CHEF ACADEMY OF LONDON Reviews

I am actually a private Chef for 2 years and with more than 25 years experience in 5stars hotels from Mauritius.i have been impressed by the standard and professionalism of the Academy..i have done the advanced professional chef course.From the first day to my last i really enjoyed every single moments.
The Chef Daniel was highly professional,incredibly talented and he really do his job with passion.
All the topics were well detailed,the explanations very clear.the perfect place for a chef to enhance his level.
Im sure that with this course i will definitely be able to prepare higher standard food and achieve the best for my boss.
The managing director Massimo is a real gentlemen,always here to help and give good advices.
Naima was always helpful,always there to welcome and the cleaning staff very professional.
I will encourage everyone willing to learn and to see for another cooking level to do a course at the Chef academy London
Its value for money

Great experience ever.
Recently completed the professional chef course, I have enjoyed every moment of it. Was worth it to travel from Spain to be part of this amazing experience. The chefs were incredibly talented and the tutors always reachable and very helpful. They even assisted me in finding an appropriate accommodation. A lot of food to practice with! The fish day was my favourite, a lot of varieties, some, never seen before in my life. The live training was a good experience and even if a bit tough, was worthy because at the end they offer me a job. I recommend this school.

Not enough ingredients to work with - one lamb leg between 8 students, one fish each during fish session, one pigeon between two students. Trainers saying they ordered ingredients that school could not unexplainably source e.g. grouse - despite this being well in season.

Most trainers that do not speak proper English. Uncertainty on who the trainers will be from one day to the next.

No punctuality during training. First day ended within an hour although we were expected to be in a 9am-5pm training session. Next day started late as main door keys were not available.

Non-hygienic and unsafe conditions - works and cleaning still going whilst training was ongoing.

No clear understanding by the partner restaurants on what to be covered by students and how, when they land in the restaurant.

Faulty equipment and repairs of equipment ongoing during training sessions.

Use of training kitchen (during training sessions) by other individuals not related to the course but that are sharing the premises where the training takes place.

The list goes on and on.

Convinced that academies form gastronomic professionals, the most personal thing is congratulations

Chef Academy of London gave me wings to explore the world of food........it was a wonderful experience doing professional chef course here.
Academy Staff specialy Rachel was very cooperative and chef Andy was a wonderful trainer.
All total I am so happy after the course completion.

this school is laughable. I decided to give it a shot because it seemed different from the more traditional schools and maybe the idea is good, but they just do not have it together at all. I showed up for the first day of the professional pastry program only to be told that the day before the instructor for the course had broken her leg, so I would not be able to have the classroom part of the course and would be immediately placed in a professional kitchen to train. I waited two weeks without them being able to find me a placement and then asked for a refund. The director of the school emailed me saying I would be refunded within 60 days but two months later they have not refunded me and now no one from thI school is replying to my emails. I just hope I get my refund before they go out of business!



Update: I keep trying to get in touch with the school to at the very least arrange to take the course at a later date since they are holding my savings hostage and I can t pursue my education elsewhere but they just don t respond!

Update: I have hired a lawyer who has contacted the school on my behalf. They have not responded to any of his attempts to contact them. If they do not get back in touch with him or I by January 21 I will proceed with litigation. I have been willing at every step to talk to them about rescheduling for me to do the course but they ignore all my questions or attempts at communication. It s such a shame and I really hope they turn things around. If you re reading this please get back to him or I.

Update: they finally responded to my lawyer with a letter in which they claim that I withdrew from the contract which is simply not the case, i am still waiting for a response to my many queries about when I can take the course I paid for! I called to try one more time to figure it out and the woman flat out refused to talk to me. Now begins the litigation process...I just wanted to learn to make pastries and instead I ve lost all of my savings

Many of the flaws previously mentioned by others still exist. The initial training is riddled with organisational problems: our chef trainer confused octopus and squid; we had several days of seafood and fabricated loads of chicken, but didn t once touch beef; pastry day was a disaster, with almost everything being burnt... However, the two weeks did adequately set me up with the basics, especially in terms of knife skills.

