| Do you love food, but aren’t sure how to turn that into a career? Here is a whole list of job possibilities in the culinary arts, and information about how to find a culinary arts program to help you achieve your goals. Students graduating from culinary arts programs are in luck: the U.S. Department of Labor reports that “Job opportunities for chefs, cooks, and food preparation workers are expected to be plentiful because of the continued growth and expansion of food service outlets.” No matter what the economic forecast, people still have to eat. While jobs in the food industry are expected to see an eleven percent growth between 2006 and 2016 (which translates to about 351,000 new jobs), the best and highest paying culinary arts careers will remain highly competitive, and most employers prefer to hire folks with training. That’s where a career school can make all the difference in achieving your dream job. While working in or owning a restaurant might be your end goal, those are just two of the many possible careers you could have in the culinary arts. Here are some of the jobs a culinary arts degree from a career school could land you. Chef or Cook These are the folks who make all the food in a restaurant or bar. A chef is considered above a cook in the kitchen hierarchy, and the fancier the restaurant, the more chef classifications there are. For example, a garde manger chef prepares cold food, a frutier chef fries food, and an entrementier chef cooks vegetables. If you find out in your training that you love to sauté but hate to broil, it’s possible to specialize as you climb the career ladder. Food Preparation One of the most common entry-level culinary arts positions is in food preparation. Food preparation means that you will be doing all the chopping and pan fetching. Basically, you would be performing all of the kitchen tasks leading up to actually cooking the food. Institutional Chef A career in culinary arts often means that you will be cooking somewhere outside a restaurant setting. About fifteen percent of culinary workers are employed in hospitals, nursing homes, schools, and other large institutions. Kitchen Manager A kitchen manager does exactly that: manages a kitchen. Career school training in culinary arts means that not only will you learn to cook, but you’ll also learn how to make purchase orders, plan budgets, and run a kitchen. If you discover your organizational skills are top-notch, this might be the career path for you. Personal Chef Celebrities, executives, and people with money often hire personal chefs to plan menus and prepare food for a private household. Having a personal chef is also a growing trend among people who need to watch their weight or have other specific dietary needs. Sommelier A sommelier is the person in a restaurant who specializes in all aspects of wine. Sommeliers are responsible for pairin... |