The Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts is reinventing culinary education yet again in the name of the iconic and trendsetting chef.
The addition of a Professional Pastry Arts diploma program as well as the recent launch of an enhanced online culinary arts program help take traditional cooking school into the modern age with advanced technologies that allow students to turn their home kitchen into a campus.
Modeled closely to the curriculums offered at the residential campuses, the courses mirror the school’s philosophy of offering an education that focuses on building successful and fulfilling careers in the industry. This is achieved by teaching students foundational culinary and pastry techniques and skills as well as important management, operations and business practices that contribute to thriving and well-rounded professionals.
“We’ve done something really special here because we’ve created modern programs that help build educated, capable and humble culinarians,” said Tracy Lorenz, the school’s CEO and President. “The success of our graduates is the best reflection of our institution’s effectiveness, so we focus on making sure we are providing our students and alumni with an education and opportunities that allow them to thrive.”
The 15-month and 13-month long programs offer a 100% online curriculum enforced by professional experience earned through an industry externship. Recent course revisions to the online culinary arts program, which originally launched nearly two years ago, help enable students to apply their education toward broader vocational paths, including professional kitchens, food business operations and ownership as well as management.
The new online pastry arts program is the first accredited 100% online pastry program with a required industry externship.
The backbone of the online and residential programs, according to Lorenz, is the large group of expert faculty chosen for their impressive and varied professional backgrounds. This is followed with a strong emphasis focused on placement and career assistance from resume development and interview preparation to networking opportunities and an active alumni association.
“This is such an exciting time in the industry with many possible career routes and plentiful employment opportunities,” Lorenz said. “There is no better time to be a chef than now, and our online programs allow everyone-from aspiring chefs to seasoned industry professionals-the ability to advance with a culinary education.”
