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Despite the abundance of chefs and the fact that they seem to be doing rather well, culinary education centers such as Le Cordon Bleu schools will close.
How can a chef become famous? Well, he or she has to get an education, that is a culinary education and if they get the chance to appear on TV and make a good impression, then they’re in. But it looks like soon enough it will become more difficult for future chefs to get an education as all Le Cordon Bleu culinary schools in the U.S. will be closed by the end of 2017.
About the school
Le Cordon Bleu school originated in France and has now about 50 schools around the world. Most people have first heard of the school as the place where Julia Child, our first celebrity chef, had her training in Paris in the 1950s.
The culinary industry is going quite well these days with many restaurants and many chefs who are really good and really appreciated and who also make a lot of money. However, who doesn’t seem to make money is the Career Education Corporation which owns the chain of Le Cordon Bleu schools in the U.S.
Money for ‘food’ education
It looks like they have been receiving many complaints in the past years from the graduates of the schools who considered that the diplomas they got were not worth paying for. More precisely, the school’s tuition fees range from $16,000 to over $42,000. So, in case you wanted to become a chef, make sure you put some money aside first.
The complaints were not just simple complaints. They were actual lawsuits which Career Education has tried to settle by paying large amounts of money – up to $40 million – to a former student who sued them because they were ‘overselling’ the benefits of the school’s diploma and after graduation, besides having to manage the student loans, the chefs didn’t get any fancy or well-paid job, as ‘promised’ by the corporation.
On the other hand, culinary schools are expensive because they need a lot of money for kitchens and food. Although Career Education tried to find a buyer for the business, they weren’t successful and as they can’t afford to keep the schools open, they will start closing them in 2017. The last enrollments are in January.
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