<p>Hello everyone....</p>
<p>I am in the process of researching prospective colleges that would be of interest to my daughter (presently a Junior in High School) which feature Hospitality/Restaurant Management with culinary arts, as well. We live in central New Jersey and are looking at schools that are not more than 2-3 hours away, at most. She is a good student, but her SAT scores are low (not good at standardized testing). She has been involved in dance for the past 10 years, most of those years competing with her dance team, and training with her dance club in High School, including performing. Her main interests are in pastry arts and restaurant management. Any suggestions, opinions, comments would be truly appreciated. This task is daunting, to say the least. </p>
<p>Thank you! :)</p>
<p>Cornell University has what is generally considered to be the top hotel/restaurant management school in the nation. [Cornell</a> School of Hotel Administration](<a href=“http://www.hotelschool.cornell.edu/]Cornell”>http://www.hotelschool.cornell.edu/) Traditionally, admission to that program has been more dependent on commitment to the industry, and on previous work experience in the industry, than on standardized test scores. It would be a bit further than I think you want to travel.</p>
<p>Johnson & Wales [Johnson</a> & Wales University](<a href=“http://www.jwu.edu/]Johnson”>http://www.jwu.edu/) also has an excellent reputation. I don’t know if they have a campus near you. If I recall correctly, they have a decent pastry arts program.</p>
<p>Baltimore International College [BIC</a>, Baltimore International College | Culinary Arts | Hotel Management | Catering Management](<a href=“http://www.bic.edu/]BIC”>http://www.bic.edu/) might be close enough to suit your daughter, and yet far enough away to make her feel like she’s on her own.</p>
<p>Years ago when Happykid was in her pastry chef phase, I did a bit of research on this subject. I agree that the task is daunting! I wish you all the very best.</p>
<p>Thank you so much for your reply and college suggestions. I will be sure to check out all those you recommend, and I so appreciate the time you took to respond to my email…</p>
<p>Warm regards…</p>
<p>If you are interested in anything to do with restaurant operations or culinary arts, you should always be looking at the Culinary Institute of America. As someone who has been in the business for a long time, and working at a 5 star/ 5 diamond resort, it is truly the most highly regarded program for major hotel resorts as well as top restaurants in the world… (before Cornell, J & W, UNLV, etc.).</p>
<p>P.S… It is almost impossible to excel in restaurant operations without being extremely well versed in wine! If you ever find a top restaurant or hotel in the world without a top notch wine program, let me know!</p>
<p>J&W has a school in Providence, RI – which is probably about a 4-5 hour drive from you. It is well-regarded for hotel/restaurant management and the school runs its own hotel so students can get some hands-on experience as part of their education. I believe that internships at the JWU hotel (or other hotels and resorts in the area) are required.</p>
<p>Check out The Culinary Institute of America in hyde Park. It sounds like it would be a good fit, personally, I think it would be cool to say “yeah, Im in the CIA.”</p>