Food For Thought

Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin is considered one of history's great gastronomes. The 18th century Frenchman, however, spent years as a lawyer before openly pursuing his epicurean calling. It's a trajectory scores of Americans have traveled in recent years as they abandoned the corporate world and sought greater happiness at cooking academies. But if Brillat-Savarin were around today, he would probably skip the law and head straight to the kitchen. The fastest-growing population in the nation's cooking schools is young people who refuse to do time as lawyers, orthopedists or even traditional college students but instead proceed directly from high school into culinary academies. In 1997, only 22% of applicants to the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in Hyde Park, N.Y., were recent high school graduates. Today that number is 38%. At the California Culinary Academy (CCA) in San Francisco, nearly 20% of the 1,910 students in last year's incoming class matriculated straight from high school--a marked increase from 2000, when that number was less than 5%. At Johnson & Wales in Providence, R.I., the most common age of culinary students has hovered in recent years between 17 and 19, and Meredith Moore, school spokeswoman, boasts that these applicants are coming in with high SAT scores and extracurricular activities that could easily earn them admission to top colleges.

The publicity generated by the Food Network and chefs with their own books, frozen-food lines and cookware helps explain why many young people view cooking not just as a way to make a living but also to make their name. And while for centuries chefs learned their craft apprenticing in the kitchens of great restaurants, some members of the new generation believe that a degree from a top school will boost their credibility in the profession--and give them instant access to a wide network of alumni. "Being a chef now is like being a rock star," says Nancy Seryfert, vice president of admissions at the California Culinary Academy. Says Tim Ryan, president of the CIA, the nation's most esteemed culinary school: "We've arrived at a place where more young people than ever are interested in the profession. And perhaps more interesting--and important--so are their parents."

Even the most establishment-minded parents would be gratified to see how intensely students pursue their cooking classwork. While sophomores at traditional four-year universities skillfully avoid scheduling classes before 10 a.m., students at culinary schools willingly rise before dawn to laminate pastry dough. On their own time, they cheerfully practice the sauteing, flambeing and knife-wielding skills they have learned in class.