Culinary School for Vegetarians: What To Know Before You Enroll

​​Have you heard? Plant-based cooking is in for 2026. In fact, this year's Pinterest Predicts report defined 2026 as the year of the cabbage — and with professional athletes opting for plant-based diets (basketball legend Diana Taurasi credited a vegan diet with numerous benefits in a 2024 Bon Appétit interview), it’s likely many will follow suit in preparation for the upcoming Winter Olympics.

Scott Larson is the Lead Chef-Instructor of the groundbreaking Health-Centered Culinary Arts program at ICE's New York campus. He believes that a culinary education is essential regardless of which ingredients are on the plate.

“The skills and techniques learned at culinary school are universal,” he says.

Here, Chef Scott and fellow Chef-Instructor Stephen Chavez share insights for vegetarian and other health-conscious cooks considering culinary school.

What are the benefits of a health-centered culinary program?

When evaluating a health-focused, plant-forward program, it helps to understand what distinguishes it from traditional culinary school.

Culinary Theory & Technique

The art, theory and foundational skills taught in ICE’s Health-Centered Culinary Arts program mirror those taught in traditional culinary courses.

However, lessons on plating, seasoning and menu planning prioritize whole foods, wellness and sustainability.

Here, students practice the same techniques as those taught in traditional culinary programs (like grilling, braising and searing) but with plants as the medium.

Specialized Ingredients

Ingredients like seaweed, nut milk and hearts of palm aren’t often covered in traditional culinary programs. In their more herbivore-centered counterparts, they are a major focus. Courses within these curriculums often include lessons in making plant-based proteins from scratch, including tofu and seitan.

Additionally, most traditional culinary arts programs include a module on pastry fundamentals. At ICE, the pastry component of Health-Centered Culinary Arts dives deeper into baking. Students explore how alternative ingredients — like whole-grain flours, aquafaba and less-refined sugars — can be used to mimic conventional recipes without sacrificing taste or texture.

Specialty Diets

For aspiring culinary professionals who believe that plant consumption benefits the body, mind and planet, health-centered programs like those at ICE often include lessons on global cuisines and specialty diets.

According to Senior Chef-Instructor Stephen Chavez, who teaches at ICE's Los Angeles campus, the school's “program includes education on nutrition, healing through food, and food philosophy from around the world, including macrobiotics and Ayurveda.”

Health-centered programs offer all the same benefits of traditional culinary school.

Just as the foundational techniques are the same across health-centered and traditional culinary programs, so too are the benefits of a formal education.

Students receive hands-on training and individualized feedback in the classroom before applying those skills to a real-world culinary business experience. (At ICE, this is called an externship, and it’s part of most culinary school curricula.)

Culinary school students often have access to professional development (like chef demonstrations and volunteer opportunities) and can lean on a school’s industry connections to help with job placement. (This is true at ICE, where top NYC and LA chefs and restaurateurs recruit from an alumni network over 20,000 strong.)

Can vegetarians attend traditional culinary school?

The short answer to whether or not vegetarians can train in a traditional culinary curriculum is "yes." In fact, depending on a student's career goals, there may be several upsides to this approach.

“If someone isn’t opposed to handling animal products and preparing the recipes, classmates and instructors can be called upon for tasting,” Chef Scott says. “Depending on the individual’s career goals, they may be called upon in a professional kitchen to work with meat-based ingredients.” (For this reason, ICE’s Health-Centered Culinary Arts program does include lessons on chicken, fish and shellfish.)

“It's also important to understand the difference between personal and professional life,” explains Chef Stephen.

“There are plenty of chefs that practice a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle who have learned the techniques of cooking with animal proteins and what they should look and taste like,” he says.

Developing your palate, notes Chef Stephen, is an important part of culinary school, and one that shouldn’t be disregarded.

“Culinary school is designed for students to learn techniques and skills for preparation, cooking and presentation,” he says, “but maybe largest of all, is the skill and ability to discern tastes and develop your flavor palate. If someone is choosing a vegetarian lifestyle and does not taste animal proteins, it may limit their success in the program.”

Careers for Vegetarian & Health-Centered Chefs

Vegetarian and health-centered chefs work across a wide range of culinary careers, both inside and outside the kitchen. This includes:

• Restaurant chefs
• Private and personal chefs
• Catering chefs
• Recipe developers 
• Culinary instructors
• Product development

Just ask Chef Shenarri Freeman and Jason Forella, two graduates from ICE’s Health-Centered program, with vastly different career paths:

• After graduating from ICE, Chef Shenarri quickly broke into New York’s restaurant scene at vegan soul food spot Cadence. Forbes 30 Under 30, Esquire’s Best New Restaurants and The New York Times’ Top 50 Restaurants in America all took note. (Chef Shenarri reflects on her career and female entrepreneurship in the video below.)
• After ICE, Forella trained in making fresh gluten-free and vegan pasta. He then worked as a private chef and an ICE Career Services Advisor before landing his current role as Program Manager for Wellness in the Schools (a NYC non-profit that teaches food and nutrition to kids). His latest gig, however, was food styling for the Netflix-original movie Nonnas.

Choosing a culinary school as a vegetarian isn’t about finding a program that avoids certain ingredients — it’s about finding one that aligns with your values, learning style and career goals.

Whether it’s a health-centered or a traditional program, the objective is the same: to build strong foundational skills, develop your palate and gain the confidence to cook with intention.