Gastronomicom |
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| Reviewers Male / Female | Recommend Yes / No | Number of Reviews | Classes & Instruction | School Facilities | Accomodation | Cost | Total Average Rating |
| 0 / 5 | 1 / 4 | 5 | 4.60 | 3.40 | 4.40 | 4.20 | 4.15 |
| Date Submitted: | March 8, 2010 |
| Culinary School: |  Gastronomicom |
| Location: | Vias, France |
| Classes & Instruction: | 8 out of 10 |
| School Facilities: | 4 out of 10 |
| Accomodation: | 2 out of 10 |
| Cost: | 3 out of 10 |
| Recommend: | No |
| Review: | Not As Advertised ! I was very excited to go to this school but left feeling slightly bitter about some of the experience. I was enrolled in the pastry course. I found the chef to be very well trained and easy to get along with, however, because it was only a 3 month course and many of us were doing the Stage (internship after) everything was rushed. We were supposed to have both the pastry and the french classes taught to us in english. However, upon arrival, we learned that only the first 2 months would be english and the third month everything would be in french. Then about a month into the schooling we learned that we weren't doing well enough on learning the french so they were going to switch over to only teaching in french.. AFTER ONLY A MONTH! I was very upset with this it was very confusing. Not to mention we had two different french teachers and there seemed to be very little communication between them and the school. Also, there was no consistency with how they taught. Somedays they would teach us verbs, others adjectives for clothing and food, some days it was sentences, and others it was dealing with things we didnt need to know. Very rarely would they cover terms we needed in the kitchen or with cooking in general. They said alot of it was up to us, which COMPLETELY CONTRADICTED what were told before coming to the school. It is very hard to get to the level they want to to be at and need to be at for the stage in only 3 months. Also the internet there was rarely working on the weekends, which made it hard to keep in contact with friends and family and to study online. Now about the stage. We were told that we would have a say in where we would be going and that our level of french would be a factor. UNTRUE. They didn't bother to look at our level of french or ask us where we would like to go. AND they do not help you get there. You are on your own, though they may help to contact the place, you have to figure out how to get there, and if they send you to a small town like where i went, you have to walk with luggage at night, searching for the restaurant. We were told that we would be so busy in the stage we would barely be able to keep up UNTRUE. Since i was place for the winter stage around christmas in the south of france i stood around for 4-5 hrs with NOTHING TO DO and spent the other 5 hrs WASHING DISHES!! They were simply not busy enough to have us do anything. Something else you should know since they offer only week and month courses along with the full three month course, be prepared for over crowding. At one point there was over 18 people in cuisine trying to cook in a kitchen that would maybe fit 8-10 people comfortably. And It messes up partners ( since you always work with one) if your partner comes in for only a week or a month. Also, if you decide to only take a month course and join when the full programs are already a month or two in, you will struggle to keep up because they will be speaking in french and when you are in french class they will not start over for you. We had 2 people join our french class the last month of schooling (they were only taking a month course) and they were struggling to keep up. Not to mention the school lied and said that they would have there own french class.. Be prepared for the school not disclosing all the hidden fees and appointments you have to MISS culinary or pastry for. The chefs are great but the administration running the school are COMPLETELY DISORGANIZED. Basically the school is good for meeting people from all over the world and for traveling around and see france and adjacent countries. The Chefs ARE AMAZING and sorry to say deserve to be at a place where the teaching doesn't have to be rushed and were the organization at the school matches there abilities. And though they are amazing chefs its hard to learn in short 3 hrs periods daily. They would be better off stretching the program to 6 months so it's not rushed. Plan on spending around 13,000 US Dollars after all the airfare, train fare, hidden fees, travel to the appointments, and paying for living expenses (this amount does not include traveling for fun) Also know that the school is located in a Resort so in the summer months prepare for lots of people being there. In the winter there isn't as many guests there. Another note, the housing you will be in is set up for people on vacation the fridge is very very small for four people and the room size is not equal one room is very comfortable and the other is very very small for two people. AND KNOW that laundry is expensive there! We paid over 10 Euros for one wash and dry and the washer is about a 1/4 the size of a US washer. So we would end up paying 6 euros for each load of laundry and usually have to do 2 loads per week then pay 4 Euros for dryer ( normal size) Oh and they dont help you figure out the bus system. There is a larger Grocery store in Agde , called Hyper-U. Take bus 273, you will be on the bus for around 30 mins and will see the big store. Someone will most likely hit the button but if not there is a small red button on a rail above your seats. Take the same bus to get back to the school .. If you ride this bus to the end you will arrive at the Gare ( train station) Comments [ 2 ] |
