Where to Find a Vegetarian Cooking School

If you have dreams to become a professional chef, or simply want to pick up some culinary skills to make the most of vegetarian food, you may want to set your sights on a vegetarian friendly cooking school or culinary arts institute to receive your training. Vegetarian friendly cooking school programs are designed to focus almost entirely on organic cooking techniques, food selection, and emphasize a whole foods or raw food diet. From holistic nutrition centers to natural gourmet culinary institutes, the programs are centered on vegetarian and vegan cooking styles. Here are some of the nation's leading spots for vegetarian friendly cooking and nutrition.

The Living Light Culinary Arts Institute specializes in raw foods, and encourages the Raw Food Diet throughout its curriculum. Students can register for the chef training series, nutrition classes, offsite programs at various venues in California, or pursue the Raw Culinary Arts Professional Chef Certificate. The program focuses on gourmet cuisine with the 'Living Light' message throughout; visit the website for more information and services available. The Living Light Culinary Arts Institute is located in Fort Bragg, CA; call (800) 816-2319 for more information.

The Natural Gourmet Cookery School is located in New York, NY and offers a formal chef training program, along with public classes for a series of hands-on classes in gourmet vegetarian cooking. The program is heavily focused on health and nutrition, offering chefs-in-training plenty of exposure to different cooking styles, baking, catering, and even food writing. If you're visiting New York, be sure to stop in at the Friday Night Dinner to experience some of the student's preparations; a four-course prix fixe meal is served each Friday night in a candlelit room. Public classes include food therapy, food retreats, and dessert preparation workshops. Call (212) 645-5170 for more information.

The Natural Epicurean Academy of Culinary Arts is located in Austin, Texas. The program here focuses on natural foods and macrobiotic living, and offers a Professional Culinary Training Program with 800 hours of training in the world of vegan and vegetarian cooking technique, nutrition, and macrobiotic lifestyles. Classes include cooking methods for whole grains, cooking for disease prevention, and healthy desserts. Call (512) 476-2276 for more information, or visit the website for a complete course schedule and program requirements.

With a rich curriculum in natural food and healing, the School of Natural Cookery in Boulder, CO offers a specialty series of classes for both the aspiring professional or the home cook. The school offers professional training to become a personal chef and mastering vegan pastry. A foundation course program offers classes in ethnic cuisine, gastronomy, plating and proportion, and the healing aspects of food. Call (303) 444-8068 for more information, or visit the school's website for complete program listings.