I don't know where.. but I read somewhere that someone had a decent meal here at a very reasonable price. So I thought why not give it a go. At $15 for 5 courses I was like...you can't even buy all the ingredients. (Avocados cost $1.50-2 each so $15 seemed like nothing) Space: Nothing fancy. Clean. It did feel a bit awkward having so few tables in such a large space. I almost felt like I was in some school cafeteria. Service: Except for having difficulty getting hold of them via phone, the service in the evening was excellent. The instructor came out and gave us suggestions and answered questions and it was all very nice. Food: Some people in my party thought food tasted gross. Particularly the chicken dish..which one person thought looked and tasted like dog food ((harsh!)) However for $15, most dishes were decent. Pizza we had for appetizer and the fried mozarrella stick salad was pretty good. Shrimp risotto...I initially thought that it was mashed potatoes because I couldn't taste or see rice grains that you should see with risottos. Flavouring was a bit bland too. Tuna tartar - it was wayyyyyy too spicy and salty. There was a lot of soy sauce at the bottom. For the entrees, initially we all picked a dish each. Then the instructor came out and said that for a "large group like ours" that he would recommend a sampling of ALL the dishes. We literally got 3 dishes of each main dish (there were 5) for the whole table. After that he said that if we wanted to try more of anything that we could. I felt like we were at a AYCE buffet haha. - Shaking beef with crispy rice - not bad. Beef seasoning was a little too salty but totally edible - Steak - probably the best entree out of the lot? - Pork with polenta - it was okay. - Chicken - definitely not their best... - Fish - was okay. Dessert was probably the best dish. It was some kind of an apple filled spring rolls with cream and honey? It was crispy, not too sweet and delicious. The total came to around $20 per person for the meal which, considering the amount of food we got, was amazing. Ohhhh and they are very generous with their wine pours too. Half glasses are $3-4 each (and I'd say it's equivalent to a single glass at a normal restaurant). Their full glass was literally to the brim. I was nicely buzzed with a glass of wine here. Would I return?.. That's a tough one. While I thought the value was great, the food wasn't amazing. If I feel like cheap dinner but don't feel like fast food, then yes I would probably come back. read more

See all

5 course meal for $15 (3 stars) YOU ARE THE GUINEA PIG!!! AND... quality ingredients used (occassionally put to waste); depends whos doing the execution. - Food, hit or miss - Price, can't go wrong with 5 courses for $15 - Service, friendly but professional.... uhm ... (yup dot dot dot) - Ambiance, very clean space Decided to finally come and try Le Cordon Bleu Restaurant at the CCA. My expections, uncertain. Are you suppose to have high or low expections for students cooking food and you are the guinea pig? I can't complain, $15 for a meal that fills you!!!! Must make reservations and they only take x-amount of people a night. We were seated, greeted, and served. Level of professionalism is, well, don't expect it. I felt like I was talking to friends instead of staff. Good thing but kind of bad thing; this is a "restaurant". My friend mentioned that the service kind of sucks and the food was hit or miss. yup, it was a hit and miss for me. And service, i didnt care much because it's a student ran restaurant but we had to ask when to bring the next plate out for us, constantly asking for more water, and when asked to pack the left overs, to them it means "throw in garbage". And NO TIPPING; 15% is included to go towards some scholar fund. thanks for the experience! HEFFER-STYLE STATUS. (**SEE PICTURES***) Meal #1) MUSHROOM AND CHEESE PIZZA - i think they forgot to mention the other ingrediants... bacon and asparagus. This was okay. I only had one piece and removed the bacon (sorry, can't eat pork or redmeat at this time). Meal #2) "first plates" LEVAIN FERTINE w/ ASPARAGUS, SHRIMP AND LOBSTER BISQUE - when we took our first bit the first words that came out of our mouth was "interesting". All we got from the waitress was that it was a 16yr old starter; kinda dont know what that means. So the "interesting" taste came from the 16 yr old starter? I wasn't that much of a fan of this plate. Meal #3) another "first plates" MIXED GREEN SALAD WITH PANCOTTA, MAYTAG BLUE, AND CANDID PECANS - and again, they failed to mention there are two crunchy slabs of bacon ontop. What if there were vegans in the joint, they'd be shocked. Wasn't a fan but did munch on it. Best part was the candid pecans Meal #4) "main plate choice" Had an option between Grilled Beef short ribs, roasted chipotle chicken, or fried fish & chips. My homegirl got the Grilled short ribs and liked it; no picture of it. Portion was just too damn small. ROASTED CHIPOTLE CHICKEN - it came out looking pretty. two piece of chicken stacked nicely, garnished with some cilantro leaves, laying ontop of a bed of chipotle sauce. The taste was was okay/good for what it is. UNTIL i turned my chicken over and saw (see loaded pictures) and said, that doesnt look very appetizing. The chipotle sauce was good and had these little black balls split in half that tasted like pototoes. Also on the side was this chicpea"hash" that was like on a pie crushed masa; liked it but wish pie crused like masa texture wasn't so hard (it felt like of stale). My portion was pretty decent! Then i looked over and saw at a different table and wish ordered the fish & chips. ***PALATE REFRESHER** (suppose to be served before the main dish but we got ours after) served in a small cup was a purple-pink sorbet. with something else chopped on top and watercress sprouts. I am not a fan of the watercress sprouts but everything else was good. Meal #5) "chef's choice dessert" CAKE DUET - I was a fan of this, however my friend was not. Reminded me of pudding cake. The portion of this was huge, we barely put a dent in it. Will I be back? The group of students tonight is their last class. I won't be back for a few weeks/months until the new wave of students have had some experience in the kitchen first. LOL. But it's a hit or miss; maybe next experience will be a hit. Until the next review.... read more

