It is a cool place to go and learn all the way to know about culinary arts. The instructors are personable and help you in every way.

I'm currently a student here, and I'm very happy with my experience. The instructors are all professional, and certified by the ACF in their respective fields. I don't know that I've had an instructor who HASN'T worked as an executive chef or owned their own restaurant at some point. That insight into your future is very valuable. Every instructor I've had has infectious enthusiasm for teaching us their trade, and even though I work full time and it's exhausting me to go - I look forward to every class. My only complaints are tied to ECPI. CIV is actually the School of Culinary Arts for ECPI. ECPI's policies/support of the school are sometimes shady at best. First - during a blizzard in Virginia Beach, ECPI responded that "if 7-Eleven is open, we're open." Way to think about the safety of your students/instructors. I trekked in - and then STILL had to make up the class because of the instructors that said "screw this." Second, a lot is web-based. Not a problem - if ECPI could keep the internet up in the school. Internet goes down for HOURS at a time probably twice a week on campus. Third, for $36,000 per student - you think ECPI would let us keep our culinary books. NOPE. We've only got to keep 2 so far - and I'm in my 7th semester. Oh, and I have a Bachelor's Degree from the US Naval Academy, and I'm halfway through a Master's program at Embry Riddle, and ECPI only transferred 3 classes. It's all about the money! Very happy with Culinary Institute of Virginia, but wish they weren't associated with ECPI. read more

Sure I like to eat good food but I find it even more rewarding to spend time in my kitchen doing what I love and make it myself. I explored VB and Norfolk a year or so ago to find a way to increase my kitchen skills. Most options were to enroll in a cooking school to get an AAS or BA, been there done that, paid off those bills a long time ago. The C I of V told me about their Casual Gourmet classes. I have taken classes on Authentic Pub Food, Pizza Making with crust from scratch, breaking down many types of whole fish and now a three part class (3 hrs each) on recipes from Virginia Willis' cook book, "Bon Appetit, Y'all". Most of the students (we are all well into adulthood) already know at least the basics of cooking but we still learn things that we didn't know before. If you want to spend 3 hours some evening increasing your knowledge of cooking sign up for a class. Maybe I'll see you there. http://www.chefva.com/casual/index.cfm read more

Culinary Institute - My fourth Casual Gourmet class. - Cooking Schools Near Me - Norfolk, Virginia

A bored kid from Jersey and a State with not that much going on means that I took another Casual Gourmet... This time around it was "Mexican 101" which took place just before Cinco de Mayo. The class was headed up by the same Chef as before, Chef Jeff and this time was drastically different in the size of the class. This one was only five people, in addition one of my coworkers managed to make it out so a familiar face in the cafeteria holding area when you arrive. "The Good" - I love me some Mexican food... Its falls under the joke of How many dishes can you make with four ingredients.. but like a lot of things in life its not what you use but how you make it. - Again, the class started on time and a brief explanation of what we were going to learn to make, what was started already and how much time each phase would take. It is very comforting to know what is going on and the way the classes are run they let you know a game plan and help you get there.... this is just good attention to detail. - The menu consisted of things I would not normally order off of a Mexican Menu and one of my favorites. We had Ceviche, tamales (Which were amazing), shrimp and mushroom quesadillas and some kick ass pico de gallo., Fresh Chips. - We again demolished the finished meal at the end. - Chef Jeff knows that salt is a good condiment as opposed to something that should not be used... - There were just a handful of assistant's from the school helping this time around, but it was enough for the size of the class. - The smaller class is great, more interaction with the Chef and the Student Chefs was perfect. -There was an event going on in another class and the volunteers were talking about the five people making all the Mexican food and commented that they signed up for the wrong event. Also, when one of the Head Chefs comments on a tamale you know you are in some good company. - Chef Jeff did a great job and was able to calmly juggle everything going on with a barrage of questions, tasks to complete and the real world happening right outside the door. - The Student Chefs were fantastic and will make great additions to any kitchen they work at, they helped when they knew the answer, offered advise from the classes they learned already and were respectful enough to ask the Chef when they did not have the answer. Great people. - I did secure another CIV apron and may start to put some kill markings of the classes I have taken, yeah I have free time ;) "The Meh" - Due to time we could not work on the entire menu, I saw how the tamales were made and I have made them since, but I did not make them that night... I ate my fair share, but did not make any ;) "The Bad" - Again nothing bad to comment on, this really is something very cool to do. read more

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I came to the Institute to film a promotional video for Taste of Hampton Roads and I had the pleasure of meeting most of the people here. Chef Jonathan was very gracious and friendly and I had a really fun time meeting the students and the atmosphere is genuine and full of fun. I could tell that the students here really love to learn :) read more

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The Culinary Institute of Virginia (ECPI) is a complete waste of money and a total rip-off. If you are thinking about pursuing an "education" there - don't. You'll make more money and have a brighter future taking a job at a Chic Fila (and have zero debt) than you will with a "degree" from CIV. Many of the classrooms are chaotic, and non-conducive to adult education. We experienced problems with multiple instructors who were verbally abusive, yelled at students and demeaned them publicly, and were generally unable to foster learning friendly environments. Several of the instructors were ill prepared to manage the electronic posting and submission of assignments, and refused to give credit when electronically submitted assignments were corrupted by the website or lost. The local "employers" attending the CIV sponsored job fairs refused to offer anything other than part time work which paid $8 an hour or less to graduates and externs. My wife had an emergency medical situation on the Norfolk campus which forced her to take medications that made it unsafe for her to drive and was later accused of "skipping class" and "throwing her fellow students under a bus" by the instructor." There were security and safety issues on the Newport News Campus where students threatened or accosted other students but were not handled adequately and the perpetrators are not held responsible. CIV is a for profit business that delivers poor customer service, and a negative overall return on investment to its paying clients. If you are seeking a degree in the culinary arts, it is our opinion you would be much better served spending your hard earned money somewhere elsewhere. 22 months and over 10K in debt later: Putting my wife through CIV is one of the worst decisions we ever made and have to spend the next 20 years paying off :( read more

Going from Combat boots to Crocs has been an amazing journey in my life. I have had the most amazing instructors at CIV. Everyone is friendly and helpful when you need help. Experiences vary from person to person but I believe, it's all what you make of it. If you join the culinary community to just pick up a paycheck then this is not for you. But if you have a passion for food and love the culinary side of the working world then I highly suggest coming here. Everything is fast paced and prepares you for the most difficult kitchens. read more

I have been at CIV since April 2013 and so far have enjoyed every term so far. The chefs and faculty have been a great help and very informative. I would recommend this school to anyone who is looking to get into the industry and get a great education also. read more

I was looking for a change in careers after being a dental assistant for 10 plus years. I had already received my degree in another field but always found cooking a passion I wanted to learn more about. I found my way on to ECPI CIV web site and was contacted by a great counselor to tour the school. I have now been attending school since Aug and I absolutely LOVE IT!!!! The teachers (Chefs) have been more then helpful all you need to do is ask. As I have already attended college before my credits were easily transferred. I choose to do the morning program as it fits well with my schedule and they try to work with you as best as possible. I don't know about anyone else's experience but my class is large, its a class of 20 but I would not trade anyone of them in to have a smaller one. We have become a tight group as we learn together. I almost did not start on time because of finances but the Financial Aid Department and School worked with me to find how I could work in the program and I Thank them for that. I have yet to feel lost in the school like most other places where you are just a number, a check or a name. I have nothing but great things to say about ECPI Culinary Institute of Virginia in Norfolk and the staff that I have met so far. I would highly recommend this program to anyone and I do. If you are looking for a school I recommend this one. read more