|
Recently we interviewed one of our Culinary Graduates, Rebekah Frederick. As a homeschooler, Rebekah enrolled into Escoffier Online because the 100% online and self-paced culinary program complemented her homeschooling curriculum. Having successfully completed the online culinary program, Rebekah was able to begin her culinary career with an entry level position at a restaurant. We sat down with her to check in and see how the program went for her and how homeschoolers like her could benefit from culinary training online. Here’s what she had to say!
Escoffier: Why did you decide to enroll with Escoffier Online?
Rebekah: I came across the Escoffier Online program while I was looking for a culinary program that would be affordable, professional, and hopefully flexible. I honestly was doubtful I could find something that would give me all three of those things, but when I stumbled across the Escoffier Online program I was immediately interested by what it offered: namely, affordability, professionalism, and flexibility! The formatting of how the program worked and what I felt it would teach me led me to enroll with the Escoffier Online program shortly after I found it.
Escoffier: How has our program enriched your homeschooling experience?
Rebekah: As a homeschooler I have come across many different methods of teaching and curriculum. The Escoffier Online program presented an excellent range of teaching methods from reading materials, to videos, to interactive tutorials, to photo tutorials, and even live webinars. Its diverse method of teaching also means that it works well with any style of learning!
Escoffier: How did you fit our program into your homeschooling curriculum?
Rebekah: The Escoffier Online program offers great ease of use—each unit is divided into individual modules that I could either take at whatever pace I needed, or could also be planned into a specific space of time.
I would definitely say that the program offers flexibility while maintaining enough structure that the course materials could conceivably be divided up to fit into one or two semesters (if desired) or simply worked at your own pace.
Escoffier: What do you plan to do once you complete the program?
Rebekah: I recently finished the Culinary Essentials program and have found an entry-level position in a restaurant. I also have an interest in continuing my education through further outlets, and would perhaps like to pursue private or catering work.
Escoffier: Tell me about your online learning experience?
Rebekah: The online learning experience I had with the Escoffier program was fantastic. Each unit was broken into a module that focused on an element to be mastered. The pace of learning, the different types of educational presentation styles, and ability to ask a chef mentor for help whenever I needed it was a wonderful way to be able to learn the different skills presented.
Live webinars offered a chance to interact with other students and ask questions of the chefs as well as see something being done in real time. The social media interface within the website allowed me to interact with other students and chef mentors as well.
Everything about the program was user friendly and felt logical and balanced in its presentation and information content. Being homeschooled and having also continued my education with other online college courses, I would say that the Escoffier Program is one the most innovative online courses I have seen in terms of presentation and ease of access.
Escoffier: Did you like the fact that you could interact with other students through the student portal?
Rebekah: I found the student portal to be helpful when I had a question about something—often other students would have the same question, could offer solutions, or even just show a little support and understanding. While I did not use the student portal extensively, I did enjoy seeing everyone else interacting in various ways—I felt a sense of connection with the students being able to see their questions, mishaps, or triumphs and being able to share my own as well.
Escoffier: How do you think others that are homeschooled can benefit from an online culinary or pastry program?
Rebekah: The Escoffier Online program offers homeschooling students the chance to gain an excellent culinary education through an online outlet that would easily fit in well with many different kinds of homeschooling curriculum. It offers students a chance to build skills and a portfolio that can be used in many different ways. Also, the networking resources that Escoffier offers will also allow students the ability to search for job positions or other culinary outlets as desired. Finally, the program will build useable skills that students can apply to many different areas and continue to use throughout their lifetime.
|
