I Want To Become A Gluten Free/veg Chef!

[givenupgluten]

I LOVe to cook...and have grown more fond of cooking since becoming vegetarian...and especially since finding out that I need to be gluten free. I've learned so much and found a new zest for being in the kitchen and trying new things. I would love to go to culinary school, but haven't found one that would allow me to go through training without using meat/eating meat and without cooking/tasting dishes that contain flour...understandably I suppose. So what's a girl to do? I know I can take public classes that specialize in gluten free cooking and/or veg cooking....Is this really the only option that makes sense? How does someone like me (us) get specialized training.....If anyone has any ideas, I'm interested! Thank you!

[Sweetfudge]

i also would be interested in this the gluten free part, anyway!

[mushroom]

I watch a lot of cooking shows on the Food Channel and have wondered myself how a celiac could become a chef. I doubt that there is any such thing as a gluten-free cooking school. Maybe in the future.

Watch the cooking shows, practice their techniques, take whatever classes you can find. Most of the good chefs have a natural instinct for food and flavor combinations and what works with what. You have posted some great recipes here on the forum, as I recall; go for it, and see where it leads you.

[MySuicidalTurtle]

a little side not: a personal chef used to come to our Celiac dinner groups meetings becuase she was learning how to cate gluten-free clients. So, there is a need sometimes in the personal chef are for a gluten-free chef. I would assume the same for vegetarian/vegan. Good luck!

[givenupgluten]

I LOVe to cook...and have grown more fond of cooking since becoming vegetarian...and especially since finding out that I need to be gluten free. I've learned so much and found a new zest for being in the kitchen and trying new things. I would love to go to culinary school, but haven't found one that would allow me to go through training without using meat/eating meat and without cooking/tasting dishes that contain flour...understandably I suppose. So what's a girl to do? I know I can take public classes that specialize in gluten free cooking and/or veg cooking....Is this really the only option that makes sense? How does someone like me (us) get specialized training.....If anyone has any ideas, I'm interested! Thank you!

I actually answered my own question after researching a bit....There is a culinary school here in NYC called 'The Natural Gourmet" cooking school...they focus mostly on vegetarian cuisine...and I emailed them and asked how this whole 'gluten free veg' cooking thing would work out (haha)...They said that they have had celiacs come through the school and that they did great. While it is NOT a completely gluten free environment (there may be some working with regular flour, cross contamination issues,etc they could not account for)..I would not have to consume any flour products,etc to get the benefit of the school. Some of their celiac grads had successfully fulfilled the program requirements and gone on to be personal chefs, etc. So there is hope for those of us wanting to be chefs! Note: I am not one of the many people on this board who get glutened just from being around flour or working with it, but I know there are those who have mentioned that on this board. In this case, this school would probably not be a good environment for those persons, b/c there would be flour in the vicinity and you may have to work with it to some degree. Just wanted to make that clear

[kenlove]

HI,

Although I trained as a chef in Japan before i was diagnosed, I still teach at the culinary schools here in Kona which are part of the University of Hawaii system. If they have a bread class, I cant go into the kitchen for 2 days after it. We did have a student who was diagnosed with celiac and the administration was very understanding and altered some of the requirements for her.

I think this would be a great field and if I was 30 years younger would consider doing what you want to do. Being a chef who specializes in food allergies as well as celiac has to be a rewarding career. In a magazine called Vibrance (formerly Living Nutrition) there were some ads for schools although they were health food oriented and not specifically celiac. Like you, if I breath flour I have a host of problems so I"m not sure how these places are. We're a long way from NYC but if your interested, I can get them to send you some info.

Ken

I actually answered my own question after researching a bit....There is a culinary school here in NYC called 'The Natural Gourmet" cooking school...they focus mostly on vegetarian cuisine...and I emailed them and asked how this whole 'gluten free veg' cooking thing would work out (haha)...They said that they have had celiacs come through the school and that they did great. While it is NOT a completely gluten free environment (there may be some working with regular flour, cross contamination issues,etc they could not account for)..I would not have to consume any flour products,etc to get the benefit of the school. Some of their celiac grads had successfully fulfilled the program requirements and gone on to be personal chefs, etc. So there is hope for those of us wanting to be chefs! Note: I am not one of the many people on this board who get glutened just from being around flour or working with it, but I know there are those who have mentioned that on this board. In this case, this school would probably not be a good environment for those persons, b/c there would be flour in the vicinity and you may have to work with it to some degree. Just wanted to make that clear