See all

Reservations here was pretty bad. Tried using Opentable.com, but they weren't listed. Tried calling, but just got a recording that never called back confirming the reservation. Tried using the online chat feature on their website, but they did provide me with their answering service number where I was able to leave a message with the manager who actually called back to confirm. Getting there, the address is 250 Rhode Island, but the door is on 16th street. The door itself is a heavy grade commercial door, but were too cheap to install hydraulics so opening the door is very difficult. Very welcoming when one can't even come in. Finally sitting down, this place lacked the ambiance that their Polk St location had. Nothing to see but other dinners. The coffee and tea is self service. The menu was a simple 1 page sheet for everything. No more 3 course meal for a single price, each plate has it's own price. The food itself is OK, the best was the flat bread included in the meal. With it's limited menu and not knowing what is going to be on the menu until getting there makes this place even more horrible. With the 9 items on the menu, it was like going to In & Out. My bacon wrapped meat loaf wasn't even wrapped when it came to the table, look like it fell apart but still brought it to me. A couple of us ordered the chicken dumpling, and one got a lot more soup than the other, talking about inconsistent. I doubt I would ever return or recommend this place to anyone... read more

See all

This review is for the Blue Ribbon kitchen one-day classes, namely the All-American Diner Pies class that a friend and I took, that the California Culinary Academy offers mostly on Saturdays from 9AM-3PM. My friend and I purchased a 2-for-1 TravelZoo deal, otherwise, the classes are $125 each. It was easy to register for the class on their website, even with our online deal. They have a wide variety of classes to pick from, but the All-American Diner Pie class stood out for us. We drove to the class, but the Muni 19 runs right by the school as well. We arrived a few minutes early. Once you enter the building, there is not clear signage to the class, but ours was located on the 4th floor (signage said there are classes on the 2nd and 4th but no one was on the 2nd floor). Our class was quite large so they split us up into two classes in order of last name, and we were paired with Chef Stephanie. She gave us a quick overview of the school, the class agenda for the day, and the layout of the kitchen. The best part of the class was watching her demonstrate making the 4 pies we were going to make later: lemon meringue, coconut cream, chocolate mousse. double crust apple pie. As she is a highly trained chef, it was an artful orchestration of starting one pie from crust to filling and in between starting the crust or filling for the next within a span of a couple hours for the four pies. I especially enjoyed watching her make the lattice pie crust for the double crust apple pie and whipping up the meringue. She kept things flowing, organized, clean and fun with her lightly sarcastic humor. And of course, we were able to taste the fillings before they went into the pie and the finished product pies after baking! Yum! :) Then we broke into groups of 4 at the pie-making stations with all of the ingredients neatly provided in small containers, apples in a bowl, knives, cutting boards, all cooking pots and pans in the next room. We went at it! We doled out what everyone was doing, each making a crust, rolling it out and putting it into a pan to bake. We worked on the fillings together and were most proud of our own double crust apple pie complete with lattice top crust (please see picture)! Ours of course, could not compare to Chef Stephanie's pies but we gave it our best shot and it was fun to get our hands in and make these pies. After we were done, we took our finished products home in cake boxes - love! Volunteer cooking school students help where they can, and they washed pots, pans and containers as we went along. Thank you to Chef Stephanie and all of the student volunteers for making this class so fun to take! At the beginning of the class, they gave out a few Kitchen Passes where you can sit in an actual cooking class at Le Cordon Bleu and see what the students experience. I got a pass and just registered to go to a class next week so stay tuned for an update! read more

