Where does one go to school to become a Vegan Chef?

I have been a foodie all my life and I am also a strict vegetarian aka dietary vegan. I love to cook at home and I think that it would be amazing if one day I could run and own a bed and breakfast where I could offer a Vegan menu. I figure to do this properly, I ought to earn a degree as a Vegan Chef first but I have no idea where I would go to school for this. (Btw, I do not and will not work with meat, dairy, or eggs so traditional culinary school is out of the question) I have looked online and I've had no luck in my area...I live near Trenton, NJ.

I very seriously doubt that you are going to find a traditional school that will accommodate a vegan lifestyle. Or will you ever. You might try looking into apprenticeships or just looking at the "famous" vegan places and working out something where you can work and learn from them. There is also the non traditional route which many take. Which is to make a name for themselves preparing vegan for those who like the lifestyle and promoting yourself along that route. Not all "chefs" are school taught.

I totally disagree that there are no schools and nor will you "ever" find one. naturalcookery.com is a professional school which focuses on vegan and vegetarian options. And as Cierva points out, there are numerous others. Report Abuse

You may have already seen these websites, as you have searched online. They are both in California, though. Also, the 3rd website I found is by the vegan chef girlfriend of the guy who made the Supersize Me documentary. You could probably contact her and see where she trained.

Otherwise, I would just keep cooking, invent your own recipes and write them down. If it's good food, people will come to your bed and breakfast. Good luck!

The problem with being a chef, is that your own tastes don't matter 99% of the time. It's what other people want, that you must cater to. The only time your taste matters is when planning the menu... and it's only YOUR menu for the first day. After that, it starts being tweaked to satisfy your customers.

I am in a traditional culinary school currently, and I moved over 500 miles to go here. There weren't any in my home state at all. There are people in my class from all over the country, and one from Alaska even. Culinary schools are few and far between, so finding one to attend close to you, that fits what you want is even harder.

I do know of one in NYC though, it's called the Natural Gourmet Institute. It's a vegetarian school, but they might offer vegan cooking courses as well.

There are a few. Someone mentioned the one in NYC, and there is also one in Boulder, Colorado that my girlfriend wants to go to. It's called the school of natural cookery. I'm pretty sure it's 100% vegan and natural. Good luck!