Bauman College Holistic Nutrition and Culinary Arts

I attended Bauman College several years ago. For the first half of the curriculum I opted to take all my courses on the Berkeley Campus. Both Nori and Laura were my teachers and they were both very knowledgeable and passionate about nutrition. I felt the pace of the class was perfect, as there was a balance of both theory and practicality. The food presentations done by each student helped showcase a variety of different healthy foods from the diverse student population. I felt the assignments and exams were more than fair and it helped prepare us for actually doing nutrition consulting work.
For the second half of the course I opted for distance learning because I was starting a family and needed to be able to work more from home. The distance learning setup was perfect for me as I am self motivated and kept up with my assignments. If you are not the type that can self pace yourself I would encourage you to take classes on campus. The distance learning classes were done very well and recorded by Ed Bauman himself. After every course your mentor checks in with you and makes sure you have adequately learned the material and could apply it. My mentor was Diane Fischler and she was outstanding (as were all the teachers).
The course curriculum is broken up in two major sections. The first part is Foundations of Nutrition which teaches you the theory aspect of holistic nutrition. The second part is Therapeutics which tended to be more labor intensive for most students because of the longer assignments. Both sections were very important as they work hand in hand in making you a complete nutrition consultant.
Aside from the two major sections, you also learn the business aspect of starting your own practice. When I see negative reviews on Bauman College I feel like it stems from the fact that people are not ready for entrepreneurship. Starting your own practice is very challenging and is hard work no matter the industry you are in. There are definitely many opportunities for nutrition consultants, but just like any aspect of life will take hard work. You get what you put into it. At the very least, after taking the program you will be far more knowledgeable and able to apply holistic nutrition for a healthier like for yourself, family, friends, and hopefully clients.
I still keep in contact with my old teachers and staff. They are kind and compassionate people who really care about their students and making people healthier through whole foods. This is not the type of school where the staff are merely there for the pay check. They all really care and enjoy what they do and it shows. I highly recommend anyone to give Bauman College a shot and at least sit in for a class or listen to a conference call with Ed Bauman.

I graduated from Bauman College a few months ago (Berkeley) having completed the NC program. I started in-​class but had to finish up the last couple of months as a Distance Learner as we moved out of the country. I really enjoyed my time at Bauman and felt that the teachers were excellent and extremely passionate about the material. The practice clients that we had to take-​on during the course & the meal plans/​recommendations that were required to produce for these assignments, adequately prepared me for clients after graduation. I was able to manage being a full time mom to 2 young kids and complete the program. Overall I would highly recommend Bauman College and feel prepared to work in the holistic nutrition field.

Interestingly none of the reviews are from Distance Learning students yet most of the reviewers (although they enjoyed their teachers and learned) expressed that they did not feel prepared to work in the real world. I had the same experience, expressed concern and received nothing but a take it or leave it attitude.
I signed up for the Distance Learning (DL) program for the Nutrition Consultant program because I liked that it appeared to be much more in depth than other programs like Integrative Nutrition. However, what I experienced was sub-​par to say the least. As a DL your only option is 1 hour lectures by Dr. Bauman himself as you stare at Power Point slides. Although Bauman’s site says that Dr. Bauman created these slides he often disagrees with what is on them or makes comments like «Well, isn’t that interesting» with no further explanation. Yet in class students have access to various professors and each 1 hour lecture that a DL gets an in class learner gets that same information in a 2 ½ hour lecture– 150% more discussion on that information and how it relates to everything else you are supposed to be learning. I was told the school has over 400 Distance Learning students so if you add that up that is over $ 4,000,000 in tuition. Despite this they refuse to put technology in place allowing Distance Learning students the opportunity to Skype into classes and/​or putting class lectures up on their site for DL to use if they like. Further, despite the fact that the website touts a relationship with a mentor what they fail to tell you is that is only for 1 hour each module and that that 1 hour is firm. So if you don’t understand something and/​or don’t have time to cover something in that hour you are on your own.
Don’t get me wrong, you will learn but unless you have a serious science background and do tons of your own research outside of what the program offers you will not learn at the level necessary to actually make a career out of this. Ultimately if you plan to have a career in Nutrition I suggest spending your money and time somewhere else.

