Professional Culinary
Arts Diploma
(15 Weeks)

First and foremost, we look for smart, diligent learners. The majority of our students have post-secondary education and a penchant for learning and research, are intellectually disciplined to come to class mentally ready, take good notes, and tune in to the theory. But post-secondary education is not a requirement. Being a mature, focused, and keen learner certainly is.

Secondly, we look for a solid work ethic – this is a demanding field. We expect you to be self-disciplined and focused for long periods of time. We take attendance seriously (please read application) …just as our industry colleagues do. Missing a day in a professional kitchen puts your team at a distinct disadvantage. It’s no different here.

And perhaps just as important, we look for mature, considerate human beings. Everyone is different, coming from various backgrounds and experience levels, and not every day will be a perfect day. We foster the virtues of patience and mindful communication, something this industry can use more of. We’re not a “Yes Chef!” kind of school, but instead take a higher road when it comes to dealing with complex human interactions and its challenges.

No, we are a school after all, not a restaurant. And it’s not as if you were born yesterday and are new at the concept of food and cooking. We can do a lot with your obvious passion for food, but we do expect you to fully understand and appreciate the intensity and work ethic of this profession. If you do have industry experience, that’s great, but we expect you to clean the slate and learn with a completely open mind. Often we’ve had to work harder with students who were convinced they knew better.

Foremost, we are committed to the most important part of your education: our attention and support. Our low student-teacher ratio affords that. Being owners as well, it affords going the extra mile, and this is what separates us from any school model.

We talk to you as an adult and peer, never down to you. The allows us to best support you through inevitable mistakes. Some other chef-instructors emphasize the “chef” in their title and the “realities” of their industry experience. We emphasize the “instructor” in ours and the reality of your education. This is about you!

Finally, Northwest is a student-driven school. We elicit your feedback and use the information to stay ahead of the curve. It’s a practice many smart chefs are adopting in their industry kitchens to maximize intellectual and creative output. It’s also what smart businesses – and especially schools – do.

Average student age = 26.5
% of females/males: 55/45 (historically)
% of international students = 25%
% of students with post-secondary education = 75%
% of career changers = 65%
% of curriculum that changes term to term: 10%
% of attrition: 4% historically (usually due to personal reasons)
% of students who successfully graduate: 95%
% who find work in the industry: never heard of a student who could not find work.
% who still work in the industry years after graduation: too difficult to determine, but this is a legitimate question, as this is an industry that provides opportunity but does not do a great job sustaining its own people. Which is why we encourage our students to take an entrepreneurial approach to their career, and this has proven to be effective in encouraging our grads to take advantage of their first few years in the industry and always plan for “owning” your craft one day. The other thing to consider is how to define “the industry”. We have had students who works as farmers, in education, health and nutrition, in wineries, bed and breakfasts, and run their own successful food photography/social media businesses. To us, the industry of food is changing – even though it may not fit under a “traditional” model.

Yes, we formally teach the fundamental math of a food business, and throughout the course we do creative exercises which address the parts and mechanisms of smart business sustainability. Moreover, we showcase the school itself as a solid and forward-thinking business model, from inception to evolution, often referring to our in-house business practices. We formally discuss how to plan and execute your business idea one day, bringing to your attention things books don’t talk about, like mechanical engineers, city hall codes, social media, and what connections to make before signing a lease. As owners, we make such information more transparent and digestible, and make ourselves available at any point to discuss your ideas. Many of our successful grads with their own businesses have done just that.

Firstly, our kitchen design allows us to get more performed in a day than most schools, and we put more instructor bodies on the floor to achieve this. Second, we put our students to work on Day 1 and treat them as highly-focused mature adults – not “kids” – who can absorb and achieve an intensive pace. The reality is that this profession IS intensive, requiring the ability to absorb, adjust, and integrate quickly. In other words, we reflect this intensity, which is why focus, attendance, and commitment to your education is vital to your success moving forward.

Yes. Culinary students qualify for Level I of their Red Seal after completing a practical and theory exam. The exams are written and practical performed at our school AFTER graduation at an assigned date. And we can then sponsor our grads for their hours in the industry (anywhere in the world) towards their Level II & III.

Simple. Our industry colleagues do. Why pay full tuition for what you can and ought to be learning in real industry surrounded by people who show you serious craft? We connect our students in various professional kitchens for after-class work observations (on a volunteer basis). This begins your networking, your understanding of various styles of industry kitchens, and these observations count towards Red Seal hours. We do, however, convert our school into a “restaurant” setting for the practical final exams, where students create and serve a 12-course tasting menu served to their guests and our colleagues. Yes, 12!

A lot of our produce is organic, sourced from places such as Glorious Organic Farms and Barntson Farms. We source local when possible, and often purchase the old-fashioned way: by shopping ourselves. We apply a strict total utilization and waste management program to maximize our privilege with these ingredients. Any food leftover from our daily practice is used in house for our other programming or donated to our neighbours in Mount Pleasant.

The range is quite global: Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, Latino, Asian, classical French, Indian, etc.. The common language is techniques, but we also delve into modern and ancient practices. What characterizes Northwest cuisine, or its approach to food, is its open-mindedness to seek and learn and execute new styles regularly.

Yes, but only at an introductory level. We do taste a few throughout the term. And we taste some local beer too.

Over the years our students have initiated practices which we as culinary instructors had not considered, let alone been taught by our past. Fermentation has become a big topic of interest, Sandor Katz, the fermentation guru, spoke and demonstrated at our school years ago and we still make his kimchi and many of our own fermented and preserved products. And there are skills we have discovered which give students a greater advantage moving forward. For example, encouraging more precise drawing to express ideas, use of media to expedite demos, open discussion of less-than-fair industry practices, video projects, how to stay healthy in a profession that taxes the body, simple yoga poses and stretches to mitigate back, knee, and shoulder pain, and discussing the food experience after it is swallowed (over 40 nutrition practitioners have graduated from Northwest over the years).

Yes, but due to the intensive nature of the program we HIGHLY recommend no more than 20 hours per week, and depending on our assessment of your application, none at all. Leaving learning behind makes no sense to your educational investment.

We are very centrally located in a residential area (known as Mount Pleasant) where many students from all schools live. We are also very easily accessible from any point in the city. For those coming out of town, we recommend finding an apartment to live nearby the school. Keep in mind Vancouver is considered an expensive city for rent so, depending on the time of year, this could impact where you live.

Northwest Culinary Academy of Vancouver is a designated institution, certified by the Private Training Institutions Branch.