Invest in Your Career with Rouxbe’s Extensive Culinary Education and Training Platform
In the restaurant industry, needing a degree or certification from a culinary program or institute gets a bit complicated.
On the one hand, there is something to be said about having certifications. They can often be preferred in higher-paying leadership roles like an Executive Chef at some fancy hotel restaurant or corporate environment.
Conversely, the hefty tuition costs have caused a severe decline in admissions at culinary institutes across the country. Many professionals opt to work their way up without investing time and money in traditional training.
While employers might promote on-the-job training, it’s usually informal and particular to the employer’s needs. It doesn’t always ensure you’ll acquire the technical skills necessary to bolster your culinary career.
While it’s not necessary for most hospitality jobs, traditional culinary training is valuable. The industry just needs a more accessible option.
That’s where Rouxbe comes in. As an affordable and flexible online culinary school, Rouxbe is the middle ground that meets culinary learners where they are today.
What is Rouxbe?
Since 2005, Rouxbe has reset the standard in culinary education. Delivering a diversified and affordable culinary curriculum through self-paced, virtual classes, Rouxbe makes professional culinary instruction more accessible to today’s learners.
They offer expansive course material, covering everything from classical techniques to more specific methods like plant-based cooking, pastry and baking, and other specialty courses.
Recognized by top culinary organizations like the American Culinary Federation Education Foundation and the World Association of Chefs Societies, Rouxbe’s courses can transfer toward college credits or accumulate hours necessary to receive a degree or accreditation.
If you’re looking to bolster your resume with a certification or training—Rouxbe has the flexibility to meet any of your culinary training needs.
How does Rouxbe work?
Learning through Rouxbe can be passive or more rigorous— it’s up to you and your schedule!
“We offer everything from an annual membership subscription, where it’s just a gallery of content people can use to self-serve, all the way up to our professional certification courses, which are 110 hours plus of curriculum-driven content, where again, college credit and certification are a part of that.” Lindsey Neidig, VP of Marketing at Rouxbe, shared with us.
Their general subscription gives you access to hours of content where you can learn at your own pace and with complete flexibility. Or you can purchase individual courses that cover multiple units with assignments along the way to certification.
Unlike other online learning environments, Rouxbe is interactive. Each class is led by a qualified chef instructor who interacts with students and provides individualized work assessments.
“There is always a little confusion because people don’t expect that interactive aspect to online learning,” Ken Rubin, Chief Culinary Officer at Rouxbe, shared. “They think they’re going to watch a bunch of videos and take quizzes, but in actuality, there’s someone like Chef David Hooper, a former professor at Johnson and Wales who’s finishing his Ph.D. in Hospitality, grading your activities and giving you personalized feedback.”
Rouxbe knows that building technique takes practice, and students need to be hands-on to retain the culinary methods they are teaching.
Students document and submit summaries of their process for each assignment. For example, if they are learning how to poach eggs, students will share photos of submerging the eggs and cutting the egg in half to display the level of doneness—then complete the assignment with a written reflection of the process.
“Having the students do the entire thing, start to finish, and then give a reflection and [a] true narrative of how it went doesn’t just represent the acquisition of knowledge, but it takes it to this synthesis and reflection levels,” Rubin shared. “So, we get a good depth of attribution of meaning when people learn with us.”
What’s the cost?
For a robust culinary education, Rouxbe is ridiculously cost-effective. As mentioned above, they offer a few flexible avenues that fit students’ individual needs.
The membership subscription offers a wide variety of content that users can pick and choose to learn on their terms. It’s also the most flexible plan, running at $9.99 per month or $99 if you purchase a full year.
Their courses are a little pricier but still reasonable for what you’re getting.
Courses range from hundreds of dollars for the Introduction to Pastry Arts course to their most expensive course, the Plant-Based Pro Course, priced at $1,799.99.
Keep in mind that Rouxbe’s courses are a more in-depth and immersive experience. Students work with peers and culinary professors on assignments and receive a certification upon completion.
These courses can also be applied toward college credits and certificates with nationally recognized culinary organizations. So while they’re more expensive than the membership option, you are signing up for a more dedicated learning experience.
Additionally, financing is available, and Rouxbe offers options for student discounts when interested in taking any of their courses.
For many professionals, the only barrier to obtaining a culinary education is the cost of tuition or the lack of programs nearby. Rouxbe is tearing down that barrier making education more affordable and accessible for anyone who wants to take their career to the next level.
Learn more here if you’re interested in seeing if Rouxbe is suitable for you. You can also try a lesson for free to see if their curriculum and content are what you’re looking for before investing anything.