I graduated from both the Nutrition Consultant program and the Natural Chef program. I have been running a successful and rapidly growing business for a year now.
After doing a lot of research and debating whether to get my master’s and become an RD, I chose Bauman because of the excellent integrative curriculum. I even relocated from LA to SF to attend.
I highly recommend both courses. They do not have a career center, but they do offer a lot of guidance as you begin your career. It helps if you are a self-​starter who is motivated to do the work necessary to build a business or find a job (i.e., making a website, blog, networking, getting business cards, etc).
The chef course is very focused on health-​promoting ingredients and their effect on the body– it is not the CIA, so if you want to learn technique and make hollandaise and pâté-​a-​choux everyday, this is not the program for you. If you want to change your clients lives (and your own life) by supporting their health and using food as medicine, this is the course for you. It is more focused on preparing students to become personal chefs or to start their own businesses than to work in a conventional line-​cook restaurant position.
The price of the chef course is so reasonable, my friends from the program and I joke about how we got our money’s worth just by the amount of amazing food we ate during every class.
In all honesty, going to Bauman is the best decision I ever made.

I took the Natural Chef Training Program at Bauman College. I came into this program having a Bachelor’s in Nutritional Sciences and simply wanted to learn healthy cooking techniques and recipes. I got so much more than that out of the program. I learned a substantial amount about holistic nutrition and therapeutic cooking, and the dishes were creative and packed with flavor. I thought I knew so much about nutrition already, but Bauman’s Eating for Health model really made me look at food and health differently.
The teachers in the program were wonderful and were strong supporters of each student’s individual health/​career paths. The program not only covers cooking with whole foods, but it covers using food to heal/​prevent certain health issues, food sensitivities/​allergies, fermented foods, and healthier alternatives for different cuisines. Besides the recipes provided, students were given opportunity to be creative and experiment with different ingredients and dishes.
I would recommend this program to anyone passionate about health and looking to learn how to use whole foods as medicine through amazing dishes.

I found the Nutrition Essentials material and community very valuable. I was surprised to learn many things each week, especially since I’ve been studying nutrition and sustainability since I was a teenager. In the last year, I’ve really struggled to eat well and I honestly didn’t expect to change much in two months during this class. Yet, I felt motivated to act on my new knowledge and received much support from my teachers and classmates. None of us wanted our class to end! My classmates and I would gladly advocate for NEE Part 2.

I took the Nutrition Basics class, and I haven’t looked at food the same since! As a foodie, who loves to eat and cook and wants to stay healthy, it was just the right class for me, and within my price range. There were six 3 hour evening classes that were led by a nutritional consultant and a chef. The staff was very knowledgeable and considerate. Listening and watching them took my Zen Happiness level to a 10! Half the class was listening to a lecture, then we went into a large kitchen workspace and watched a cooking demo that we tasted at the end. What did I get out of this class? I learned to scrutinize everything I put in my mouth by staying away from GMOs, eating mostly organic and local plant-​based foods, and considering my meat sources with a keen eye on meats that are from sustainable sources. They aren’t advocating vegetarianism or veganism in the slightest and are more concerned about food and how it works with our bodies on the cellular level.
I highly recommend this class to anyone who wants to eat healthier for any reason. They also have a nice selection of health and cookbooks too.

