I was wondering what the best culinary schools are that would be somewhat close to me geographically. I live in SC and would really love to go to culinary school and either open my own catering business or restraunt. I love to cook and I am getting pretty decent, but I definately need training. Any help anyone could provide would be most appreciated! 
The Culinary Institute of America is located in upstate New York (I want to say Hyde Park… very scenic). I can’t speak from the perspective of a graduate, but as a layperson it has an excellent reputation.
Not that close to you but it is on the East Coast.
Thanks for the reply, I didnt think anyone would! I will look that up and check it out.
I went to Culinary School out here in California. I’d also recommend CIA, but it is a long and expensive program. You may also want to check out Johnston & Wales–I had several chef instructors that came out of that school.
I went to college in Providence, RI, and knew a bucnh of people at Johnson & Wales. It’s a great school, and very good at teaching commercial/business issues to its students in addition to good culinary schools. I’d put my vote on that one. Also, Providence is a bit cheaper to live in than NYC, even if it’s kind of a dumpy place. (Nicer than it used to be, though.)
The CIA isn’t located in NYC. It’s upstate, in the Hudson Valley sorta near Kingston. Just to clarify.
I work as a chef in upstate NY. The CIA up here in Hyde park is a joke. They will teach you how to cook , but you wont be able to keep a job in a busy restaurant to save you life. The school trains its grads to take their sweet time with each dish. Unfortunately no one has 15 mins to spend on each plate so the grads come out with a skewed view of the restaurant industry. I worked here–> www.torchesonthehudson.com It is currently the “big gun” of the area. We only have 2 culinary grads working there. We had 15 people in the kitchen durring the busy season. My advice would be for you to go get a few restaurant jobs in your area before you go to school. Working in the field for a year or two before school will give you a better handle on classes and a better perspective on the industry. You will also be able to get a job easier and for more money after school if you have some expierience in addition to school.
Johnson and Wales is building a new campus in Charlotte that is supposed to open in the middle of 2004. If you can wait, it’s hard to get much closer to home than that.
I was trying to find the Florida Culinary Institute and got a bunch of schools in Florida. You can enter the name of any state and get a list (if they have any). Appease me and look at FCI.
A buddy of mine went to the New England Culinary Institute… then went on to work at some of the best gourmet restaurants in america, including “The Inn at Little Washington” … seems to be doing OK.
Johnson and Wales is right here in Charleston, SC (until 2004 like DoctorJ said. If you are looking to go in the next 18 months or so, that’s a good option. Plus you’re in state (for tuition).
FYI, the Food Network is currently running a reality series set at Johnson and Wales in RI called Cooking School Stories. Interesting stuff.
Thanks for all of your replies. I am going to be looking into everything you guys have suggested. I appreciate the input!