ADMISSIONS
WHAT IS AN APPRENTICE?
WHAT IS A NON-APPRENTICE REGISTRANT?
HOW MUST INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS APPLY?
WHAT ARE THE PREREQUISITES FOR ADMISSION?
WHY DO I NEED SIX MONTHS' WORK EXPERIENCE FOR ADMISSION?
HOW CAN I GET THE SIX MONTHS' WORK EXPERIENCE?
DO I NEED TO BE AN APPRENTICE BEFORE ENTERING THE PROGRAM?
HOW LONG IS THE PROGRAM?
DOES THE SCHOOL HELP STUDENTS OBTAIN AN APPRENTICESHIP?
HOW MANY STUDENTS ARE ENROLLED EACH YEAR?
WHAT IS THE AGE RANGE OF STUDENTS?
DOES THE SCHOOL OFFER ACCOMMODATION?
WHAT ARE MY CHANCES OF FINDING A JOB WHEN I GRADUATE?
WHERE HAVE OUR GRADUATES WORKED?
CAN I TOUR THE SCHOOL?
FINANCIAL AID
WHAT TYPES OF FINANCIAL AID ARE AVAILABLE FOR THE STRATFORD CHEF SCHOOL PROGRAM?
ARE THERE STRATFORD CHEFS SCHOOL SCHOLARSHIPS AND BURSARIES FOR WHICH I COULD APPLY?
CURRICULUM
WHAT IS A TYPICAL DAY LIKE AT THE SCHOOL?
CAN I WORK WHILE I ATTEND SCHOOL?
DO YOU OFFER PART-TIME COURSES OR COURSES JUST IN PASTRY OR FOOD STYLING?
ABOUT THE STRATFORD CHEFS SCHOOL
WHAT IS THE HISTORY OF THE SCHOOL?
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF ATTENDING?
IS THERE AN ACTIVE ALUMNI ASSOCIATION?
WHAT IS LIFE LIKE IN STRATFORD DURING THE WINTER?
HOW CAN I CONTACT THE SCHOOL?
As in any profession, an apprentice at Stratford Chefs School is a student who has decided to pursue a career through the traditional model of learning from masters.
Apprentices are registered with Ontario’s Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities.
To be eligible for apprenticeship with the Ministry a student must:
· be 18 years of age or over
· have a high school diploma (or equivalent)
· be a Canadian citizen
For more information visit www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/tcu/apprentices/faq.html
A non-apprentice registrant is someone who attends the Stratford Chefs School but is not eligible for apprenticeship.
Non-apprentice registrants must pay the full amount of their tuition, although they may be eligible for grants or bursaries
International students must apply as non-apprentice registrants.
The Stratford Chefs School program is identical regardless of whether you are an apprentice or a non-apprentice registrant.
Both apprentices and non-apprentice registrants must be able to perform physically demanding tasks involving long hours of standing, lifting and quick movements, as the kitchen environment requires. For more information see Admission Requirements
The program requires hard work, long hours and stamina. Previous restaurant experience gives applicants a realistic view of a professional kitchen environment as well as some basic kitchen skills.
The best way is to apply for a job in a restaurant kitchen. If you are unsure where to start, choose a restaurant where you like the food and speak to the chef or manager, outlining your intentions. You may also contact us for some suggestions.
Our 2009 application deadline is August 1, 2009 To apply, click here
No. A representative from the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities will be present at Orientation Day to formalize an apprenticeship contract for each student.
If you are already a registered apprentice, you will receive a new apprenticeship number and any apprenticeship hours you have already accumulated will be transferred.
The program is divided into two levels. Level 1 runs for 16 weeks, from November through February. After completing Level 1, students are responsible for securing their own apprenticeship job placements from April to October, before returning to complete Level 2, which runs for 16 weeks, November through February. Students graduate after the end of February.
The School provides students with a list of recommended restaurants in Ontario, which are willing to hire apprentices. Apprentices must secure their own placement and are not limited to the establishments listed.
The Stratford Chefs School will also provide guidance if a student is interested in what’s known as a stage opportunity. A stage allows a student to gain unpaid work experience under chefs in the kitchens of well-known restaurants. Our students have stagedacross Canada and in France, New York and California.
The School accommodates at most 74 students, with about 37 students in each level.
Our youngest students are 18. Some attend immediately after post-secondary education. Others join us at older ages when they are looking to make a career change.
The School prepares a list of rental accommodations in Stratford. Many of the places listed operate as bed and breakfasts during the rest of the year. Prices average between $350 and $500 per month. Students must find and arrange their own accommodations.
We have a 100 percent placement rate. The Stratford Chefs School is widely respected within the industry as one of the best chefs schools in Canada. Our students and alumni are in high demand and immediately employable. We post job openings as they become known, both in the office and on the alumni section of our website.
Our graduates have worked in many of the world’s top restaurants: Jamie Kennedy's Wine Bar (Toronto), The Old Prune (Stratford), Rundles (Stratford), Scaramouche (Toronto), Eigensinn Farms (Singhampton, Ont.), Splendido (Toronto), Araxi (Whistler, B.C.) Café Paradiso (Cork, Ireland), Oliveto (Oakland, California), Daniel Boulud (New York City) and others. Many of our graduates have opened their own restaurants or catering companies, and others work as sommeliers, consultants, food stylists, product developers and teachers.
