This review is for their Blue Ribbon courses only. I attended a six hour, Saturday course for cooking a Tuscany menu. I purchased the gift card from Travelzoo at half price. So, based off what I paid and the food we ate, the skills we learned, and the class itself, I definitely recommend it. The class started at 9am and we spent 3 hours going through basics of cooking broccolini, cannelloni beans, prime rib, and a pine nut cake. We spent roughly 1.5-2 hours preparing the meal and eating it. For someone who has never taken a cooking course and a husband who is not adept at cooking, this made a great date and fun meal. Of course, I will not say it is for experts or someone looking to go into culinary schools. However, it was fun, different, and interesting. It was also a lot of work. Get ready to learn, sample, and produce. And, eat whatever you produce. Take notes. Come early because the location is totally confusing if you have never been. The instructors were very nice, knowledgable, friendly, and had fun tips. Maybe these are tips people already know who cook, but they were new and fun to me. I recommend this class for a somewhat adventurous spirit, as a couples' date, ladies' day out, or for people who want to check out what it feels like to work in a commercial kitchen. Do NOT go if you feel like you are a master chef already or you will be disappointed. Don't go if you don't want to cook or sit and learn for a few hours. The (I'm assuming) students helping were very nice and cleaned all your dishes, cleared your area, and helped out if you had questions. read more

Le Cordon Bleu - Pine nut cake - Cooking Schools Near Me - Austin, Texas

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This is a long one...I apologize. Basically--from start to finish, this "school" was a big scam. I attended the culinary program. The admissions guy, Brent, sold the program very nicely. Made it seem like I'd learn how to be a chef and be ready for a career in the industry, in fact, an externship was a requirement to graduate. I signed the papers and paid for the school...it was not cheap. Almost $20,000. One year and a half later all I have to show for it is a nice set of knives, some books, a $10 an hour job and a much lower credit score. My experience here was horrible. Several students left out of frustration. Most of the instructors seems knowledgable and had some experience in the restaurant industry. However--they would frequently arrive to class late. When everyone else is there at 7 am, it's frustrating when there is no instructor. Also--the curriculum was ridiculous. The instructors usually just read from the PowerPoint presentations that they barely knew how to operate and that obviously weren't prepared by them. We were presented with so much information and such little structure, I don't really understand that they really expected us to retain the information, rather they were just trying to cram as much into such a small amount of time. Needless to say, much of what was presented (if it wasn't written down) was useless. I suppose that we did work with some pretty good ingredients, it was occasionally fun and very, very easy. But that's not really what I was hoping for, exactly. The admissions director sold the school as being something completely different. There was no structure at all. We never even learned the basics of working in a kitchen or even the tools that we'd use in a kitchen. Frequently the instructors would just do everything themselves without explaining how they did it, simply because it was faster than having us do it. Having someone talk you through the process of making gnocchi is great, but it doesn't give you any of the skills you need for a job making pasta in a restaurant...because for that you need experience. When I started my externship (which I had to find completely on my own) I was completely unprepared for the position. I was able to pick it up, through the help of my employers. On top of my fairly disappointing education I received from Le Cordon Bleu, I also received quite a shock when I checked my credit report. The school had taken out almost $5,000 worth of loans that I had not authorized. The money was eventually returned to "the government" and I didn't end up owing them anything, but it stills shows up on my credit report. They did this without my consent. It was unacceptable. Litigation is probable. After all this, if you're still reading, realize...you will learn a few things about food at this school. But that comes at a price that is completely not worth it. This school will not prepare you for any type of job in the industry. Please save your money and your sanity--get an entry level job in a kitchen and move your way up. It's much easier than you'd imagine. If you do decide to attend school here, remember that you will be paying the school for two months while you work...which means that Le Cordon Bleu will be making money off you even when they've done nothing to help you. It's a very elaborate scam. These private schools need to be stopped. They prey on the poor and market to parents and people with good credit so that they can make money off your loans and putting you in debt. Don't become a victim. There are plenty of other options. read more