This is an excellent Nutrition Consulting Program, especially for people with work experience as health practitioners. The curriculum is no less than excellent. I found the professors caring and well prepared. The materials are by far and above the very best in the field, Every single slide presented in each class has referenced foot notes from recently conducted research. They are constantly citing the government PubMed site which is the clearing house for health sciences research.
This is practical and useful body of knowledge to launch a business. I received a Nutrition Consulting degree in 2011 and I have spent a year developing a new business that is entirely based on this education. This is a solid program and very academically challenging. I attended graduate-​level classes in Anthropoplgy at CIIS, and Bauman curriculum is offered in JFK’s Master of Arts program in Holistic Health Management. So the previous comment that these academics are «not up to snuff» is ridiculous. C’mon!
This is a vocational program and not a stepping stone to Bachelors or Masters Degree programs. That said, people with work experience can use this information on a daily basis. Younger students can apply this to their knowledge bank in Herbal Studies or the healing arts. Nutrition is a critical element of healing.
If money was not an issue, I would attend one class a week to keep my nutrition and health knowledge current. I attended the Pengrove school in Sonoma County and would never think of missing a class. Every class was a gift of health, wisdom, and knowledge. The coursework Dr. Bauman provides is relevant and compelling to people with life experience.
I’m disheartened by someof the immature and impulsive negative feedback posted by people who lack work experience and perspective. It is surprising to me that not everyone can grasp the value of first-​rate information. Sure the program is costly, but several people’s life work went into developing the curriculum, and I’m planning on licencing these materials for commercial use.
Thank you Dr. Bauman for your excellent, well referenced books and study guides. You built a great foundation on wholesome ideas, wrote a program that is very easy to follow and comprehend, then added layers of complexity for mature students to imagine the many ways this could help people. Good health is linked to everything that is important and worthwhile.

$ 3500 just for the down payment? Who has that sitting away in the bank especially for a program that has no accreditation behind it (This info came from the rep at the school)? The cost of the natural chef program is outrageous. I’m better off going to a local establishment like Kitchen On Fire, Raw Bay Area, or Whole Foods for natural cooking courses. City College has a more affordable program… It would be nice if they could make this program somewhat affordable…

I received my NC certification in December 2011, so I’m updating my review of the school.
Overall, I think it’s a fairly good basic program. I learned a lot, I loved my teachers, I loved going to class, and I loved my fellow students.
As I’ve noted before, while the teachers are a wealth of information & knowledge (and so very fun, funny & kind), not all of them are very good at teaching. Lecturing, yes — teaching, not so much. It’s hard for them to get the information to sink in, and the bias was palpable (which it shouldn’t be in a science-​based curriculum). I wanted to be able to give this school a 5-​star rating, but the quality of the education just wasn’t up to snuff.
The «internship» was definitely not an internship in the traditional sense of the word (an apprenticeship). It was fieldwork — teaching 2 – 3 worksite wellness classes — that I found to be engaging but only marginally helpful. Many people in the class thought the internship was a total waste of time. I thought it was OK.
I don’t feel prepared for a job in the field of nutrition, but I’m going to make a go of it anyway (I kind of have to, after spending nearly $ 10k on this education!). I’m currently unemployed and don’t really know what’s next. I think the school could benefit from a career counselor or guidance counselor that is dedicated to each student’s future success and can help tailor the curriculum to that student’s goals.
All in all, it’s a good jumping off point if you’re interested in dipping a toe in to the holistic nutrition world to see if you’re cut out for this kind of work. If you are, my sense is that you’ll need more education down the line.