Le Cordon Bleu - Pie class - baking our lattice apple pie - Cooking Schools Near Me - San Francisco, California

I took a class here in october and really enjoyed it. I wish I could of tried making more advanced recipes but I guess I have to actually enroll in the program to learn what I am truly looking to experience. I will take more chef classes and just have fun with it. read more

See all

I graduated from the CCA in 96. It was hard work but payed off for me. You get out what you put in. I worked as line cook up to exec chef in my career. I have CCA to thank for teaching me the ropes, so to speak. When you graduate you are not a chef. That comes with experience. But i am now semi retired in that a do consulting work for chefs and restaurants. Now they pay me for what i know. If your considering a career in culinary arts, heres my nickels worth of advice, you better love to cook. Good luck. Chef Bubba read more

I don't appreciate being grilled when I'm shopping for info on schools. The attitude of the person I spoke with left a terribly bad taste in my mouth, which is ironic because this is a culinary school. Here's a bit of advice from someone who studied business in college: You're supposed to treat me like shit AFTER you get my money... read more

Rating based on Early 90's - Prior to le cordon bleu!!! When it was only ONE program, not an AOS or baking/pastry only kind of thing and it still held some sort of prestige!!!! This Alumni Girl had a good time. I'm a big believer that it IS what you make of it. This was still a private and decent school when I attended. Hence the disclaimer up above. I went before it became trendy to attend. The school still had a few kinks to work out but in conjunction with some training at CIA in Napa, it worked out (for me anyway). Best lessons learned - work hard, work fast, and work clean. Nobody wants to hire a dirty, lazy fool. Best teachers - Chef Thompson, Chef Freiburg, Chef Reg Best friends - Chad, Carol, Melinda and Jenn Best memory - Bread class. Picture loaves of hot steamy walnut bleu cheese sourdough coming out. One person runs to fetch the garlic butter, another, the herb butter and me, the plain butter. Meet you at the table! OINK!!!!!!!! 2nd best memory - plating up some fish heads with ice cream and saucing the plate as a very special birthday dessert for a friend. My family's best memory - Willie Brown (then mayor) speaking at my graduation and free wine for the entire graduation reception. I don't think any school will prepare you for the industry. No matter what, you have to arrive humble and willing to learn. THE END! read more

Me a couple years ago: first year of college with undeclared major, scared of the future, enjoyed cooking simple meals at home, loved food network. I submitted my email and number for more info on the cordon bleu website and got a call the next morning at 7 AM. Grace wanted me to come in right away for a tour. She was pleasant and the tour was nice, but the first red flag should have been the unhappy faces on the students. Throughout the tour she kept telling me about her own daughter my age, and how she wished her daughter would go to school here instead of a four year university. She wished her daughter was like me... Oh, how sweet. Red flag number two, she asked me take an entrance exam... Additions and subtractions. She walked back to me and shrieked with excitement because I got a perfect score. The cherry on top was when the wonderful tour ended and she asked for my clothing size. She fitted me in a school uniform and sat me down in the library in front of a computer. She coaxed me into applying by talking about the wonderful world of free tuition for now (student loans) and how young I am and how accomplished I will be when I finish. I didn't have much at the time but I think I paid $50 to apply. Shortly after, I did research at home and was horrified by all the articles written about this school. Grace called me the next day to bother me about something and that's when I told her I wasn't interested in attending anymore. She got quiet, tried to persuade me back in but failed. She then told me that she was very disappointed in me then hung up. I'm thankful that $50 was all they took from me and I'm so sorry that they have taken more away from others. read more

