home | contact us | disclaimer  

Cooking Schools and Culinary Arts College Courses

The culinary industry is an exciting and dynamic field, offering a number of opportunities for those who have a passion for cooking and strong creative skills. Pursuing a formal culinary education can lead to a professional position as a restaurant chef, baker, pastry chef, or a rewarding career in the area of menu development, catering, and food science. The field is growing rapidly with the increases in dining and hospitality establishments around the world, and a significant demand for personal chefs and catering companies is on the rise. Culinary schools can prepare students with fundamental skills to become well-trained in a variety of cooking styles and cuisines.

What Does a Culinary Education Offer?

Cooking schools offer students a chance to gain professional experience by working with a variety of cooking styles, techniques, and gaining knowledge about different cuisines. From reviewing recipes to developing menus, cooking programs at a culinary arts institute make it simple to learn about different methods and apply each principle in a real-life setting. Chef schools help students learn basic food preparation skills and business methods, allowing them to become proficient in the areas of:

  • Baking and Pastry Arts

  • Commercial Cooking

  • Professional Cooking

  • Restaurant Management

  • Hotel Management

A culinary arts institute may also offer students a chance to work in a simulation kitchen or restaurant, giving them ample experience to work in a real-life setting. These schools are stocked with a rich resource library that includes cookbooks, instructional videos, reference materials, and computers for ongoing research. This makes it easier for students to enhance their knowledge and develop their unique cooking style.

What Types of Careers Are Available After Completing Cooking School?

Cooking programs can prepare students to work in a variety of careers such as:

  • Executive or Lead Chefs
  • Cafeteria Cooks or Managers
  • Food Directors
  • Restaurant Cooks
  • Fast Food cooks
  • Short Order Cooks
  • Private Household Cooks or Personal Chefs
  • Food Prep Workers
  • Menu Developers or Kitchen Managers

Approximately 60% of students who attend a cooking school work in the service and hospitality industry, while 20% wok in hospital cafeterias, nursing homes, or colleges and universities. Cooking schools can also lead students to work in hotels, retail stores, or open their own business.

What Types of Culinary Schools Are There?

Students have an opportunity to receive hands-on training from professional teachers and even talented chefs in the area, a place to develop their own recipes and techniques after initial training. School programs may also contain a business component that can lead to careers in hospitality management and catering. This allows graduates to develop and run their own successful business. Other students may choose to work in media and sales of the food and beverage industry, pursuing a career as a food journalist, restaurant or kitchen manager, or as a culinary equipment representative.

These schools generally encompass a culinary arts program along with a pastry or baking program. Both begin with basic training to adopt standard cooking skills, food preparation methods, food history, and a basic introduction of the food business industry. Culinary academies offer high-level training with professional chefs and talented professors. These institutions provide in-depth programs that focus on developing the talent and creativity of each student. Graduates may continue training with a professional chef in the industry, working at a high-end restaurant or continuing their education with specialized classes. Others may also choose to run a catering company as they develop their own recipes and talents.

Culinary schools at a technical college offer basic classes to pursue a career in the restaurant and food preparation industry. Graduates may pursue a career as a food preparation worker, kitchen chefs, restaurant cooks, or as food batch makers in a commercial kitchen. Chef schools offer a similar curriculum and course program, providing students with essential skills to work in a kitchen environment.

Independent cooking schools may specialize in a particular type of cuisine such as French, Indian, Italian, or Japanese cooking styles. These schools offer very specialized programs under the direction of a master instructor. Graduates can look forward to positions in restaurants and other food service establishments that may require a gourmet chef or chef de cuisine. A chef school through an independent or private institution allows students to gain extensive knowledge and become an expert in their field.

A culinary arts institution offers both culinary education programs and a critical business component. Here, students can learn key budgeting skills, plan menus, cost out food, and order supplies for a kitchen. These are essential elements of running a successful business and can be helpful in setting up an independent kitchen immediately after graduation.

What Types of Courses are Offered at a Chef School?

Courses vary depending on the specialization and focus of study after initial training, but cooking programs generally offer the following:

  • Food Science and Nutrition
  • Kitchen Management
  • Basic Kitchen Tools and Equipment
  • Basic Culinary Technique
  • Kitchen Purchasing and Cost Control
  • Palate Development and Ingredient Pairing
  • Food Safety and Sanitation
  • Culinary Math
  • Sauces and Reductions
  • Advanced Culinary Applications
  • Plating and Food Presentation

In addition to the basic course requirements, almost all students are required to complete an internship as part of their course credits. This allows them to learn most of their food preparation and production skills in a hands-on setting.

Cooking School Accreditation and Certifications

Most schools are accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology (ACCST).

Earning Potential and Employment Prospects

Jobs and career opportunities for graduates look promising, as there is a continuous demand for skilled and talented employees at hotels, restaurants, and other areas of the service industry. The leisure and dining industry is growing rapidly, and jobs for chefs, cooks, and food preparation workers continue to rise. The largest demand is for skilled cooks and chefs, and a niche industry with a growing demand for personal chefs is attracting many prospective students to culinary schools. A culinary arts program can lead to a variety of rewarding careers, and the business component of most cooking programs makes it easier for chefs to run their own business.

Salaries vary depending on skill level, specialization, degree, and experience. The hourly wage for those working in the culinary field can range from $6.84-$25.86 per hour, with increased salaries for exceptionally skilled and talented professional chefs.

 

Back to Cooking Schools and Culinary Arts College Courses