| Submitted by: | Just being Honest 24 year-old :: Female Reviewer :: USA |
| Date Submitted: | March 2, 2010 |
| Culinary School: | Gastronomicom |
| Location: | Vias, France |
| Classes & Instruction: | 7 out of 10 |
| School Facilities: | 6 out of 10 |
| Accomodation: | 7 out of 10 |
| Cost: | 5 out of 10 |
| Recommend: | Yes |
| Review: | What are you looking for? I left this school with a mixed impression. I followed the pastry course and learned a lot, but felt as though it is good to go into the program with some background knowledge in pastry or cooking because there is no time to prepare the students on ingredients, what they are used for, where they are in the kitchen, or knife skills. I had the impression that we were going to learn more about layered cakes, cake decorating, plating and so forth, but this did not happen since we learned only about French pastries and plated them when we hosted lunch once a month. I did not have a background in cooking or pastry, but for those in the class who did or went to a culinary school, the course was not as informational for them and most did not learn anything new. If you are taking the course and planning to complete an internship, learn French ahead of time. It is EXPECTED that you learn French within 3 months so you can communicate with the chefs in the restaurants, not many chefs speak English in France. The school lead us to believe that our level of French would be the deciding factor in where we were placed for our internship, but the school actually placed us in a restaurant (we didn’t get to decide where we wanted to go.) Be aware that the school can be a bit disorganized at times and there are extra fees that are not explained ahead of time. Comments [ 0 ] |
| Submitted by: | Chef 21 year-old :: Female Reviewer :: ? |
| Date Submitted: | January 6, 2010 |
| Culinary School: | Gastronomicom |
| Location: | Vias, France |
| Classes & Instruction: | 1 out of 10 |
| School Facilities: | 1 out of 10 |
| Accomodation: | 2 out of 10 |
| Cost: | 3 out of 10 |
| Recommend: | No |
| Review: | False Advertising!! Beware!!! This is NOT a school, but a scam! It is a waste of time and money! Although the prices are low, the quality of education is even lower! I was promised english speaking instructors and their broken english made it difficult and frustrating to learn. The company was practically thrown together, with no qualifications to teach! There are hidden fees every time you turn around after they promised there werent. And as for a previous review on this site stating the resons to attend this school-it's a review made by the school. Those words are taken from their previous website! How would they know how great all the classes are if they only take 2!They dont care if your happy or learning, they just want your money! And there is nothing to do in proximoty to the school either. As a furious customer with no offer of even a partail refund, I warn you- dont do it. Comments [ 0 ] |
| Submitted by: | anonomous 25 year-old :: Female Reviewer :: USA |
| Date Submitted: | February 5, 2009 |
| Culinary School: | Gastronomicom |
| Location: | Vias, France |
| Classes & Instruction: | 2 out of 10 |
| School Facilities: | 1 out of 10 |
| Accomodation: | 3 out of 10 |
| Cost: | 1 out of 10 |
| Recommend: | No |
| Review: | waste of time Having been so excited about the chance to go to france and learn about the wonderful food they produce, gastronomicom left me feeling bitter about the money and time i had wasted! I would NOT recommend this school to anyone. The kitchen's are small and over crowded with a real lack of equipment.They claim to have english speaking teachers however this was not true making any real learing very difficult ( not that it seemed the chef had much to teach!).... hand on heart i can honestly say that i did not learn anything from those cooking classes. Fortunately the group of people i was surrounded by taught some great things about food. However i didn't pay for tips from friends i paid to be taught by professionals so that i could further my career. You would learn more watching 'Hells Kitchen'. Please don't be foolish and naive like i was..... The supposed school is not worth it! Comments [ 0 ] |
| Submitted by: | anon 23 year-old :: Female Reviewer :: europe |
| Date Submitted: | June 11, 2008 |
| Culinary School: | Gastronomicom |
| Location: | Vias, France |
| Classes & Instruction: | 5 out of 10 |
| School Facilities: | 5 out of 10 |
| Accomodation: | 8 out of 10 |
| Cost: | 9 out of 10 |
| Recommend: | No |
| Review: | Gastronomicom Gastronomicom is a school where one should go if: 1.) They want to learn about wine (EXCELLENT TEACHER) 2.) They are NEW to the Culinary world. 3.) They want to improve or learn proper French Language. 4.) They have a small budget, go for it. 5.) They want a Diploma in 3 months. Gastronomicom is not a good school if one is: 1.) Already fluent in French Language 2.) Already familiar with Culinary Arts (don't bother) 3.) If you are willing to spend a lot of money, go to an actual school with lectures. Comments [ 1 ] |
| Submitted by: | ctc 24 year-old :: Female Reviewer :: Middle East |
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