You know, it's sad seeing these piss poor reviews about this school. Especially a person who said that if you're a student you must be "obese, retarded, and unhygienic". First of all, this school has an amazing staff, and the students are not retarded. Some of us own a couple of successful restaurants, but I guess I'm just a retard. Don't you dare judge the staff and students, you're not gods gift. If you really want the truth from a student perspective, who is military, clean, and student board, come find me. Otherwise, shut your damn mouth. Taylor gavello read more

I did my research on culinary schools and unfortunately, the most convenient choice for me was here in San Francisco. I have no regrets in attending. I absolutely love what I do and at this point, I guess that's all that matters. I want to be proud of the school I attended because it was my dream to go. But now I just feel embarrassed when my peers and managers ask how I got into this crazy restaurant world. Here are a few things I have to say about the CCA. (I thought I was the only one, but interestingly many who went there felt the same as I did.) 1. The Recruiters: -They are like cheap car salesmen -They lie. -They tell you the career counselors will help place you with a job after you graduate. (I got a job with my old employer and my career counselor USED me as someone they helped place in a position) I'm sorry, but that's just wrong! -They tell international students that they'll have no problem finding an employer here that will sponsor them. Hmm...my friend was forced to go back to Korea because the career counselor didn't do crap! 2. The Career Counselors: Enough said. 3. The Chefs: -They tell you you're going to be a chef...they use the term "chef" VERY loosely. I think becoming a chef requires more than culinary school experience. -They neglect to tell you that you're going to be a peon and that you'll make peanuts slaving your ass off for someone who has power issues. 4. The Classrooms: -Do you really have to cram 35-40 students in one class when it was once a 15-20 person class? I loved having to sit/stand elbow to elbow with the smelly guy who always scratched his head and never washed his hands. 5. Misc: -You're paying too much for too little. -They use what you make (i.e. chocolates and breakfast pastries) and make more money by selling it at the retail store. We're just stupid enough to buy it because we're starving in the morning. -Do I really have to barter with the other classes for a meal that the school is supposed to provide? "I'll give you pizza if you give me sushi." Through it all, I attended and here I am, loving my job that I got on my own. If you're considering culinary school, do your research. Consider all possibilities and if you must go to CCA SF, heed my words and keep an open mind. read more

Don't do it. I'm not talking about eating in the careme room. I have no idea about that. I'm talking about the programs. They will take your money and you will be forced to spend your entire enrollment with a bunch of tools (not of the handy kitchen variety) who wear their uniforms out in public (this includes their aprons AND side towels) because this is probably the first experience in their sad little lives where they actually feel like they are distinguishing themselves in any way. It's not worth the time or money. And you will not get any "networking" benefits from it unless you feel the need to make business contacts out of a bunch of uninspired, uncreative, unsanitary, Food Network personality wannabes (Rachel Ray, not Alton Brown) completely lacking in talent or common sense. Bitter, party of 1? Your table is ready. read more

STAY AWAY FROM THIS SCHOOL!!! I attended 7 years ago just before the disasterous decline of the entire institution. Many restaurants in SF won't hire CCA graduates anymore. I think this is due from the lack of quality instructors, inept curriculum and the post high school dipshits allowed to enter the program. Cooking in the real world is almost a slave trade atmosphere. Many externships are unpaid and if one does get hired, the pay is usually horrible. Save your money and your sanity!! read more

As my high school years were comming to an end, my english teacher gave me and my classmates a word of advice, "Love what you do and do what you love...'cause only love can make your life successful." At that time, my love was for the arts, theatre/movies, and cooking (which later became as one of my favorite hobbies)...however...this "hobby" died few months after I graduated from this school. They told me that I'd be earning a living, getting the experience of a lifetime, and doing a job that I love to do...funny thing is, an alumni WARNED me to never go here 'cause of how bad it was...but I was ignorant and blinded by the propaganda CCA gave me. I KNEW it was a tough industry...but I never knew it was THIS tough. I'm sure a lot of people have heard about the SF Chronicle talking about how bad the school is...and all of it is true. Most of them pass you just because you showed them that you "work hard"-but you failed the class...most restaurants or hotels think twice on accepting any applications from any CCA grads...and yes they'll accept you if you have a GED or a high school diploma AND if you sign up for an EXPENSIVE student loan that will destroy your life. Don't get me wrong, CCA also has some good points, too. Without CCA I wouldn't be able to be better at cooking than I was before, I wouldn't be able to meet all the wonderful friends I made in that school, and I wouldn't be able to take the chance to have a college externship to Disneyworld. Even though I got a decent-full time job, the pay wasn't enough for me to make a living (like they promised) and I'm constantly living paycheck-by-paycheck and making ends meet. I love cooking, but I just can't see myself in an industry so cutthroat that you'll be easily replaced...and how much labor and "kitchen-bullshit" you have to put up with...yes, this is the "experience of a lifetime" I've been looking for. Go to a city college or a community college where you could get the same education & same experience for CHEAP! Seriously, with the reputation of CCA as bad as it is no one's going to care what "prestigious" cooking school you went to...just as long as you're able to cook, work hard, and listen to orders...'cause that's what the industry is about. I want to pass the warning that the CCA Alumni gave me, but I was too ignorant to listen...to all who are "interested" in going to this school or "thinkin" of jumping into the industry...save your time, your money, and your dreams and NEVER go to this school. You will regret it just as much as I and many other graduates who feel the same. read more

