First Quarter Bottom Line

So, how much does it cost to go to baking school at Seattle Culinary Academy? Their website has a page showing estimated costs, but it appears to me that the list is most likely for Culinary students rather than pastry; for example, the tool kit costs are about double what I actually spent. Following is what I paid for first quarter:

Item	Amount
Tuition (17.5 credits)	1,465
Fees	290
Photocopied packets	18
ServSafe book and test fee	120
Prof Baking textbook	101
Chef's Kit	309
Uniforms (2)	217
GRAND TOTAL	$2,520

The chef's kit and uniforms should be one-time expenses, but based on this list I expect that the next four quarters will cost about $2,000 each. My guesstimate for total program cost (not including things like accident insurance, transportation and so on) is about $10,500. Far, far cheaper than the big-name culinary schools, which can cost more than $50,000, especially when you consider it's 15 months of education and results in a degree. See an enlightening comparison of culinary school costs here.

Since we're talking about the stuff I bought, here is a look at my school locker:



The top shelf holds aprons, caps, socks and extra dishwashing gloves. I have two sets of jacket & checkered trousers hanging up ready for next quarter. If you squint, you can see my name embroidered on the jacket. Below the uniforms you can see my fancy chef's kit. I tried a couple of carriers for my tools and didn't like any of them - mostly because they don't fit in this locker, which is exactly eleven inches wide. Right now I'm using a sturdy plastic restaurant food pan (a Cambro) which at least keeps things clean and fits in the locker. The bottom shelf holds my kitchen shoes (Klogs brand).