I really don't want to butt in here, but have you thought about business school if you want to open your own restaurant? With cooking classes on the side?
Story time! I used to work at a rinky-dink catering place (not cooking myself, just delivering food, making it look pretty, etc). The primary function of our kitchen, however, was to make Meals on Wheels for the seniors in the area, which was essentially what you describe here -- using canned vegetables and pre-prepared meat and sticking it in a steamer.
Our cook, Derek, was a graduate of a "Le Cordon Bleu" school. And he was essentially stuck with the steamer and canned vegetables. He was miserable. The only outlet for his cooking was the catering, which was not exactly the kind of food that you would need a culinary degree for (meatballs, sandwiches, and the occasional Chicken a la King).
Derek had thousands of dollars of debt because of culinary school, but couldn't find a decent job (or open a restaurant what that amount of debt) and was living with his mom. He told me that anyone wanting to own their own restaurant is much better off going to business school then culinary school. If you love cooking and know what tastes good, culinary school isn't going to teach you anything you can't learn in your own kitchen with a decent book.
I really admire you for going after your dream. It's been sooo long since I've seen you or talked to you, but I'm glad you are pursuing what you love, and aren't miserable like you were in high school. I hope I'm not coming off like an asshole or something, but I just want to maybe give you another option, if you do get sick of steamers and cans. :)
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Story time! I used to work at a rinky-dink catering place (not cooking myself, just delivering food, making it look pretty, etc). The primary function of our kitchen, however, was to make Meals on Wheels for the seniors in the area, which was essentially what you describe here -- using canned vegetables and pre-prepared meat and sticking it in a steamer.
Our cook, Derek, was a graduate of a "Le Cordon Bleu" school. And he was essentially stuck with the steamer and canned vegetables. He was miserable. The only outlet for his cooking was the catering, which was not exactly the kind of food that you would need a culinary degree for (meatballs, sandwiches, and the occasional Chicken a la King).
Derek had thousands of dollars of debt because of culinary school, but couldn't find a decent job (or open a restaurant what that amount of debt) and was living with his mom. He told me that anyone wanting to own their own restaurant is much better off going to business school then culinary school. If you love cooking and know what tastes good, culinary school isn't going to teach you anything you can't learn in your own kitchen with a decent book.
I really admire you for going after your dream. It's been sooo long since I've seen you or talked to you, but I'm glad you are pursuing what you love, and aren't miserable like you were in high school. I hope I'm not coming off like an asshole or something, but I just want to maybe give you another option, if you do get sick of steamers and cans. :)