The Cascade Culinary Institute (part of Central Oregon Community College) is the best culinary school on the west coast due to it's brand new facility, amazing faculty, one on one time with students and broad learning experience of various cuisine around the world. I am able to come there everyday looking forward to going to school and delving into the world of pastry! Our chef instructors continue to promote our education and help us achieve our goals as future chefs.
Do you have any tips for prospective students?
Don't compete! Yes, you want to be the best you can and strive to impress, but don't drive yourself crazy by trying to beat everyone else. Everyone has their own ways of learning and completing assignments. Soak it up like a sponge and have fun! Be willing to compromise with classes you may not be the most happy about. More than likely, those classes can help improve your resume and job opportunities int he future! Get involved with clubs, activities, events etc. There are tons of opportunities to network with people in the business who could change your life!
Do you find there’s enough academic rigor at your school?
Personally, baking and pastry comes pretty naturally. I've only had difficulty with a few classes that have much more challenging obstacles. But I learn differently from other; many need to practice practice practice to finally get the skill down. A final reason I only gave 4 stars to rigor is you get to eat your homework! What's easier than that?
Describe the dorm life at your college.
There are dorms on the COCC campus but most students live out on their own. It's not a terribly big dorm community. I also don't know much about them; thus, I can't give a true rating. But I know they are there and readily available!
Describe the food and dining at your college.
We have our own restaurant called Elevation. It is fine dining and student run. We serve lunch and dinner Wed-Fri, with lunch being al a carte and dinner being prix fixe meals. The menu changes every semester giving our community only the best local Oregonian food! All students (culinary and baking/pastry) rotate through the kitchen, bakery and dining room to get a full education on an operational restaurant. and we have lots of FUN!
What’s there to do for fun at your college?
Every semester, there are numerous events to volunteer at and network with students and other chefs. Many of these events can be found through the Culinary Club and the Student Ambassadors Program. We travel throughout Central Oregon and sometimes out of state to promote the school and teach others about food. Examples are Bite of Bend, ProStart, High School get togethers, Meal of the Year, Taste of the Town etc... We also like to go to local restaurants and get to know students and teachers outside of school.
Besides food, we also live in Bend (which in Oregonian means OUTDOOR FUN!). There is so much culture and so many activities to do in Central Oregon it's ridiculous.
Do you feel you’re getting value for the money you’re spending on college?
CHEAP!! Compared to many culinary schools in the US, it is one of the cheapest with the best education. Highly recommended if you want to save money!
CCI won an award for sustainability just a couple months ago. We strive to use local ingredients for our restaurant and learning purposes. We have one baking and pastry kitchen, one culinary foundations kitchen, and our advanced kitchen which doubles as the restaurants kitchen. We have a beautiful restaurant, Elevation with indoor and outdoor seating. There is a view into the kitchen so you can see your meal being prepared! We also have a library, storeroom, offices and our halls are decorated with art from students in the upper campus. It's like a museum!
Share any unusual traditions or locations on campus
We have the walk of steel every year for graduation. Students make two lines down the hall and raise their knife sharpening steel. Then graduates walk through the tunnel into their culinary careers!
Every midterm (once a semester) we have our Midterm Celebration (Midterm buffet). Every classes midterm is displayed in our restaurant and then we eat it! We have some presentations from students about events they have participated in and family is welcome to join.
Which types of students will excel at your college?
The Cascade Culinary Institute (part of Central Oregon Community College) is the best culinary school on the west coast due to it's brand new facility, amazing faculty, one on one time with students and broad learning experience of various cuisine around the world. I am able to come there everyday looking forward to going to school and delving into the world of pastry! Our chef instructors continue to promote our education and help us achieve our goals as future chefs.
Don't compete! Yes, you want to be the best you can and strive to impress, but don't drive yourself crazy by trying to beat everyone else. Everyone has their own ways of learning and completing assignments. Soak it up like a sponge and have fun! Be willing to compromise with classes you may not be the most happy about. More than likely, those classes can help improve your resume and job opportunities int he future! Get involved with clubs, activities, events etc. There are tons of opportunities to network with people in the business who could change your life!
Personally, baking and pastry comes pretty naturally. I've only had difficulty with a few classes that have much more challenging obstacles. But I learn differently from other; many need to practice practice practice to finally get the skill down. A final reason I only gave 4 stars to rigor is you get to eat your homework! What's easier than that?
There are dorms on the COCC campus but most students live out on their own. It's not a terribly big dorm community. I also don't know much about them; thus, I can't give a true rating. But I know they are there and readily available!
We have our own restaurant called Elevation. It is fine dining and student run. We serve lunch and dinner Wed-Fri, with lunch being al a carte and dinner being prix fixe meals. The menu changes every semester giving our community only the best local Oregonian food! All students (culinary and baking/pastry) rotate through the kitchen, bakery and dining room to get a full education on an operational restaurant. and we have lots of FUN!
Every semester, there are numerous events to volunteer at and network with students and other chefs. Many of these events can be found through the Culinary Club and the Student Ambassadors Program. We travel throughout Central Oregon and sometimes out of state to promote the school and teach others about food. Examples are Bite of Bend, ProStart, High School get togethers, Meal of the Year, Taste of the Town etc... We also like to go to local restaurants and get to know students and teachers outside of school. Besides food, we also live in Bend (which in Oregonian means OUTDOOR FUN!). There is so much culture and so many activities to do in Central Oregon it's ridiculous.
CHEAP!! Compared to many culinary schools in the US, it is one of the cheapest with the best education. Highly recommended if you want to save money! CCI won an award for sustainability just a couple months ago. We strive to use local ingredients for our restaurant and learning purposes. We have one baking and pastry kitchen, one culinary foundations kitchen, and our advanced kitchen which doubles as the restaurants kitchen. We have a beautiful restaurant, Elevation with indoor and outdoor seating. There is a view into the kitchen so you can see your meal being prepared! We also have a library, storeroom, offices and our halls are decorated with art from students in the upper campus. It's like a museum!
We have the walk of steel every year for graduation. Students make two lines down the hall and raise their knife sharpening steel. Then graduates walk through the tunnel into their culinary careers! Every midterm (once a semester) we have our Midterm Celebration (Midterm buffet). Every classes midterm is displayed in our restaurant and then we eat it! We have some presentations from students about events they have participated in and family is welcome to join.
Food passionate, motivated, knowledgeable, driven, excited! explorers, risk takers
Culinary Club and Student Ambassadors (there are other clubs at the COCC campus as well, but culinary club is all you really need!)
no Greek life...but we make Greek food in international cuisine!
We are in a very safe location and have 24 hr security features in our facility