Le Cordon Bleu: we visit the school where the world’s best chefs train
Have you ever wondered where and how some of the world's leading chefs learn their trade? We went on a tour of Le Cordon Bleu cookery school in London. This is what we learned.
Le Cordon Bleu, French for ‘the blue ribbon’, was established in 1895 and is the world’s largest culinary education institution. It teaches budding chefs everything they need to know about hospitality management, culinary arts and gastronomy.
Worldwide, the institution has 35 schools on five continents and teaches over 20,000 students annually. Some of the school’s alumni include Julia Child, Giada De Laurentis, Mary Berry, Simone Beck, Yotam Ottolenghi and Prue Leith. These are just some of the names you'll recognise; thousands of other students have gone on to be award-winning, world-leading chefs in their various fields.
We went on a tour of Le Cordon Bleu London to watch some of the trainee chefs in action. Here are six things we learned.
1. There are two course umbrellas to choose from: pâtisserie and cuisine
Students can choose to go down one of two routes: patisserie or cuisine. However, they can also opt to take the Grand Diplôme, which combines both. Under these culinary umbrellas, there are many different course options available, such as wine, nutrition, management and boulgangerie. Once assigned to a particular course, there are three levels to complete: basic, intermediate and superior.
All courses are split between theory and practical. When students aren’t rolling up eclairs and filleting fish, they’re sifting through the hundreds of books in the library (many of which we realise have been written by former Le Cordon Bleu students).
But there is, of course, a heavier emphasis on the practical side. Students are expected to watch demonstrations by teaching chefs before heading to the kitchen to cook selected dishes themselves. Some demonstrations are occasionally held by famous chefs, particularly alumni, who come to the school for a one-off demonstration to teach students how to refine a particular skill.
2. Students join the school from a range of culinary backgrounds
Many Le Cordon Bleu students have some experience prior to joining. So if you make a cracking beans on toast and fancy yourself as the next Ottolenghi, think again. Talented chefs usually have a knack for gastronomy before they begin studying it properly, in the same way mathematicians know a thing or two about numbers before they embark on an accountancy degree.
However, many of the students have absolutely no experience at all. Students come from all sorts of backgrounds, such as law, finance, retirement and they have a passion for food, but don't know what techniques to use.
But walking around the school, you'd be fooled into thinking all of the students are professionals already. Looking into the classrooms (nobody is allowed in without full chef whites), students were busy preparing some of the most beautiful eclairs you've ever seen, proudly taking pictures of their work. Here you'll find a selection of student photos taken for Instagram.
As well as joining Le Cordon Bleu to learn how to cook, many students are also joining as a way of finding their niche. "We encourage students not to stray away from what they know," Academic director Loic Malfait says. "It's important for them to use memory to create their own style and identity. It's why we don't usually encourage taking them out of their own cultures, so they can expand and refine what is already familiar to them."
3. Students get to eat everything they cook
Trainee chefs can expect to cook a whole range of dishes, such as lobster ravioli (pictured above), braised ribs, tandoori meat and fish (using the on-site tandoori oven) and much more. The best part about it? They get to eat them all afterwards. Students are definitely well fed here.
"Everybody eats what they make," Malfait says. "But for those studying patisserie, they have to refrain from eating too many cakes, because that's just way too much sugar. It's hard though! It's so easy to want to indulge in what you've just cooked. Why wouldn't you?"
There are many fridges dotted around the school though so students can bring in and take home any food they want to eat. There is also the option for students and guests to dine in the Le Cordon Bleu café where a student chef makes all of the pâtisserie items fresh each morning. The food on offer here includes French pâtisseries, viennoiseries and gourmet sandwiches as well as daily specials.
Regular passers-by can dine in the cafe for lunch or brunch. In summer they can dine al fresco in the courtyard of Bloomsbury Square, but during an 11am Tuesday morning visit, we were hard pressed to find anybody not wearing chef whites.
4. It is definitely not cheap
To study a Grand Diplôme (the combination of patisserie and cuisine), it will set you back £34,000. However, choosing to study either patisserie or cuisine individually costs around £19,000. It isn't cheap by any means, and many have to work really hard to afford a place here.
5. But there is a scholarship award for one lucky person...
But some chefs are lucky enough to be chosen for the UK scholarship award. Every year, Le Cordon Bleu carefully selects one student to invest in. We spoke to the 2016 winner, Keiron George Murphy, who won a place on the school's Diplome de Patisserie, a three-month Diploma in Culinary Management, an internship at three-Michelin star restaurant Gordon Ramsay, working under head chef Clare Smyth, and central London accommodation.
But scholarships like this don't come easily. Keiron had already been working really hard on his own cake-designing business, Keiron George Cake Design, prior to receiving the scholarship. Although he'd perfected the art of decorating cakes, he joined the school to master his skills in other areas.
"I didn't want to pigeonhole myself into cakes. I wanted to make everything. I have a strong interest in art, and I guess I have always approached cakes like I would approach a piece of art. But I wanted to learn how to make the inside of the cake taste as good as the outside looks. And that's what I'm here for," Keiron says.
His work certainly shows his eye for detail, as the photo below demonstrates.
The prize itself is worth over £35,000, and it certainly provides a challenge. "I was so scared on my first day. I still feel scared now," he adds. "Time is very pressured in the kitchen and when we're being assessed, we go into the kitchen not knowing what we have to cook, which can be incredibly daunting".
6. The school can be a stepping stone to great things
Although it might be challenging, the end result is certainly worth it. The course provides around 40 hours of learning a week for the more intense courses (and of course plenty of free food to see you through), but training here can lead to great things, as even the briefest of glances down the list of alumni shows.
You might also enjoy:
Comments
Be the first to comment
Do you want to comment on this article? You need to be signed in for this feature