Le Cordon Bleu?

I have been asked a few times: Why move to Canada for Le Cordon Bleu?  The answer is kind of complicated – here we go!

Coming into Iowa State, I knew that I wanted to follow my business degree with pastry school, but I hadn’t given much thought to where I wanted to go.  I knew I wanted to study French, both because of an intrigue for the language and culture, and for its usefulness in the pastry world.

Shortly after beginning my French studies, I fell in love.  It’s funny how literal that is – I honestly love French.  Speaking it makes me so happy, looking at it on paper is beautiful to me, and hearing someone speak it makes me smile.  So, I knew that I wanted French to play a role in my professional life.  I wanted to make sure that whichever culinary school I chose had a French influence.

My love for French played into my school search.  I started to think of schools in Paris, and Le Cordon Bleu instantly came to mind.  It is easily the top-of-mind in the French culinary world.  Only problem: after spending six wonderful weeks in France, I realized that a year away was too much.  I at least wanted to see my family and friends and Chad without having to take a plane.

So, the search returned to North America, but I still wanted a truly French pastry education.  I started to research Le Cordon Bleu, partly because I wanted to convince myself that I didn’t have to study in France, and partly because I hoped to find suggestions on where to go that’s closer to home (maybe one of the Cordon Bleus in the US).

Success!  I learned all about the history online, and was really glad that I did.

In a nutshell:  The original Cordon Bleu is in Paris, and in 1933 a graduate decided to start a Cordon Bleu branch in London.  Fast forward to 1988: Mr. Cointreau (who is the current president of Le Cordon Bleu International) purchased the London school and began to open others around the world.  Each of his schools were very similar to the original in Paris: the chefs are trained at the original, and are shipped to the foreign schools to train us.  Most of them have had successful culinary careers and are decorated with honors from international competitions. 

There are two Le Cordon Bleu campuses in North America: Ottawa and Mexico City.

Wait!  “Um…isn’t there a Cordon Bleu in Minneapolis? Aren’t there a bunch of them in the USA?” is what I thought.  After looking more into it, here is the little-known fact that I learned, and am so so so glad that I did:

Mr. Cointreau signed marketing contract with Career Education Corporation giving them the right to open schools under the Cordon Bleu name, essentially a franchise agreement.  As a result of that agreement, Career Education Corporation went on to open 18 culinary schools in the United States, all called Le Cordon Bleu. These schools provide a perfectly valid and useful education.  However, they wouldn’t be for me.  They aren’t as distinctly and perfectly French, and they can’t give the same experience as an original Cordon Bleu campus.  They wouldn’t be able to satisfy my love for French, which was so important to me, and they don’t have the intimate link to the original Paris campus that I learned existed.

School is a tiny castle!

So, I decided: I would move to Ottawa to pursue my Diplôme de Pâtisserie and be trained by French Cordon Bleu Paris chefs in a hands-on environment.  I chose Le Cordon Bleu Paris: Ottawa Campus.  I know I made the right decision.  I will see my family and friends for two weeks every three months, Chad was able to come with me, and I am already in love with my perfectly French pastry education one week in.  (Plus – I go to school in a little yellow and blue castle…what could compete with that?)