Those who work in the culinary arts are responsible for preparing food in places where it is served. Typically, you will find them working in restaurants either as chefs or in supervisory roles overseeing other kitchen staff to ensure meals are prepared per order and standard.
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Programs:
- Culinary Arts (AS)
- Culinary Arts (D)
- Baking & Pastry (D)
- And more...
Get hands-on training with Le Cordon Bleu Schools of North America. We offer programs in culinary arts, pastry and baking, and hospitality and restaurant management at campuses across the United States.
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- Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Miami - Associate Degree in Culinary Arts
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Star Career Academy - the career school of choice.Students will be prepared for entry-level employment in allied medical assisting and other health fields, hotel/restaurant management, cosmetology, or a choice from our professional culinary and baking & pastry programs. What makes us unique, and unlike other trade schools, is the dedication of our staff to provide performance-based occupational training. Students gain the knowledge and confidence they need so that they may quickly gain employment and achieve the success they desire.
Programs:
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Programs:
- AAS in Business Administration - Hospitality Management
At a Glance
Salary Range/Pay:[1] $24,530-$74,120; Median $42,480
Education/Training Required: High school diploma; Culinary arts training program
Desired Skills/Aptitude: Creativeness, good ability to taste and smell, manual dexterity
Certification/Licensing: Certification available through American Culinary Federation
Locations with Best Opportunities[2]: Nevada, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Vermont, New Hampshire
Employment Outlook: Slight growth or no growth through 2020
Opportunities for Advancement: Advancement to higher levels as executive chefs or head cooks; become a restaurant owner
What a Culinary Arts Professional Does
Those in the culinary arts fill a variety of roles when it comes to preparing fine dining and cuisine. Most call them chefs however they also work as food stylists, nutritionists, sous chefs, head cooks, caterers, personal chefs, private household chefs, and bakers. When in the kitchen, if not preparing food, they supervise other cooks and kitchen staff to ensure meals are prepared to their standards.
Some of the duties in addition to preparation of food and supervision of kitchen staff include:
- Menu planning
- Ensuring the cleanliness of the kitchen
- Inspecting the functionality of kitchen equipment
- Inspecting food for freshness
Chefs who advance to be restaurant owners might find that they spend more time in the office and in the customer dining area overseeing all facets of the restaurant’s operation. They will have probably hired another chef to look after the kitchen operations.
The Workplace
Most workers in the culinary arts work in restaurants. Basically any place where food is prepared can be a position for a chef. Thus, you can also find them working in private homes, institutional food service centers, hotels, and amusement parks.
Their workplace is most always the kitchen and these places are not only hot but full of hazards thus safety practices must be given attention at all times. Kitchens are crowded and if not careful one could slip, fall, and get burned. Using utensils such as knives also poses a threat of getting cut.
Education and Certification
Some who work in this field start out in other kitchen positions and learn from the chefs as they go. They may work as dishwashers or cooks on the line and learn how to prepare food as an art and not a task. Some organizations even have formal on-the-job training programs.
Those that enter the culinary arts field directly will have attended a formal training or degree program. These programs can be found in community colleges, traditional colleges, or culinary arts schools. Some traditional colleges offer 2 or 4-year degree programs in the culinary arts.
The curriculum in these schools not only offers practical hands-on experience in preparing certain dishes but cover other topics related to the job such as planning menus, keeping food sanitary, and purchasing equipment used in the kitchen.
Many of the training programs also have an apprenticeship component so that students can get real-life experience in the kitchen of a commercial food service establishment. These apprenticeship programs run for about two years.
Certification is available for those who work in this field even though it is not required. The American Culinary Federation is the current certifying agency. Typically, chefs work from six months up to 5 years before taking a certification exam.
[1] Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Employment Statistics, Chefs and Head Cooks, on the Internet at http://ift.tt/1uSXLOJ
[2] Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Employment Statistics, Chefs and Head Cooks, on the Internet at http://ift.tt/1uSXLOJ
Source:
http://ift.tt/1yCwjTN