I am currently a student at Le Cordon Bleu. I love it. It's sad to see a lot of the reviews on here. Like anything in life you reap what you sow. I learn something new everyday at Le Cordon. Do I expect to get a high paying job by getting a certificate in Culinary Arts? No. Like anything in life you have to put in the time to build a career and to build your skills. Are people in the back of the house underpaid? Yes. But that's not because of Le Cordon Bleu. Any type of education is the beginning of a journey. What you do with it is up to you. read more

The school duped me into attending their culinary program out of HS in 2001. A fellow cook I did a catering gig with told me horror stories about the school. How nobody in SF would hire CCA graduates. How CCSF had a better (AND FREE) culinary program. I was shocked. I tried to take with me as many friends from the CCA program as I could. I tried to show them the light: That CCA was a huge scam and that you'd have this huge student loan to pay off all to just get a kitchen job? I dropped out after a few weeks into the program. The admin guy, Nick, was not very pleased. The demeanor on his face immediately changed and told me that I had 24 hours to vacate the dorms. CCA kicked me out on the street without much warning and I was essentially homeless. After I got the living situation under control, I tried returning the unused, unopened books I had purchased for the program.I must have visited/called at least a dozen times, but it seemed like they were dodging me. Most of the instructors sucked. The students were terrible. Most were drunks and drug addicts, HS under-achievers. I remember the astonishing amount of liquor bottles that would pile up outside one of the dorms in the Tenderloin. In the food line, a student asked if there were vegetarian options and the student cook replied, "Vegetarian? If you want that kind of crap go to the CIA." I feel bad for anyone that went here, but I'm glad there is a place for us to vent. read more

hahaha, these reviews are funny, in a sad way....i'm happy I read that SF Chronicle article about CCA and these reviews (in addition to more online research)...I was seriously considering attending this establishment, but now I'm just going to dive in and get a job as a dishwasher or prep cook. These damn recruiters are STILL calling me. I sent a internet inquiry ONCE a few months ago, and I swear, I've spoken at length to six individuals (who tried desperately to convince me, "just fill out the loan form..."), and heard over 20 messages on my cell phone (well, I'd immediately push the delete button when I heard the perfunctory, "Hi! This is Randy, and I'm calling on behalf of the California Culinary Academy..." It was weird though, after listening to five messages IN A ROW, there were four people named RANDY, but they all sounded like different people. ??? I already hate you CCA, and you haven't even shattered my dreams yet. .. Article linK: http://www.sfweekly.com/2007-06-06/news/burnt-chefs/1 read more

School is a joke, costs a fortune and has horrible reputation within industry as a chef puppy mill, honestly people in my class could not figure out simple measurements like how many cups in in a gallon, how many Oz in a cup etc and yet they graduate I graduated with honors (as if that means anything ) but instructors acted like it did over 10 yrs ago. Worked my way to executive sous chef but now out of industry due to having a family and wanting to see them instead of working 12 hrs day for low wages. Save yourself if you want to be a cook, do your research first before paying for any culinary school read more

Not everyone who graduates from any university will become successful in their chosen field. So I don't expect everyone who graduates from CCA to actually become chefs..... or even learn to cook well. Unfortunately, some alumni don't even know how to cook. Period. What really pisses me off is the unscrupulous practice of the admissions representatives of indiscriminately getting any warm body to enroll that ruins it for every one of us who actually love our craft and work hard for it. People who have no business being in the kitchen are smooth talked into signing up just so that they could make their quota. I did, however, have some fun moments while going to school. But is it worth 40 grand? Hell no! read more

