Onsite Training or Online Courses
If you’re wondering whether to attend the onsite training or opt for one of the online courses, have a look at these FAQs.
What’s the difference between the live onsite trainings and online trainings?
Whether you choose to attend the onsite, live trainings or opt for the online instead, there’s a course to suit you and the way you learn.
The online courses and onsite courses are not direct replicas of each other. There may be a little overlap in content between some courses but not significantly. If you have taken an online course and then decide to attend an onsite experience, it will fully augment your skills and also you have access to a broader range of equipment and will be exposed to new techniques.
If you can take a few days out to fully immerse yourself, look at the onsite experiences.
The onsite experiences are skills accelerator programmes. They are a total immersion experiences where you can practice your skills, taste different ingredients and use state of the art equipment.
Sometimes it’s hard to know what the texture of the finished result should be or what it should taste like. Attending a live experience helps you to understand nuances in tastes and textures and helps to develop a delicate hand for spicing and flavouring.
People often find that their plating exponentially improves when they attend live events as they have Deborah right beside them giving continuous feedback and offering suggestions during the process. A flick of a wrist here or a small move to the right there, can make all the difference in the finished look of a plate.
The onsite experiences take place in the Deliciously Raw Kitchen - a state-of-the-art raw food culinary studio. For the adventurous or serious raw foodie if you are thinking of making investments in equipment, it can help to use them before purchase. Plus there is a small armoury of equipment and finishing tools for raw patisserie, cutting, shaping, moulding, finishing and styling, ingredients for molecular gastronomy…and lots of professional reference materials too.
Being part of a group, so you benefit from all their connections, suggestions and experience too. Many connections and friendships are made at the onsite experiences which continue after the course has finished.
Online, you can complete the courses in your own time, in your own kitchen and at a pace to suit you. There is a mix of written and video tutorials with group feedback. Some people find this useful if they have family and work commitments which means that traveling is not an option.
The online and onsite programmes each have their advantages. Many people decide to do both as it gives a broader experience. You can take the online courses and the onsite courses at the same time if you wish.
If you are in any doubt as to which course is right for you, contact Deborah for further advice.
What is the minimum age for taking a live course?
The minimum age required to take any course is 18.
I’m an experienced cook – will the courses be too basic for me?
Preparing raw food is both an art and a science – just as cooking is a science. Even professional chefs would struggle to achieve some of the results we achieve on the Deliciously Raw training, without specific technical knowledge. Preparing raw food requires a completely different way of thinking about the food, a different approach to techniques and a deep knowledge of ingredients that you may not be familiar with. If you know how to make a bechamel and can identify parsley from coriander, that’s brilliant. It will help you know the end results you are aiming for, but you’ll be surprised at how we make bechamel raw food style.
The onsite experiences will also provide you with a wide array of recipe and presentation ideas as well as the opportunity to taste a lot of different ingredients.
Can you accommodate special dietary requirements?
The kitchens are free from all animal products. Whilst no gluten-based products are used on the live courses, due to the possibility of some ingredients being cross-contaminated at the stockists we cannot guarantee that there are no trace elements of gluten. We also use the allergens, celery and sesame, in the kitchen. If you need to self-medicate due to a severe food allergy, please bring your own medication with you, such as an EpiPen, in case of emergencies.
On our onsite courses you eat the food that you prepare yourself so you can adjust your recipes to suit. If you wish to use alternative or specialist ingredients in place of ours you are welcome to bring them if you can let us know in advance.
Please contact us and we will endeavour to accommodate you on all courses.
I’ve attended raw food courses before and haven’t done that much prep. How much hands-on work is there?
All Deliciously Raw practical courses are totally hands-on. This is an important principle of the onsite training. You will have your own workstation and equipment and most of your time will be spent chopping, peeling, juicing, blending, dehydrating and learning other techniques using specialist equipment that makes learning professional raw food training so exciting.
There will be demonstrations, the opportunity to work individually and as part of a group – and to taste each other’s food. This is important because it can broaden your horizons and help you move away from your go-to spices and flavourings to experience a broader culinary canon.
The live trainings are also an opportunity to develop and refine your plating and to improve your presentation skills.
I would like to become a professional raw chef. Which course is right for me?
There are both online and onsite courses suitable for people who would like to pursue a career as a raw chef. These courses are also suitable for existing traditional chefs who would like to broaden their knowledge of raw plant-based cuisine.
The Diploma in Raw Chef Mastery is an accredited modular online course to introduce you to the fundamentals of preparing raw food to a professional standard. At the end of the course you will have a comprehensive range of skills in making and preparing food under 42C including beverages, soups and raw stocks, mains including raw ‘mother’ sauces, wraps and pastas, fermented foods, snacks, tree nut cheeses, world foods including those inspired by Japanese, Thai, Moroccan, Middle Eastern, Chinese, Indonesian, Korean and Italian flavours that will provide a platform for you preparing raw food professionally.
The Diploma in Professional Raw and Living Cuisine is an onsite series designed to springboard you to a career as a raw chef, whether for your own business or to broaden your repertoire of skills for plant-based
The Diploma in Raw Plant-based Patisserie Arts is designed to prepare you as a career as a raw pastry chef. This is currently offered onsite at Intermediate and Advanced Level. It is also an ideal choice for people who wish to start their own raw pastry arts business.
The Diploma in Raw Plant-based Deli Arts is designed to support people who would like to start their own full time or part time raw deli business.
All training is accredited by the Vegetarian Society.
Is this just for professionals or aspiring professionals?
Not at all. We offer a range of courses of different lengths and content to suit a wide range of interests both onsite and online.
If you want a total immersion experience and a broader and better understanding about raw food, the live events are a good choice for a hands-on experience.
Will I get copies of the recipes to take home?
You will receive a course pack of recipes and other essential information at the start of every course which are yours to take away, keep and refer to after the training. Many people have referred to this as their course ‘bible’.
What should I wear to the live events?
You will be provided with an apron, but we suggest that you wear loose comfortable clothing, preferably layers so you can adjust your temperature if required. Don’t wear your best outfit or draping flowing sleeves - fitted sleeves are perfect. Wear non-slip enclosed shoes (no sandals) in case you drop your knife or something heavy. Long hair should be tied back. For hygiene reasons, no dress rings please but a wedding band is fine.