A vegan eliminates all animal products from his diet. This includes not only red meat, but also chicken, fish, dairy and eggs. This diet focuses primarily on fruits, vegetables and nuts to make up a nutritious diet program. Several culinary schools specialize in vegan, or natural, cooking techniques.
Professional School of Natural Cookery
The Professional School of Natural Cookery focuses on the process of cooking without recipes with whatever natural ingredients are on hand. The program is designed to promote confidence in the chef's ability to produce a tasty meal from scratch. The school opened for amateur cooks in 1983 and for professional chefs in 1991. The foundation course for professionals is a 16-week session that focuses on basics, such as knife skills, the theory of cooking without a recipe, meal composition and kitchen maintenance. This course is also available online. The remaining courses are taught on campus.
Vegan Culinary Academy
The Vegan Culinary Academy teaches chefs, dietitians, food service directors and home cooks maintain a vegan menu plan. Its teachers are certified by the American Culinary Federation. Available classes include food sculpting, vegan cuisine for the commercial kitchen and a certified professional food management class. Classes are held in various locations in the Napa Valley area and are available online as of June 2011.
Living Light Culinary Arts Institute
The Living Light Culinary Arts Institute was founded in 1998. The school provides an array of raw and living food certification classes, including the Fundamentals of Raw Living, Pastry Arts and the Science of Raw Food Nutrition. Living Light also maintains the Living Light Inn, a place for students and other guests to stay and experience the cuisine taught in the school. The professional chef certification program takes 323 days (including an internship) to complete.
Natural Gourmet Institute
The Natural Gourmet Institute in New York City offers classes for professional chefs and the general public. Instruction focuses on hands-on courses, along with lectures and demonstrations. Some of the topics covered include sanitation, knife skills, baking techniques, creative cooking, cost control and culinary techniques. There are elective courses available, such as wine selection and food styling. The class also takes field trips to local ethnic neighborhoods, such as Chinatown and Little Italy.
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