Bauman College offers Nutrition Educator, Nutrition Consultant and Natural Chef programs which are good quality programs that can prepare one for a career in the holistic nutrition field as well as getting you a foot in the door in the natural chef/​culinary arts world.
I personally got through the Nutrition Educator program (and got the certificate) as it has always been my passion to learn more about nutrition as it realted to our health. After finishing the distance learning program, I’ve gained so much knowledge of how to eat right and improved my diets for better stamina and higher energy level.
The progams also provide a lot of resources, including an active on-​line forum to chat/​research about various nutriton related issues, with the latest medical/​scientific journals, professional nutrition consultants on the staff who provide advice on relevant issues, different tools to use to do nutrition analysis based on your diet and individual differences and even career resources such as finding employment or advertising your own business in the fields. Not to mention that you start building your own network with like minded people who have similar interest and career aspirations.
I also was enrolled in the Natural Chef program briefly, until my old back injury stopped me from continuing with it. The program has good chef instructors and fairly organized coursework to give you a brief survey into making tasty, plant-​based natural meals made of mosty organic, fresh and local ingredients free of things such as gluten or dairy products that can cause probelms for some people. The program may not be as prestigous as the Natural Gourmet Institute (NGI) located in NYC, but given the costs and duration of program (maybe less than half of the tuition at NGI and it takes only 5 months to complete before you do certain number of hours externship) this is a more affordable way to get your education if that is your passion and to if you want to steer your career into that direction.
When I can do the Nutrition Consultant program physically and financially in the future, I would definitey go back to Bauman College to get the degree.

I can’t wait for the new facilities n Berkeley!

I finished the Natural Chef Program February 28. Like my previous review stated, I think what you learn is good. However, I definitely don’t feel prepared to go out and get a job as a chef in a restaurant with confidence. This course is definitely a course to take if you only want to be a personal chef. I feel confident I could do that, although I did that before paying $ 10,000, but I am better because of the course. So the content is not necessarily what I have a problem with. I do however have a problem with the fact that they lost my last homework assignment and after 3 months of waiting I still have not received my certificate of completion. Apparently they sent the certificate to my old address after they specifically asked me to fill out a form telling them where to mail it to which had my new address. So I guess that got lost too. They did move locations since I finished, but I still believe they need to be a bit more organized and on top of getting people their certificates so they can prove they completed the course.
I would still recommend the school if what you want to do is become a personal chef with a whole food approach. Although they say you will be a certified therapeutic chef, I don’t believe that is true unless you pay another $ 10,000 and take the Nutrition Consultant course as well. If what you want to do is be a chef in a restaurant I would go to a larger culinary school and do your own research on the natural approach if that is what is drawing you to Bauman.

I am a current natural chef student and am really enjoying the program at Bauman College. Before attending the program I took the opportunity to meet with an admissions counselor and look through the curriculum binders. I knew what this program had to offer before I committed to attending. I suggest you do the same thing. (What type of education are you wanting to receive? Please don’t make your decision based on our comments here, including mine.)
Here is a little bit about my experience. I specifically chose Bauman College because it is not a traditional culinary program. The natural chef program focuses on the use of locally sourced, organically grown, unrefined, whole foods. Not only are we taught about basic culinary techniques but the program incorporates basic nutrition. I appreciate the fact that we have looked at therapeutic topics like heart health, digestive wellness and cancer and how we can prepare meals to help support individuals with these conditions. I also appreciate the fact that I have learned about alternative ingredients because lets face it, our Standard American Diet is not keeping us healthy.
The natural chef program has also provided an opportunity to be creative. In the beginning, we followed structured recipes to learn basic techniques. But, during the second half of the program, we were given ingredients and a title of a recipe and it was up to us to choose how to make the recipe and what quantities to use. At times our improv recipes turned out better than the original.
Bauman College cares about our success as natural chefs. They show this by providing us with a business section in the program. By the end of the program I will have a complete business plan which is a first step towards starting my own business.
I hope that this information is helpful… good luck on your search for the right culinary/​nutrition program for you.

As a former student, I would not recommed this school to anyone! The instructors are not educated in the subjects they teach and they teach outdated info about nutrition. They are biased against vegans and vegetarians and have too much emphasis on gluten free cooking just because they themselves are gluten intolerant! It’s not worth the money, for sure! As far as getting a job after, unless you want to start your own personal chef business, which the bay-​area is saturated with, you are pretty much out of luck! No restaurant will hire you cuz they don’t know what Bauman College is! Save the money and try volunteering to get experience! Three Stone Hearth has an internship program, and I wish I had just done that instead of spending $ 10,000 on a useless class! And ALL of my classmates (9 others) feel the same! You should hear our conversations!