Hell's Kitchen Tuition

ONE of the POSSIBLE paths to future employment enjoyment for me is becoming a Chef. Not a cook, not a part-time hash slinger...but a bona fide, classically trained Chef.

I absolutely LOVE to create, cook, and serve food. It's one of my hobbies I really enjoy. As part of any rational investigation of this path, I began to inquire about schooling.

Le Cordon Bleu is the place for classic French Culinary training, and with a satellite campus nearby in MN, it seems a logical place to start. After a couple of exchanged voice mails, we finally connected for a conversation in which they were very hesitant to tell me about the costs involved. You can't fool me with talk of "Financial Assistance", "Campus Interviews" and "Earnings Potential"...I need bottom line figures to make sound decisions. Call it a mutation from my business experience. After beating around the bush, I finally had to flat out tell them not to call me again unless they were prepared to discuss costs. With that, she choked it out, and it hit the floor like a dropped dish:

The 15 month Culinary Arts program costs $42,500. That does not include any room and board or travel costs, which would be considerable for me.

WOW! No wonder they don't want to discuss tuition on the phone. I am sure when they breech the subject at the "Campus Interview" they have both financial aid and EMT personnel waiting in the wings for those who don't take it so well.