My son is a well respected Sgt, recently discharged from the U.S. Army after serving in Iraq, He along with his two oldest brother served. He has been to LCB several times to enroll in classes and has been getting the run around and also has been given different sets of instructions in relations to his H.S. studies and what to supply as far as documents are concerned.. I am waiting for a callback from the director of enrollment, since I work extensively with veterans in career development. I am saddened that the recruitment staff at LCB do not have their business as wired tight as they lead us to believe. My son is still jumping hoops to get into this program. If this is how Veterans are treated, then I will make it a point to share his experience with every veterans network that I am a part of. Very Disappointed to see my youngest son, go through this type of humiliation after serving his country so galently. I hope this Marine Dad will get some form of action as I do not want to have ill feeling about an organization I respect. But its now personal. read more

First let me start by saying no matter where you came from weather your wealthy ,a chef in a current kitchen a dishwasher barley starting off in the food industry , retiring from some other job or following your passion for food and cooking, YOU ONLY GET WHAT YOU PUT IN !!! Dnt expect to have amazing cooking skills and become a top chef magically out of thin air ! This is what I think half of the people who write horrible reviews assume when they come to their first week of class. These same People dnt like criticism about how terrible everyone's food is or how sloppy they are when starting off, most of us think we are awesome at cooking and dnt want some teacher saying otherwise. Some people drop out and won't even give it a chance cause they dnt come to class or hate having to take general education classes because they are required if you have no previous college education boohoo. I am a graduate of this school and throughout my entire two years of waking up at 6-10 am. I saw many people give up and drop out cause they couldn't hack it. Nothing is given to you. All of the teachers have owned or worked in restaurants their whole life's, really love food and to share their knowledge of cooking and management with you. Not to say it's easy and there weren't days I wanted to give up but I turned that into a learning experience of how much more intense it would be in a high end kitchen if I wanted to really be a chef one day! Career services is always trying to help you get prepared as soon as you start your first class and always stress getting a culinary job to help boost your resume and career in the culinary industry, if you dnt already have a culinary type job. I graduated in July 2015 and have been working my way up the ladder at various restaurants such as NoRth Italia in the domain and still get emails of available jobs at upcoming high end restaurants from career services. I will say no one should think they are going to start off as a Chef unless they already are one. Chef means Chief other wise in charge and if you can't handle coming to school and standing on your feet for four hours a day dnt even think you can run a kitchen .Chefs and cooks sometimes stay on their feet 14 plus hours and very often work double shifts and most holiday's. This school will instill that work ethic and confidence you need to work your way up to that level one day. They will not baby you and tell you that your food is great if it isn't. I've been I classes where students have gotten offended and walked out because the Chef told them the food they turned in was not edible or acceptable in some way . So if you can't handle constructive criticism this isn't the place for you . You have to realize that everything you make isn't perfect until they say it is! Despite what mommy tells you at home. They dnt do it to be mean but to prepare you for the real world. I had tons of fun at this school and would do it all over again. Show up on time make all your payments on time and listen to all the criticism they give you on our food. You will be 100% a better cook than when you went in, and will be well on your way to being a Chef if you continue this work ethic throughout your culinary exploration. Just remember NO ONE starts of at the top, it is something you have to EARN and be proud of when your given that title . My class started out with 22 plus people and by the time I graduated there where only 14 of us. So far everyone of my 14 graduating class mates has moved up to high positions in good restaurants or catering companies and all of us started at the bottom at one point. Some have even opened their own businesses and have food trucks, it's all up to how far you can push yourself and with a good foundation like this school to prep you for this industry, no one can stop you but you! read more

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Yo Yelp, could you loan me a 6th star??? I had the three course dinner for $10. I was with a large group and they could not accommodate the 5 courses for groups of 6+(???) This point is unimportant though because I was pleasantly surprised by the food. My meal began with the shrimp risotto. It was an impeccably executed risotto. Creamy without being over cooked. The shrimp were jumbo, plump and seasoned to perfection without being over done. I followed that by the filet with steak frites. Yes. For dessert I had the cheesecake with strawberry-rubarb compote with a chocolate drizzle. This cheesecake would easily cost $8+ at another restaurant. The wine list was also pretty diverse with all things considered. Glasses are $5 and bottles are $20. Nice flat rate. Atmosphere: it's a school. Think school cafeteria dressed up to look classy. It's a bit on the sterile side but I that's irrelevant if the food is good. It was. Ok so I don't have anything bad to say about this place. PLUS with these prices, even a poor grad student like myself can afford it. The service was great and the food was fine dining quality without question. This place is not to be missed. read more

