having applied myself and coping with the hours, there was only a small amount of ‘silver spoon banter’ because I went to cookery school which I wouldn’t say was damaging in any way.

And Scot, as someone who went straight into a kitchen, what were your feelings towards people who had gone to culinary schools like Le Cordon Bleu at the time that you entered the industry?

S: If I’m honest I have only worked with one chef who came through a culinary school. So maybe that is the answer.

I believe that I can teach anyone how to cook but teaching someone how to be a chef and love what it’s all about comes from years of hard work and determination [not from formal training].

Karl, did more experienced chefs value your skill set in a restaurant setting or was there a lot you had to ‘unlearn’ from culinary school?

For example, when I started at the cafe I’m currently working at, the head chef told me that many of the techniques I’ve been taught are too slow or time-wasting. I’ve had to learn to do things in more quickly.

K: I think I had a good natural ability for learning to be a chef rather than a cook. The problem being, I don’t think culinary school in my day prepared you for the pace and quantity of food involved, [understanding the] prepping of food and speed of service is vital.

Scot, What would you say are the key advantages of starting your chef career as a KP and working your way up as opposed to coming in as a commis from culinary school? And the disadvantages?

S: Starting as a kitchen porter, I feel I learned how to fit in in a kitchen [team] and learnt what it’s all about:

The hours, the hard work, the love and passion- because even though you’re just a kitchen porter- you are a part of the team and they couldn’t do it without you, so you are accepted.

After that they want to teach you and you learn more as a result. Sometimes as a chef you can pick up bad habits and you don’t realise this until you move to a kitchen with higher standards. But this can happen at culinary school as well.

Karl, did you feel you had a definite advantage over other new chefs in the kitchen who maybe didn’t have formal training?

K: Yes, definitely, but I had [also] grown up with great food and I was lucky enough to travel and experience food from other countries [before attending culinary school].

And finally, Scot, as a head chef today, when you’re recruiting new chefs for your kitchen, do you favour or avoid people with formal training? Or does it not make much of a difference in your eyes?

S: I would always give everyone a fair chance as I have seen some amazing chefs from both backgrounds. If I as a head chef stop giving people chances [based on their backgrounds] then by that thinking I would never have become a chef. I never forget where I came from.

My first head chef said something to me that I have never forgotten: ‘You forget very quickly how shit you used to be.’

Speaking to Scot and Karl gave me a fantastic range of information to consider, but one thing that both chefs seem to believe strongly is:

at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter if you attended a prestigious culinary school or started as a sixteen year old KP- what matters is your passion for food and willingness to work incredibly hard to feed and grow that passion into a career.

The professional kitchen can be an incredibly stressful work environment, and many leave the industry because they find they cannot thrive in this atmosphere. But for those with the right attitude, no door is closed, no matter what your background is.