I am a recent graduate from the CCA, in the Certificate Program. I am happy and proud to say that I am a graduate of CCA. It was by no means a perfect school, as I think every institution has its faults. But (most) of the instructors are passionate about food, the industry, and most of all their students. It was a positive experience that I will carry with me for the rest of my life. It makes me sad to read such negative reviews about the school, because I got exactly what I wanted and expected to get out of attending the school. I think the problem most people have is that their expectations are not realistic. A short while in to my schooling I started a blog that detailed my experiences there, please check it out if you are interested in learning more: www.whatsontheside.blogspot.com Cheers! read more

Based on going before it was bought out. The main thing I took from it was the basic skills class, really took care of me going into my internship looking like a complete green bean. All the other classes kind of mushed together, it takes a little bit more time than 2 weeks to learn the cuisines of Latin America... I had an intern from the school recently approach me with a head of napa cabbage and ask "is this the romaine lettuce?". Playing on peoples dreams is a horrible thing and truth be told I am one of 3 still cooking our of my graduating class of 56. read more

JOKE JOKE JOKE I did get a good education out of this school. Not a GREAT education, just good. The chef's are constantly fighting with each other. They don't get along at all. If you have a problem with anything, you are swept under the rug with a, "We'll take care of that for you." Nothing EVER get handled right. Why do people spend 30 to 50+ K for this abuse? I can't tell you. If it was a good school, why would it get sued for millions of dollars? Maybe because the CCA promised their students with high paying jobs and offers none. I have only one thank to give this school. Thanks for the thousands of dollars back form your class settlement. Now 'm laughing to the bank. That is what the "1" star is for. read more

A hit-or-miss proposition. Dining here is a game of chance, the culinary equivalent of getting your hair styled by a beauty school novice. The advantage, of course, is that should your meal taste like an experiment gone awry, it will be forgotten much faster than it takes a disastrous cut to grow out. For the most part, whatever flaws there may be in the preparations are overshadowed by the drama of the historic Careme Room in which they're served. read more

Le Cordon Bleu - Cooking Schools Near Me - San Francisco, California

If you think you want to go to this school to become a manager DON'T ITS A WAIST OF MONEY. However chef wise its awesome. But it is still very pricey. But remember you are paying all this money to buy into a network. And if you eat dinner here make reservations and lie and say its your birthday. And don't go on buffet nights its not worth the price. read more

They are selling the dream. First off they charge way too much and if you have money you can come. They don't weed out the people that aren't qualified like other schools do. They just want your money. They make it seem as if they are a very professional school and they say almost everyone in a kitchen that important has been to this school. It may be true because it's name is more popular and more conveniently located than the other schools. This school is semi-profesional. The students uniforms of the veterans are pretty dirty. No standards, or if there are they don't follow them. You attend the school, they do a decent job with the material. The instructors are awesome. It's not their fault that they can't teach you what really goes on in an actual kitchen. You "graduate" and now it's up to you to find a job. A lot of places don't want students straight out of culinary school because they can be cocky as if they know everything. Trust me, I was one of them because the school makes you believe that to be true. You get extremely humbled by how much you really don't know then feel ripped off by the student loans that you now owe. If you work hard and do your own work then you can get a good job. I am a former student and now a kitchen manager but that took years of working TWO jobs that would laugh at you if you asked for more than $12/hr. Attend this school if you enjoy working weekends, holidays, thanksgivings and have no time with loved ones, friends and families. Attend this school if you eventually want to work over 50 vigorous hrs a week. read more

July, 1st. 2014 Its unbelievable that they can be so rude. They laughed at me asking me "what do you want? " I said: information about your school, then "John" laughed again. I talk to the supervisor "Melisa" and disregard everything I said. They don't understand that they are the face of the school in those little seconds when they ars on the phone. I kept trying on the phone and same story; being transferred to dead end phone extensions. ....... Don't want their school if that's what will be the start... Of course all your reviews really help. To bad we we're 3 interested!!! Forgot to mention : The second after you give them ALL; I MEAN ALL!!! Your information!!! ... then they start being careless and rude, and unprofessional! ... that's why big schools go out of business like that....... nobody knows what happened! Aha!!!! read more