This is the best cooking class I've taken in Austin primarily due to all of the hands-on experience and having complete access to a spacious professional kitchen and all its commercial amenities. The others have been at Central Market, The Natural Epicurean, Thai Fresh, and Make It Sweet. My friend and I took the 6-hour Bistro pastries and desserts workshop with a class total of around 15 students. This was the menu: Pear Tarte Tatin with Lavender Whipped Cream, Pistachio Macaron with Cherry Buttercream, Individual Chocolate Soufflés with Butter-Rum Sauce, Savarin/ Babas with Vanilla-Lillet Syrup and Mixed Berries. Chef Courtney Fuqua (taught on 2/20) was very friendly, competent, and provided excellent instruction. She was accompanied by her 2 competent sous helpers. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that 95% of the menu was to be made from scratch by yourself at your own personal station. It's a fantastic bonus that the sous helpers pre-prepped each station for each dish with the measured ingredients needed so you can focus on the actual cooking. It is a relatively fast-moving course with an hour lunch break provided by Le Cordon Bleu: delicious chicken salad sandwiches, light Mediterranean couscous, and salad. We didn't have time to make the lavender whipped cream and the staff pre-made the cherry buttercream and vanilla-lillet syrup we used. This could have easily been 6.5-7 hour course. They gave us boxes to take home all that we made. We could also take home the lavender whipped cream ingredients to make at our own leisure. I've always wanted a mixer but was hesitant to purchase one not knowing if I'd really have a use for it. This workshop has convinced me otherwise so now I own a KitchenAid mixer to make things like meringue and whipped cream at ease! I'm very disheartened to learn that Le Cordon Bleu is closing shop in all U.S. campuses and hope another culinary institute will make use of this wonderful campus and facilities. read more

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Five course dinner: $15. Can't beat it. I tasted about 75% of the menu, and most of it was great. My particular favorites were the onion soup, the lobster endive salad, the filet mignon, and the salmon. These dishes are made with quality ingredients and prepared well. The atmosphere is a an amalgam between a fine French restaurant and a school cafeteria. The waitstaff is very attentive and helpful, but they come off very nervous and shaky, as if their teacher is watching with a keen eye from across the room, grading their every move. Besides the sometimes uncomfortable service, the food was of very high quality. My only other complaint is the length of the dinner. I know it was five courses, but expect to spend a solid two hours there from the moment you walk in until you leave. The bottom line is that you can't get better food for $15. I'm penciling it into my regular dining schedule. read more

AMAZING EXPERIENCE!!! I went for a double date here a couple of weeks ago to try our hand at the fancy triple course menu. The students are incredibly attentive and we felt as though we were well taken care of. When you see a 3 course menu for only 13 and 5 course menu for 15, it's a little hard to believe that the food will come out in great portions and good size quantities, HOWEVER, we were very pleasantly surprised! My boyfriend and I decided on the 3 course menu and it was just right. Each course was not too overpowering, mouthwatering, and left us craving the next dish. All three portions together definitely leave you full, and you feel as though you really got your money's worth, if not more! The restaurant is suppose to change its menu every 6 weeks as students rotate out through the place. I would recommend it to ANYONE who would like a high quality meal at a incredibly reasonable price. Be sure to extend your compliments to the chef, they are students that are working their way to graduation! As for reservations go, I think we reserved at the beginning of the week for a Friday dinner, we didn't have much trouble, so not so sure how it works if you try the day of/or a couple of days in advance!! read more

Great instructors, mired by corporate BS. Can be pricey especially if the student population is low. Ask about all expenses to include second year expenses or you may get a surprise bill. The staff for the most part is helpful some of the reception team is not always friendly. Good school overall. Diverse student body. read more

