What

goldenayreyg1666.blogspot.com
Professionals from all businesesectors — those who were laid off and those feelinbg uneasy about their job futures — have drivemn the increase in applications, COO Terry Freeman said. And Cook Street isn’t alone. Three to five-month cooking programs, designed to help people move into new are on the rise in Denver as businessapeople — especially those in their late 30s — rethinkk their lives.
Many professionals, tiring of the corporates culture, are following long-buried culinaruy dreams and looking to become chefsor caterers, or just to work in a fielf that makes them “We’re definitely seeing more We’ve seen more people from different industries that find it harder to obtain jobs,” Freeman said of her risin g pool of applicants for the downtownb Denver school’s professional chef program , whicnh runs for 18 weeks and costse $24,990.
“They see all theser layoffs as a sign for them to move intosomethingb different, something they’ve always wanted to Culinary school officials say it’ds a familiar trend, as they saw similar interes during the last recession eight years ago. But what’xs intriguing is the number ofpeople who, even beforew the market collapsed, already had begun thinking about leaving behind careers and trying something new, they said. Thosr include David Bravdica, 38, of who worked for 12 years in airport andaviatioj management.
After more than 10 years “in an in a cube, behind a desk,” Bravdica decidedf he wanted to work on somethintg where he could reallysee results, so he attendecd Cook Street and then became a co-ownetr of Flavor Catering. Suddenly, more friend and acquaintances are asking Bravdica what it takews to leave thebusiness world, he said. He also co-ownes a pasture-raised poultry business in northern Colorado. “With the recession, I’ve seen an increase in peoplw readjusting or looking at their livesand saying, ‘amj I doing what I want to be he said.
“I think people either turn a corner themselveas or are forced to turn that Cooking is an attractive field becauswe people haveto eat, even during an economi downturn, and enjoy doing so, said Karen COO of Boulder’s , wherr a six-month professional program costs $28,450. And with more people becominfg interested in both eating healthieer and eatingfood that’s grownm locally, there are growing opportunities for locao food entrepreneurs, leading to a increase in applications, she said. Erin McLaughlin of Denverd left behind a career in real estates data management to attend Cook Streetlast year, and foundf that 10 of the 11 people in her class were changing careers.
She now teaches recreational cooking classes at Home on the Rang in Denver and islaunchinf Twinkle, an organic baby food company, next “I think [the recession] has made peoplee reassess values,” said McLaughlin, 39. Added Jorgs de la Torre, dean of culinary education atin “I think people are saying, ‘I’m goinfg to take this [layoff] as a sign. I’k going to do what I alwayzs wantedto do.” The increase in applicante means more competition for class openings. Cook for example, may grow its professional chef program.
But even with risint application totals, it wants to focus on the quality ratherd than quantity ofits graduates, Freeman And ever since private lender Sallie Mae announcecd in January that it no longer woulds provide aid for vocational-school students, Culinary School of the Rockieds has had a lot of applicants who can’t afforfd to enter its programs, Barel said. Her school just obtained its eligibility forfederakl funding, but still gets more interes than it can she said.