Culinary Schools in Florida

Fresh Foods of Florida

Florida cooking is all about fresh food - from the sea and the land. Called the Sunshine State, Florida has been a tourist destination for those fleeing the winter states of the U.S. for over a century and today boasts a $67 billion-a-year international and national tourist industry (stateofflorida.com, 2011). The state is also home to wide swaths of wetlands known as the Everglades, as well as 663 miles of beaches.

Florida cuisine

While northern Florida and the state's western panhandle have a rich Southern culinary history -- barbecued frog legs and slow- cooked alligator tail come to mind -- southern Florida has a cuisine all its own. Known as "Floribbean," this culinary fusion combines the seafood of the Caribbean, the fresh fruit of the Keys, and the Latin spices of Cuba, resulting in dishes such as crab with mango red curry and yucca served over black beans with a side of gumbo.

Florida is all about fusion, which isn't surprising for a state that attracts more than 87 million visitors and is a top travel destination for the world. In a November 30, 2012, article for Florida Trend, Chris Sherman wrote that the future of Florida dining can be found in a fusion of flavors.

"The center of Florida cuisine lies somewhere in this triangle between Japan, Peru and the Deep South," writes Sherman. "It is a mash-up of handsome presentation, exotic flavor and hand-made comfort cooking, a cuisine shaped with earnestness and celebrity glitz."

Culinary schools in Florida

At Florida culinary schools, students may have the opportunity to experiment with distinct regional flavors and ingredients. In addition to providing a place for culinary experimentation, Florida cooking schools can also prepare students for managing a kitchen in one of the busiest and most glamorous locales in the nation. With high-rise restaurants such as Juvia or restaurants with lines out the door such as Yardbird, there are many options for Florida's culinary graduates to continue their learning within the state.

Sources:

"Facts about Florida," State of Florida.com, 2013, http://www.stateofflorida.com/Portal/DesktopDefault.aspx?tabid=95
"The Future of Florida Dining," Florida Trend, 2012, http://www.floridatrend.com/article/14994/the-future-of-florida-dining
"Floribbean cuisine is the marriage of the familiar, and not-so-familiar," St. Augustine, 2004, http://staugustine.com/stories/042204/foo_2230743.shtml

For information on Culinary Schools in Florida, please visit any school below and request more information.