7 friends and I got 5 courses for $15. About $18 with tax and tip, but a good deal and the food was pretty good. Didn't blow my mind, but very good for the price, and the ambiance was pretty fancy. The whole meal did take at least 2 hours, even though I felt like we moved from course to course pretty fast. They had this awesome foccacia bread that was a tiny bit spicy and loaded with olive oil. I love bread. Their three onion soup was alright, not to my taste because it just was too salty so I didn't finish it. It was like.. a stew. Technique salad was great, not too much dressing and the lobster salad was good (although there were only 3 small chunks of lobster. Gazpacho was tasty too. Their salmon was awesome medium well but I didn't really dig the carrot puree and cabbage that it sat on. Profiteroles were delish and were pretty much like cream puffs but in mini ice cream sandwiches. Twas interesting watching the dessert chef slice and peel two whole bananas using a knife and fork. Just kidding, it was only interesting for half of the first banana. All of us were stuffed when we left. The chef was even nice enough to split a check among 8 credit cards, which was pretty sweet. I've heard it gets pretty busy with reservations and all, but on a Thursday evening around 6 it wasn't full at all. Waiters were very smiley, maybe a bit nervous but nice. If there was a 3.5 star option, that's what I would pick. Would probably come back! read more

In 1895 the original Le Cordon Bleu was started in Paris France. It has a rich history and noted for rigid standards and excellence. As of late the school has suffered from corporate greed and throughput is the primary focus. HOWEVER keep reading as this school has both positives and negatives and you should weigh them equally. - Instructors: The instructors are very professional and have some impressive backgrounds. They are certified through ACF (American Culinary Federation). MOST are reasonable and will work with students and help them through any issues they have. - Campus: Great Kitchen Labs that are well stocked. Library is woefully lacking and you cannot check out books as there is not a full time librarian that covers the site. There are a few librarians that cover all the campuses. The Computer Lab is small and cramped. -Admin Staff: Mixed reviews here. Some have been marginally helpful, others have been downright rude and worthless. I personally try to avoid anyone there without a Chef Coat. I have witnessed admin staff brush past students in a buffet line with a air of self importance and not even a "excuse me". I have on more than one occasion been told I would be helped but been left waiting and treated like I was stupid when the problem was out of my control to fix. Curriculum: What you would expect from culinary school. Don't expect to breeze through. Learn APA style of writing and you should do fine. These are college level courses you are expected to produce college level effort. They have both Certificate and Degree programs in culinary and baking, as well as management. -The fine print: Read the fine print though!!! It clearly states on the home page "Credits earned are unlikely to transfer". Meaning one of two things either what you bring to the school wont transfer, (which I heard has happened) or your credits from Le Cordon Bleu won't transfer elsewhere. The School is recognized under Council for Higher Education Accreditation by another service. This is in turn recognized by the U.S. Dept of Education. Overall: I am getting a good education but I am let down a bit as I expected a more rigid environment when it came to student conduct and appearance standards. There is much to learn here but it DOES NOT MAKE YOU A CHEF. You have to earn that the old fashion way working your way up in the industry. However it does give you a solid foundation to stand on and a slight advantage over your peers in the job market. read more

The school itself seems really awesome, and I'm super excited to start!! But there's this lady named Jessica.... And she was a total bitch. She kinda ruined the experience for me, and you should fire her. It's a shame you let people like that work for you. Everyone else gave me a great experience though!! Not trying to bash the school. I just feel like that should be brought to your attention. She didn't even know what she was talking about, and tried to make me feel bad for asking questions. She was lazy and useless. Just letting you know... Look out for her! read more