If you are interested in speaking to a graduate, please contact us and we will try to find a graduate in your community.
We offer an Open House Program for prospective students from November until the end of February. To find out more, please click here.
Please visit the Financial Aid section of the website.
A limited number of entrance bursaries are available to students entering Level 1 of our program. Please visit the Financial Aid section of the website.
Several scholarships and bursaries are available to students entering Level 2. An application for bursaries and scholarships can be obtained from the Financial Aid section of our website.
In Level 1, Practical Cookery classes take place from 8:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. Theory classes run from 1:30 to 4:45 p.m. Practical Cookery, Pastry classes and Restaurant Labs are held in the evenings from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m.
There’s no rule against it, but the time commitment for our program – classes, lab work and assignments – would make outside work very difficult to take on.While attending School, students are eligible for employment insurance www.servicecanada.gc.ca and a representative from Human Resources Development Canada is available on Orientation Day to help set this up. It is not possible to work and receive EI payments.
We offer only the full-time program; part-time courses are not available. Pastry, Pastry Theory and Food Styling courses are important parts of the curriculum but are not offered separately.
Since 1983 when we opened, we have been setting the standard of excellence in culinary training in Canada. The School is unique – it is the only culinary institute in the country that is operated by working restaurant professionals. That’s why our curriculum is current and relevant – we keep in step with changing market developments in the restaurant industry.
· Being able to look forward to a 100 percent job-placement rate upon graduation
· 535 more hours of in-school training than you’ll find anywhere else in Canada. Each of the School’s two terms runs for 16 weeks, and each term is four weeks longer than the provincial standard. Prospective employers recognize the substantial advantage of those hours.
· Our vision is to help people experience, enjoy and understand the gastronomy of our time.
WHY?
So that our graduates can play a key role in developing a distinctively Canadian food culture.
· The School's own faculty of restaurant owners and chefs is exemplary.
· We offer frequent opportunities to work with guest chefs from across the country and around the world. In other words, you’ll learn from the best.
· Our students make connections that will help further their careers.
· Distinctive and enriched, our learning program covers every aspect of gastronomy and culinary craftsmanship
Yes. The alumni association publishes an annual newsletter (Alumni Amuse), which celebrates the School's 450-plus graduates with news, profiles, interviews, event listings and more. Graduates have access to the alumni section of the website, which includes job postings exclusive to our alumni.
Stratford is a small city of 30,000, about an hour and a half west of Toronto. It’s known for its world-class theatre and its culinary excellence makes it a destination for food lovers from around the world.
For more about Stratford, visit the city's website www.city.stratford.on.ca
Stratford, only a few hours from the Niagara wine region, is surrounded by some of Canada's most productive and lovely farmland. Crowned in 1997 by Nations in Bloom as “the prettiest city in the world,” Stratford straddles the Avon River and is named for Stratford-upon-Avon, England, birthplace of William Shakespeare. In winter the city is just as pretty, with snow glittering from church spires and treetops.
The Stratford Shakespeare Festival, established in 1953, transformed this former railway town into a magnet for artists and writers, academics and journalists.
A cultural haven, Stratford was an obvious place to establish the Stratford Chefs School, which has in turn attracted some of the country's finest chefs and food service specialists.
It’s no surprise that a large number of visitors make an annual pilgrimage to Stratford for theatre and restaurants that rival the best on the continent.
DOWNTOWN
One of the city’s greatest charms is its leisurely pace. Stratford is a city in name only — in truth it’s a rarity: a rural town with a vibrant cultural core. Its historic downtown, organized around a Victorian City Hall, offers a surprising array of unique boutiques, professional offices, book stores, a public library, banks, galleries, bars, hair salons and, of course, food venues.
LOCAL ATTRACTIONS
· For art aficionados, the city offers a number of commercial galleries and studios. Gallery Stratford and Gallery 96 both exhibit works year round by visiting and local artists. During the theatre season an outdoor art exhibit is a regular feature in a park adjacent to the river.
· Stratford's historic neighborhoods feature many well-preserved Victorian houses, some of which become winter residences for Stratford Chefs School students.
· The area surrounding Stratford is home to farmers' markets and artisan food producers, many of whom are direct suppliers to the School.
NIGHTLIFE
· Stratford bars and pubs are popular spots for winding down after a long day or for rubbing shoulders with the theatre community after a performance.
· After theatre season ends, many performers give their time and talents to fun charity events on winter evenings.
· For music fans, a variety of venues around town feature jazz, folk, blues or chamber music, with local or visiting musicians and singers.
· Regular movies at the Stratford Cinema are complemented by a monthly film series hosted by Gallery Stratford, which also offers courses in art and photography as well as a free lecture series.
· One of the highlights of winter in Stratford is the Chefs School Dinner Club. Residents who join enjoy dinners and lunches prepared by the School's students.
SPORTS & OUTDOOR RECREATIONAL ACTIVITIES
· Biking
· Hiking
· Cross-country skiing
· Snow-shoeing
· Golf, curling and hockey at Stratford's Country Club and arena
· Swimming at the YMCA’s indoor pool, where students 24 years and under are offered a reduced membership rate
· Pilates, yoga, step and weight-training at variety of other downtown fitness centres