THIS PLACE SUCKS!!! I went to school here and looking back on it, it was a total waste of money, there isn't anything you can learn here that you wouldn't learn from just working in the industry. Some of the Chefs are great, but the ones that are great are few and far between, most are just hacks that couldn't make it in the real world so they took the easy way out and became an instructor at CCA. The restaurant is disgusting, filled with egotistical students that don't listen to what they are told, never taste their food and very rarely practice good sanitation. It's a shame I wasted so much money on something I could have just learned by working in the industry. Sure you are paying all this money for the network, but sad to say, most of the chef instructors fall short on helping the students with even this. I have to agree with everything C. Double said. Definitely DO NOT go there if you are looking for an even remotely good lunch or dinner. DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY, if you want to become a chef, get a job in the industry, then at least you will be getting paid while you learn! read more

Honestly AS a student, I am offended at some of these reviews. The staff KNOW their stuff, they know what they are talking about, they WANT to help you. These people who say "Oh I cant get a job... TRY ABROAD! You can take your education anywhere you want. This school has not stuck with a 115 year old program because it is a failure. There must be something tight about it. Yeah some places wont take CCA students, placed like The French Laundry have a good intake of CCA students according to well, Chef Weller. To get an externship OR a job out of this school, you HAVE TO TRY! You cant expect the Chefs and school staff to help you ALL the way. Yeah they are helpful, and willing to help as much as they can, but that help can only be extended so far. Today a Chef instructor said "The Best Never Rest" And he is right, you need to work to be the best you can be... Honestly I am disappointed at some of these reviews... and for people who talk about the pay issue... IF YOUR IN TO THIS FOR MONEY! YOU ARE IN THE WRONG INDUSTRY! This is an art, a passion, not a large money maker. Yeah you can make good money, but there are trades that pay a LOT better, but for some it is not all about the money. read more

As a former student... I can say no thanks... I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND SCHOOL! I mean I went in thinking that I would be able to express my cooking talents, but no... I was not able to. Some of the chefs are mean.. Not to say all of them are, but ok I am a highly expressive person, I have a lip piercing, and one in particular in that school was really rude about it. AND made fun of my religion... which is not cool. This school I am sorry I did not care for it. read more

My Alma Mater! Yes, the reviews here are extremely mixed. But I must say one get out what one puts in. My career upon graduating, my record speaks for itself.....-) read more

Ok, I didn't go to school here. I just went here to eat the food. Maybe I went on a good day but really it's pretty good! Eating aspiring chef's special recipes= not so bad at all. My co-workers and I went on Friday. You have to make a reservation and it was PACKED. They had an assortment of foods. We started with the hot foods. What was a little disappointing was that the students didn't know how to answer us when we asked what something was. So of course, it made us not want to eat those things. Uh, didn't you cook it? How is it that you don't know what it is? We ended our lunch with crepes. Delicious. I've heard that they have a different menu every week. Worth the experience. read more

This review is in regards to the Carme Room, the restaurant at the academy where the students get to practice what they learn... Le Cordon Bleeeu. Fancy. There are 17 or 18 of us at this long table on one side of a fairly large banquet hall. We sit down, and the very first thing that happens is our waiter comes up and takes our drink order. I ask "what are my options?" The dude says "miss, we have a full open bar. Please order anything you like." WTF!!! That's so awesome! I dunno. I was expecting kind of a pared down version of a restaurant. Anyway, two vodka tonics later.... In the middle of the giant room are several tables with chefs standing behind them. There was a section with deserts, one with smoked salmon and other fish type foods, sushi, fruit, various pates (yeah I was all over that), breads, different types of green and carb salads, the list is unending. After two servings, I start filling up thinking, "hey, that was pretty good and worth whatever it is I'm supposed to be paying".... then my buddy Frank comes up to me and says "Whoa whoa, you didn't go to the hot room!" He turns around and points to the back of the banquet hall to this dark and practically fully stainless room with maybe a dozen other chef students serving guests. OMG. I practically ran over there. 1) Prime Rib. Tender is an understatement. It was so good, I went back for a second slice of PR after I was stuffed. The serving chef and I had done a bit of chatting when I first passed by, so this second round he said "I knew you'd be back for more!!!" and he cut me this enormous and wonderfully rare piece of PR. mm... 2) Various types of seafood grilled, stuffed, in cream sauce, etc. I didn't eat too much of this as I was so engrossed in my prime rib. 3) Veggies. I have never had brussell sprouts sauteed in bacon and scallions like this before. Dayam! 4) Chicken... grilled, baked, you get the picture. The evening was about options, except in this world all of your choices ended up being the perfect choice. read more

