Anyone who has read the popular book Julie and Julia: 365 days, 524 recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen by Julie Powell or has seen the 2009 movie adaptation directed by Nora Ephron can catch a quick glimpse into the eccentric lifestyles of non-fictional characters Julia Child and Julie Powell, but also see the successes and tribulations each face in the culinary department. While they both try to perfect the most satisfying Beef Bourguignon, their determination to both make something of themselves in this environment is what the reader or movie goers really take away from these characters. Scientifically speaking, nourishment is essential for survival, but it takes a certain kind of person to truly appreciate the craft of cooking or baking foods. Some look upon it as an art, others look upon it as a therapeutic task, but the majority of chefs in the culinary world or even the chefs who make dinner for their families at home, look for that initial reaction of the person they are feeding after they have prepared the food. The first taste is everything and whether the dish is excellent and pleasing or horrid and tasteless to the people eating it, it is a crucial learning experience for the man or woman in the kitchen, the chef.
Le Cordon Bleu Institute of Culinary Arts in Pittsburgh has taught the people who attain to be such chefs, whether at home or in four-star restaurants, for the last twenty-six years. Anchored by wonderful faculty, staff and instructors, the school has set a strong foundation for the educational system in the Pittsburgh area. It is a place where aspiring culinary students can take courses ranging from “Baking and Pastry” to “Hospitality Trends and Technology.” These aptly titled classes are only a piece of the pie that make up this wonderful institution that captures the mind and attention of its young apprentices.
Le Cordon Bleu Institute of Culinary Arts was founded in Pittsburgh in 1986 as the Pennsylvania Institute of Culinary Arts and did not obtain the name it holds today until roughly thirteen years ago in 1998. Decades prior to its original convocation in Pittsburgh, Le Cordon Bleu, which means “the blue ribbon” in French, was founded in Paris in 1895. Today, Le Cordon Bleu has multiple locations all over the world as well as seventeen locations currently in the United States. Pittsburgh has been fortunate enough to be a prosperous location for the past few years, especially because it is in a market with institutes in bigger metropolitan cities such as Chicago and Los Angeles. “Le Cordon Bleu has fared very well in the past few years in Pittsburgh,” said William Hunt, Dean of Culinary Arts. “Unfortunately, once our lease is up in 2012 and the final graduates finish their courses, we will be closing our doors, stated Hunt. “Less capital to invest and the decrease in enrollment have been major factors in this decision. Our student body alone has dropped from 700 students down to 200 in the last few years,” said Hunt.
While it is hard to dwell on the future, especially for students and faculty, it is important to see the impact that this institute has brought to the restaurant scene in the area. “Some of our graduates have gone on to work in restaurants that have received much acclaim and great reviews. These restaurants have included Salt in East Liberty and Eleven in the Strip District,” mentioned Hunt. One thing is for certain, Le Cordon Bleu closing in Pittsburgh will have a definite impact on not only the city, but in the local restaurants where these talented graduates go on to work. Aside from the local restaurants, no longer will patrons on their lunch hour be able to sit down and dine at the cafeteria or Technique Restaurant in the Clark Building where all the delectable food is prepared by chefs in training and served at a fair price. No longer will passersby be able stop at Technique on the Go, the institute’s café across the street, to grab a quick snack as they head back to work or wait for the bus. Most importantly though, we will no longer have a culinary training institute as easily accessible in the city as this one has been for the last twenty six years.
Walking down Liberty Avenue and not seeing students in white attire running back and forth to their classes in the Clark Building and the kitchens across the street will seem very odd come next year, but the legacy of such a fine institution will live on through the students that have been taught at Le Cordon Bleu Institute of Culinary Arts for over the past two decades.
~~ By Matthew Hacke