Cook Street School of Culinary Arts

Doesn't Recommend

EVL

Joined 3 years ago

Prospective Students Beware! What a terrible experience!. I wish I could give just half a star. Sadly, I need to write this review to caution prospective students about Cook Street's professional chef culinary program. Oddly enough, I didn't enroll in the program, I have merely spoken with the COO, Terry Freeman. However, my husband was enrolled and had such a terrible experience due to poor leadership decisions and unprofessionalism that he withdrew before the program was completed. He was forced to sign a gag order to legally bind him from saying anything negative about Cook Street (forever), despite having had a terrible experience. He was forced to do so because otherwise he could not recover a small fraction of the money we had already paid for the program. Oddly, I find this to be a sure sign that Cook Street leadership is NOT confident in its product. Otherwise, I feel they would allow free commentary and let the product stand for itself.

I am more than willing to share our experience (just the facts of course) in detail to any interested party, but am concerned it will take too much room here. I am also afraid that Cook Street will retaliate against me, considering the leadership's actions thus far. Please note that this particular situation was based on very unique circumstances, and therefore certainly did not warrant the weeks of stress, threats, and strife it caused. In my experience, businesses in these situations normally treat customers/clients with respect, if just to prevent reviews like this from occurring.

In my own conversation with Terry Freeman, I found her to be rude, unpleasant, and closed-minded. She proceeded to make unsupported claims against my husband on the phone to me, even after I asked her to back them with specific references. She treated both me and my husband with disrespect. Clearly, the gag order was just icing on the cake.

Prospective students and prospective employers beware of Cook Street School! Please contact me before you decide to give away $18,000+! We will never recover our $4,000, but at least I can help prevent others from making the same mistake

Recommends

Contributor

Joined 10 years ago

Editorial Review. Offers an accelerated Professional Food and Wine Career Program, recreational cooking and wine classes for students of all skill and experience levels.