The culinary world and food industry in general has exploded over the past few decades. Cable television, specifically the Food Network, has created stars out of chefs and exciting food cities nationwide began to foster unique, local food scenes featuring various flavors in cuisine, such as French cuisines. Nowadays, a career in the food business entails not only long hours in hot restaurant kitchens or food service, but a career that is increasingly creative and inspiring, which should excite future students who have a passion for cooking and appreciation for food. It may involve many job changes over the course of a career, as you move from restaurant to restaurant in the fast-paced environment of restaurant kitchens or within the hospitality industry, gaining foundational skills, extensive experience with new flavors in cuisine, international foods or American comfort food, the baking and pastry arts, or with chefs who have unique food concepts to teach.
To start your career, you'll want to start with an associate degree program or a certificate from one of the many culinary school programs available. There are culinary and pastry programs available all over the U.S. Culinary education demands that students have a passion for cooking and appreciation for food, but does not require any current knowledge since the culinary program will teach you all the foundational skills required and the fundamentals of cooking. When you devote that time to a culinary school degree, you will gain a vast amount of knowledge in a short period of time. You will learn more about the art and science of cooking in your approximate two years of culinary school than you can learn in five years of extensive experience in kitchens or the food industry. Plus, you can learn about inventory control and the various facets of kitchen management. Culinary school grads will have the culinary knowledge and skills to open a restaurant, become a bakery owner, pastry chef, apply for a position with the Food Network, start an event catering business or another food service, find a position in the most exciting food cities, work in kitchens at luxury hotel properties, get some business experience in the food or hospitality industry, and much more.
Components of A Successful Culinary Career
A successful culinary career begins with a passion for food, service, and lifelong learning. We all visit restaurants, sometimes several times per week. Many of us become enthralled with what it takes to make a dinner exceed our expectations, to surpass being a mere meal and rise to the level of a memorable experience. Yet, you not only need to know how to prepare and present a single plate of food, you need to know how to set up the systems necessary for preparing several hundred plates of food in a few hours. That is where you need not only experience but skilled training to ascertain the very best methods for efficient food preparation. For instance, you could design a labor-intensive dessert that takes at least ten minutes to prepare, but if your kitchen doesn't have the space or staff to devote to that confection, you might want to re-think your approach. A culinary trade school degree will give you the tools you need to adapt and still create a repeat, loyal customer.
A culinary chef is a person who oversees a staff of cooks in a kitchen. They might oversee certain aspects of food preparation, such as expediting orders or operating the grill. Chefs are also frequently charged with taking inventory and making food orders. They also might create menus or special items depending on deals they find in the market, or special seasonal produce.
Typical Culinary Trade School Requirements
Culinary trade school requirements frequently include at least a high school diploma or GED. Some programs might ask you to demonstrate your desire to become a chef by detailing your experience in foodservice, or to explain what drives your passion for food.
Certifications Needed
To excel in the culinary world, you might strive for special certifications that will set you apart from other chefs. You could, for instance, seek certification in nutrition so that you could work in a healthcare setting, or design menus for clients with special dietary restrictions. There are also culinary certifications that verify your credentials as a chef, or a Sommelier certification that asserts your wine expertise. You could also focus on the business side of the culinary world and become certified in restaurant management, or simply take more courses in bookkeeping to help ensure that all the finances are in order.
Academic Standards
To achieve a culinary degree or certification, you should strive to learn as much as you possibly can. After all, you will apply your knowledge and skills directly to your life's work. Most programs don't have strict requirements for maintaining your status in their program but assume that you need to maintain a minimum 2.0 GPA to remain in good standing and to graduate.
Exam and Experience Needed for a Culinary Certification
To earn a degree in culinary arts, you will likely need to pass your courses and then perform to high standards in an internship. If you are aiming at a specialized certification, however, you may need to pass an exam. To become a sommelier, for instance, there is an examination that covers tasting, wine theory, and wine service, including sales technique.
Important Questions to Ask
How long does it take to earn a Degree or Certification?
There are a range of academic programs in the culinary arts. You could go for a bachelor's of arts that is a four-year course that includes many of the same core curriculum found in a typical liberal arts college. You could also choose a certificate program that is light on academic standards, but which focuses on food-service curriculum and will take approximately 2 years, including a paid practicum in a hotel, resort, or restaurant.
How much does a Degree or certification cost?
A Culinary Trade School degree can prepare you to lead a kitchen, design menus, and manage your staff for a reasonable price. If you choose a program in a public community college, for instance, you might expect to pay a total of around $10,000. That would include all the materials associated with your profession, including a chef's jacket, neckerchief, apron, textbook, and tuition. A private program will cost more, but somewhere in the range of $19,000. You will then need to pay for your room, board, and other expenses on top of that.
How many students graduate “on time,” in 12 months or 24 months?
Culinary schools, like any other sort of college, all face a certain percentage of drop-outs. Some schools, such as the CIA boast 78-90% graduation rates, depending on the program. However, they are highly competitive. This would seem to mirror traditional academia, where more competitive schools graduate more students in four years than their open-door, open enrollment peers. With that in mind, figure that the lower end only graduates 30-40% of all incoming students in a timely fashion.
What kind of accreditation does the program hold? How is it regarded in the field?
If you are attending a culinary program for an associates or bachelor's degree, you need assurances that your credits are backed by a regional accrediting agency. That is because full degree programs are likely to take longer than a short certificate program and you will pay more for the credit hours. Furthermore, if you decide you want to build on your education with the next degree level, you will need credits that will transfer to a university or graduate school.
To assure that the program you are considering enrolling in stacks up to independent scrutiny, seek out one accredited by American Culinary Federation Education Foundation Accrediting Commission (ACFEFAC.)
Professional Organizations
CMSA
Court of Master Sommeliers Americas
https://www.mastersommeliers.org
This association certifies sommeliers in the USA. Their goal is to continually improve on standards for wine and wine service in restaurants and elsewhere. They conduct four examinations to certify their members, qualifying them as among the top experts in the wine industry.
ACF
American Culinary Federation
https://www.acfchefs.org
This trade association began in 1929 and continues to be one of the oldest such associations in the United States. They offer regional and national events, members-only publications, and many educational and other professional resources.
ICCA
International Corporate Chefs Association
http://www.iccachefs.com/
If you become a corporate chef, this is the association for you. Their aim is to help members develop in their careers and form networks amongst themselves.