Natural Food Cooking Schools

While cooking casseroles with cream of mushroom soup and canned peas was comforting, it was not good for our arteries or waistlines. Now is the time to think natural and healthy, while supporting local farms and sustainable agriculture. Whether you are looking for a career or personal development, there are cooking schools that can teach you how to go natural.

Natural Gourmet Institute

The Natural Gourmet Institute for Health and Culinary Arts in New York City offers a professional chef's training program in addition to public classes for personal enrichment. The professional program is 619 hours for full-time or part-time students and is licensed and accredited. The plant-based curriculum also includes instruction for preparing organic chicken and eggs, as well as seafood. Classes teach students how to bake with whole grains and convert traditional recipes by substituting natural and vegan ingredients. Call [phone], ext. 109 or 101, or email [e-mail] for details.

Natural Kitchen Cooking School

Located in Princeton, New Jersey, the Natural Kitchen Cooking School offers an 8-month Natural Chef's Training Program that covers all aspects of natural, vegetarian and whole foods cooking to promote health and wellness. The curriculum includes food history, kitchen cookware and utensils, regional cuisine, raw foods, wheat- and gluten-free cooking, food presentation and seasonal cooking. Call [phone] or email [e-mail] for more information.

Natural Epicurean Academy of Culinary Arts

The Natural Epicurean, located in Austin, Texas, offers an 800-hour professional program that includes comprehensive culinary training in macrobiotic, vegan and vegetarian cooking and nutrition. Students will learn all facets of natural cooking, from cutting and cooking techniques to seasonal cooking. Courses in food energetics, cooking for healing diets and home remedies are also included. To request a culinary program packet, call [phone] or email [e-mail].

Bauman College Holistic Nutrition and Culinary Arts

With locations in Berkeley, Penngrove and Santa Cruz, California, as well as Boulder, Colorado, Bauman College offers a 450-hour Natural Chef Training Program. Courses focus on mastering the basics of culinary arts with an emphasis on nutritional and therapeutic cooking, including creating meal plans for people with allergies, cancer, diabetes, digestive disorders, heart disease and other chronic illnesses. Call [phone] or visit www.baumancollege.org to request a catalog.

Organic Tuscany

Plan a vacation with an education in natural Italian cooking. While staying in a 19th-century Tuscan villa on a 340-acre farm, you will learn how to prepare fresh pastas, salads, risotto and desserts. Four of the cooking courses are vegetarian, but all can be vegetarian-friendly. For details, call [phone] (standard, not international, rates apply), email [e-mail] or visit www.organictuscany.org.

References

• Natural Gourmet Institute
• Natural Kitchen Cooking School
• Natural Epicurean Academy of Culinary Arts