By far the most valuable part of the courses offered is the time spent in the partner restaurant(s). That is where the learning really happens, within a bustling working environment. There is a curriculum , but it is essentially an x-month long internship, working alongside and learning from some of the top chefs in London. Choose your partner restaurant wisely: it will form the bulk of your experience...

I am giving them 4-stars because Chef Academy serves its purpose well: to introduce aspiring chefs to the restaurant industry through its many connections. I am now working at the partner restaurant where I trained, thanks to Chef Academy. If only they could improve those initial weeks, although I have heard that they have undergone some organisational restructuring since I left in April...

PS: Don t buy their didactic kit: it s not worth the money. Spend some time investigating and buy the tools you personally prefer.

I attended the Advanced Professional Chef course and the experience was wonderful. I had never had any cooking experience before, yet the impact was pleasant and exciting thanks to the professionalism of all the staff. The lessons are well organized and held by qualified and well-known chefs in the haute cuisine. The collaborators are very kind and prepared, they have followed me throughout my journey. I enjoyed it, I shared my passion with students from all over the world and above all I got to learn from the best chefs present in the current London restaurant. I recommend this experience to all those who, like me, have a great passion for good food and would like to make it a lifestyle as well as a profession.

Doing the michelin star course was the best decision I have made. I already had 5 years experience working in a kitchen but I wanted to take my skills to the next level and have the opportunity to work in high end restaurants. I chose the Michelin Star course as I have always been fascinated by the techniques they use that can be so different to other kitchens. I trained in a 2 Michelin star restaurant, the chef was brilliant. I am now ready to start my career with all my new skills and knowledge. Thank you so much to the Chef Academy team and all the chefs that I have trained with along the way!

So you want to be a Chef? But you haven't gone to culinary school? Fine, no problem. Just dont waste the incredible amount of money this course demands from you. This course is for rich trophy house husbands and or wives.

Real Chefs will actually laugh at you. I should know, I have done the course.

In the industry you can Stage, this is an unpaid "Internship" at a resturant. Due to a chronic lack of Chefs in London, almost everywhere will take a pair of hands at some level these days.

Chef accadamys primary selling point is the "hands on experience in some of the best kitchens in London" and they will charge 5k plus for this. As explained above, you can do this for free without the middleman of the school. Something the owner and director of this company knows only too well.

Buy a set of knives, some whites, be honest about your experience and head to a resturant instead. Learn that way, its by far the superior way to learn and you save 5 grand!

Dodgy course learning that can be easily obtained from hands on (FREE) experience while working, and youtube videos. I did meet some people, so from a networking point of view maybe it has a tiny percentage of merit. It is and I cant stress this enough NOT WORTH ANYTHING LIKE WHAT THEY CHARGE, they are ripping you off.

Good luck future Chef, but look elsewhere, or endeveour to work somewhere for free for a few months.

I had a pleasure to be a part of an amazing journey at Chef Academy London. It gave me opportunity to meet future chefs with huge potential from all over the world. I believe that Chef Academy is one of the best places to be trained by group of remarkable chefs with years of experience. I can t wait to be back there and begin next level of learning.

Chef Academy of London is a great start up school for people with no professional kitchen experience or for chefs who are looking to work in high quality fine dining restaurants. Having looked at cooking schools accross London prior to taking up a course in this particular academy, it is the more budget friendly, placement based option. If you're looking to get a career change and be fully equipped with the right tools and right contacts within 3 to 6 months, this is the right place. They have great connections in the industry and their main aim at the end of the training is to get you employed. I cannot recommend it highly enough.

I attended one of the courses organized by the Chef Academy in London, and I found myself very well. The study program was carried out with professionalism. During the course I had the opportunity to deepen all the practical and theoretical aspects that allowed me to arrive at an understanding of the best working methods to be used in Michelin star restaurants. I trained at the Hibiscus Restaurant in London, which has two Michelin stars. At the end of the course the Academy found me a job in one of London's starred restaurants.