We went here for dinner and I felt like a total guinea pig. I didn't really care for anything except my main course, which was fish. It seemed like their dishes tried much too hard to be classy and fancy and just ended up being an appetizer/dessert/salad that were ingredients smashed together. Very few things complemented and most dishes clashed. I did like my fish though... I would order that again. And since their main entree wasn't too bad I can't complain much. But others in my party who ordered veal were disappointed. Glad I didn't order that.. Also the entire meal took much longer than dining at a normal, experienced restaurant. Hopefully the instructors and students will progress and learn from this because I plan to come back again and try new things! read more

Props to the students, the food was delicious. The intermezzo "dish" of apple sorbet....out of this world. I had the sablefish as my main entree-i had never heard of that type of fish until that night, and it's become one of my favorites. My rescinding of 1 star is because the manager was a prick-we just wanted someone to explain why our $25 for $50 groupon wasn't honored; turns out it only goes towards FOOD, not tax or mandatory tip (student fund). In the end, we only spent $35 on food-$15/person, plus a $5 glass of wine. And we didn't receive any kind of credit for the other $15 we deserved. But the food was still amazing, and all of the students were personable and very friendly. Manager, you could learn from them. read more

Le Cordon Bleu - Cooking Schools Near Me - San Francisco, California

See all

Luckily I did not go to this school. Thank God! As I looked into this place i realized it was wasnt the school for me. Reasons being are as follows: -TOO EXPENSIVE -Instructors are not that experienced LITERALLY! (if I can ice a cake smoother than their pastry chefs then something is wrong) -The atmosphere was bad, everyone looked so miserable -The school is misleading and forgets to tell you that cooks do not get paid much! -Dirty place -E X P E N S I V E The only thing you'll get out of this program is a big FAT BILL!!!! so my advice for those who are still there eat all the food you can at least you know where your tuition is going!!! read more

There are so many mixed reviews on here of CCA. I attended the school a few years ago and had a really wonderful time. This was my "grad school". I was moving out to Cali from Florida and had no idea what to do with my life. CCA brought out a passion in me that I was unaware of. Yes, it is expensive. Yes, they don't "tell" you that life will be difficult in the culinary world. But what career isn't difficult when you are just starting out with no experience? You do not walk out being a chef, that is a title you earn from years of experience. I went into it expecting exactly what I got out of it and have no regrets. I wish they didn't try to squeeze as many people as possible into each class (I was told the classes would be small and mine maxed out at 39, they actually had to remove 4 students since they overbooked the class). I really didn't like that they just allowed anyone with a high school diploma or GED into the school as many were fresh out of high school and didn't want to take it seriously. The teachers were incredible and I left with so much more knowledge than I ever thought. Thank you CCA for showing me my way. read more

I made reservations online with Open Table (a link on their website) for 12/8/11 6pm for dinner. just a nice quiet dinner to celebrate my birthday. i received an email from Open Table just to confirm and remind me of my reservation. i went to the restaurant, i was so pissed of and disappointed that there was a function scheduled and i wasnt even notified by Technique. There was lack of communication between Open Table and Technique Restaurant. They could have saved me the drive. My birthday was ruined. I had to find an alternative. I will not suggest this restaurant anymore and Open Table to make reservations!!! read more

For a culinary academy, I was expecting much better creations from the students. The appetizer buffet did not really have a large selection, items were just doubled up and placed strategically elsewhere. The main courses were far better than the appetizers and dessert offerings. For the price, you could do better elsewhere. Service is okay considering these are folks who are practising to do this for a living. read more

Its my fault for enrolling i knew this was going to happen. The school was not organized it was over priced. But the experience and the friends i made was the only positive thing i have to say. just go to city college and save alot of money. Right now im waiting on the economy to completely fall and hopefully the dollar Crashes. read more

Hands down one of my favorite spots in the city. Delicious food, great service and good price!! Please open for takeout.