| The big question: What sets US apart? |
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Northwest Culinary Academy was built with a chef instructor’s, not a corporate, mindset. Our approach is simple: we
teach the way we would want to be taught. Period.
We, the owners are your instructors, admissions and placement officers. We will work with you from enrolment,
through your instruction, to your employment.
We focus all our energy to only one group, one intake of students per term, not more.
As the instructor/owners of an intimate school, we teach our curriculum with freedom – the same freedom with which a
chef/owner of an intimate fine dining restaurant can perform their menu.
 Meet the Team |
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Q1. Do I need industry experience to be accepted?
No you don’t. We accept that a room full of students know more about food collectively than any chef
instructor. We value your life-long food experiences. We value the experiences and skills, even from nonfood
related work, you bring to the table. Because of this, you will be taught and treated as an adult.
Q2. Why don't you have a restaurant?
Our concentration is getting you ready for day one after graduation. We are one of the only schools without a restaurant. School restaurants can never duplicate the true expectations of the industry. Only simulate them. Our food ,our ingredients, our tables are intended for the most important paying customer: you, the student.
Q3. How can I get experience while in school?
Through our relationships with industry colleagues, we can connect you to “real” industry experience in many of Vancouver’s leading kitchens, whether in restaurants, hotels, or catering. While in school we arrange work observations in these various kitchens as a way to gain valuable, hands-on experience and ease into your new career.
Q4. Who can I talk to?
The Chef instructors/ Owners (in the video) Chef Tony and Chef Christophe. If you are in Vancouver we highly encourage you to book an appointment and visit our school. All our tours are conducted by one of the instructors/owners Chef Tony or Chef Christophe. You can contact them by email or phone (604.876.7653). During your tour you are welcome to wear a guest jacket, spend some time with us, and interact with our students. Our students are our reputation. We are loyal to them, so they are loyal ambassadors to the future of our academy. You can contact past or present students via email. Testimonials are just words. Get the straight answers you need from people like you, who were in your shoes.
Q5. Why are your programs more reasonably priced than other private culinary institutions?
The Academy is an independently owned school. It is fully owned by its two main chef instructors, Tony Minichiello and Christophe Kwiatkowsky, who are also the enrolment /placement officers. There are no shareholders or Head Office to answer to. This means low overhead. Your tuition is used towards faculty, kitchen ingredients and equipment, your education and nothing else.
Q6. Do your programs qualify for the Red Seal?
The Red Seal is the name for the national (Canadian) three year Apprenticeship Program (also called journeyman’s paper). The Red Seal is required for employment in most hotels and fine dining restaurants. Northwest Culinary Academy of Vancouver is the 1st and only private institute in British Columbia to be accredited to teach level 1 and 2 (other schools are government run such as Vancouver Community College and Malaspina College). Our Academy’s Professional Culinary Program qualifies a graduate for the 1st level. Our One Year Program qualifies a graduate for level 1 and 2. The final level requires a certain number of industry work hours before challenging the exam. This means our One Year Professional Culinary and Pastry/Bread Making Program fast-tracks a student towards the Red Seal faster than any other culinary institution.
Q7. Is your school accredited?
Yes, we have been Accredited with the Private Career Training Institutions Agency (of BC) “PCTIA” since 2005. All private post secondary schools must be Registered with PCTIA, however, being Accredited we must uphold a higher standard. This requires annual reviews of our programs and school by a member of PCTIA and 5 year audits by members of PCTIA and industry professionals.
Q8. What is your involvement with Rouxbe.com?
We are co-creators of the 1st and only cooking school online. We joined Rouxbe in 2007; since the beginning as part of the writing/editing team. Our role is to ensure that all that is filmed under the cooking school is relevant, precise, to the point, current and of high professional standards.
We believe culinary students are tactile learners. For these reasons we joined forces with Rouxbe.com in 2007 to develop the 1st ever Online Cooking School where each skill and technique is filmed in H.D. We are involved in the writing and editing in every single lesson you find under the “Cooking School” tab.
We have ensured that our students have an edge by being the only Professional Culinary School to have the license to give full access of this tool to our students (1 year fee included in tuition).
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