If you are thinking of going to school here, THINK TWICE! It is a huge rip off. The way that the curriculum is set up is awful. Let me break it down for you. Each class is 6 weeks long. Every other day you cook something that you most likely will not cook again, during the class. They cram as much info. as they can into each class, making it nearly impossible to retain any of the information they throw at you. (I don't know about you, but I learn the best, from repetition. There will be no such thing at Le cordon bleu.) Every single day of class I couldn't help but shudder at how I was just throwing money away, and not being given a chance to really retain any information that was barely mentioned. You are not provided with the necessary tools, ever. For example: there are 19 students in a class there will be 7 sets of tongs on a production day. (Although this maybe the only thing that comes close to resembling an industry norm, it just doesn't cut it when you are paying $20,000 or $40,000 for school depending on your selected program.) The last 2 or so months of school you will actually be afforded the opportunity to learn, because you will be doing an externship outside the walls of Le cordon bleu. You will not be equipped with the knowledge that you need. Oh yeah and you will be accumulating more debt during this time, because you are still an enrolled student. You will not step foot on campus at this time, and it will be when you learn the most. Imagine that. Onto the chef instructors. This is where burnt out hotel chefs go to die. (Not really die. They are there to catch a paycheck, but they are certainly burnt out.) Even the few who do care about your education can't do a thing to help. Their hands are tied by the curriculum, and corporate structure. They will verbally express this. Your classmates will Consist of society's outcasts. These people seriously have zero social skills. While attending school here I often wondered if the schools headhunter staff nabbed these kooks straight out of the looney bin. Some are ex military (low ranking, I can only imagine) and most blend right in with previously stated group, but with more of a chip on their shoulder. The entire time I was at Le cordon bleu it genuinely felt like I was living in the twilight zone, or some circus side show. Your class will have way too many people in it and most will be unfavorable crazies. In conclusion I would just like to state that I'm not usually and Internet ranter, but when it comes to Le Cordon Bleu I felt compelled to write a review. People if you are reading this, take my advice. This review is as real as the persistent phone calls you will receive from the headhunters at the school, pressuring you to enroll as soon as you inquire. DON'T DO IT. If you want to get into the restaurant industry get a job in a kitchen and work your way up. You would be after attending Le cordon bleu anyway. Don't throw your money away people You can get a job and get paid to learn everything you won't at Le cordon bleu. read more

It's impossible to get into this place. They are on this reservation system that only allows two tables per hour or something and you cannot get a reservation unless you plan a week in advance. Also, the reservation system will not even make a reservation for 1. It has to be 2 or more. That is discriminating against single diners. Can't say whether the is good or bad cause I have yet to get in. I got a gift certificate for this place when I took a cooking class but I guess I'll never get to use it. :( read more

My experience with this school was bitter sweet. Although my instructors were great the school and it's practices are not. I started school in 2010 with a lot of promises from recruiters that weren't employed there a year into school. They also informed us about their associates program was going to be discontinued. They closed down their bookstore,Library,Student center,and restaurant. OMG!! where did my tuition money go? We were the last associates class. We could not retake any classes because they would not be offered. That really bothered some people with kids or simply emergencies that had to take a break from school. When my living situation was compromised i had trouble getting housing. When i went for help i got the cold shoulder from advisers telling me there was nothing they could do.My final class was the restaurant class which we didn't have. We had a deli making french fries and sandwiches everyday taught by a chef. A total ripoff!!! No restaurant fine dining training as promised. Unfortunately i had to leave school right before my externship because i still owed 7,000 on my tuition. I did not want to go more in debt. when i asked about getting a certificate instead of my associates since i had been in school for two years. I was told i would have to re-enroll and pay again. Total bull!! Know I'm left with student loans and no associates or certificate from the school. Oh but they used all my money. read more

this school is horrible u have only 6 weeks to get 180 hours total and pay 300 dollars for a retake of that course. u try to give them the hours u need when u just paid them and told them that u will give it to them as soon as possible and sends u an email on the day they tell u for last day to turn in or will be suspended the next day that is wrong and messed up. they dont teach much for cakes if u are interested being a cake decorator they narrow so much and shorten everything in 6 weeks i felt like i didnt learn anything and my boss has to teach me things this school didnt teach me during my internship that i was in and still am and im going to be dropped today and hopefully i can turn my hours in and not get dropped if im dropped waste of 7000 dollars total to pay them and 300 to get a retake and working hard to give them the hours i need to turn them in its a shame and sad what is going on right now with this school i dont recomend going to this school save 1750 dollars for soemthing else or a different school u wont learn much here especially sugar pulling one day to learn it thats it and done its sad and bad school i thought it was a great school but i was wrong read more