Cookaholics Bulletin Board

My wife and I will be attending 'boot camp' at the Culinary Institute in St. Helena, Calif. this January. One of their requirements is proper footwear:
They require 'proper shoes':
• Shoes worn during food production must be made of firm leather with an anti-slip sole.
• Skid-proof or kitchen shoes can be purchased online or from your local uniform store.
• Please note that sneakers are not permitted.
• Open-toe shoes are strictly prohibited


Google offers up many suggestions but I am curious if you have recommendations

Many thanks!

Both our boys work in fast food restaurants which require non skid/oil proof shoes. We got them at Walmart for around $60 CAD. They are black, ugly and functional.

I love Alegria shoes. They are the most comfortable shoes I've ever worn. No back pain. I just bought a pair for Steve this Christmas. Too bad no sneakers as their leather sneakers are wonderful. I also love their clogs.

The latest shoe thread on /r/KitchenConfidential had these recommendations:

Dansko professional clogs
Crocs Bistro
Birkis by Birkenstock
Red wings 6623

I hope that helps!

--Lisa

Thanks to all so far, but please keep recommends coming.

Although we have a good culinary scene, chef training occurs elsewhere so cooking stuff is not readily available. We have three specialty shops where I tried Danskos and Birks but they didn't have my size; my wife got hers....

However, concurrently, we are getting hit by a very significant snowfall so we hussled our tushes home to a coffee and fireplace I'll try again tomorrow.

I like clogs,they tend to have a good footbed and arch support. I have some Alegria shoes too, they are very comfy.
If you just need them for one class you can find a functional pair at places like Payless shoes. I tell new cooks to invest in good shoes since they will be on their feet all the time and feet are hard to replace.