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Colorado Culinary Schools Fuel Passion & Fun

by Jessica Phillips
CulinaryEd Columnist

May 19, 2011

While the Rose Bowl and Rose Parade are the city's best-known features, Pasadena offers phenomenal weather, attractions, and food year-round, making it the perfect place to enjoy both the culinary life and life itself. In fact, the New York Times calls Pasadena "Southern California at its best, a self-contained municipality that is accessible, multicultural, awash in culture and still a shopper's playground."

Eating Out in Pasadena

Pasadena's 500 restaurants dish up food from around the world. Discover the joys of Cuban cuisine at Cafe Atlantic or Xiomara, both owned by chef Xiomara Ardolina. Don't miss the award-winning French restaurant Bistro 45, named one of the "Top 100 Restaurants in Nation" by Conde Nast Traveler.

For more traditional American fare, try one of Pasadena's great steak houses, including Arroyo Chop House, JJ's Steakhouse, and the more casual Union Cattle Company, complete with mechanical bull. Another down-home option is the Pie 'n Burger, famous for its tasty namesakes.

All of this is fantastic news for budding chefs attending Pasadena culinary schools. Classroom instruction and sweating it out in the kitchen is important, but so is reveling in unique cuisine, discovering new flavor combos and rediscovering old ones. From fusion fare to traditional down-home cooking, Pasadena has it all!

Getting Out in Pasadena

Once you've had your fill or Pasadena's restaurants, sit back and enjoy the city's dream climate, with an average temperature of 76 degree. Bask in nature's glories at Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens in nearby San Marino, then continue on the spectacular Greene & Greene architectural tour featuring their masterpiece, Gamble House. When you're ready for more food, dine al fresco at Paseo Colorado, a former mall that now offers outdoor dining and more at great restaurants like the Border Grill.

A southern California gem, Pasadena offers small-town comforts and big-city culinary and cultural delights for Pasadena culinary school students, visitors, and locals.

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