Culinary Arts Schools, Programs and Career Training

Part art, part science, and part business, the culinary arts is one of the most challenging and rewarding disciplines you can imagine. You must possess the creativity to produce stunning dishes to impress clients, while having the business skills to order the right ingredients, and the people skills to work a room. Some culinary arts professionals are naturally adept in all three areas of the discipline (art, science, and business). However, through an accredited culinary arts training school, you can master all of the essential skills necessary to excel in:

Restaurant management

Baking and pastry

Gourmet culinary arts

Kitchen management

Culinary Arts Schools

Culinary arts education tracks are roughly divided into two main groups: food preparation and management. To become a chef, cook, or related professional, the preferred path involves attending culinary arts school to complete an associate's degree or certificate. Lasting one or two years, culinary arts schools expose you to topics such as:

Ingredient selection

Safety and hygiene

Food preparation

Kitchen management skills

More senior positions often require a bachelor's degree in the culinary arts. To become a restaurant manager, owner, or kitchen supervisor, you often take many of the same classes as food preparation workers, although greater emphasis is placed on business administration skills as well, including:

Accounting and bookkeeping

Marketing and promotion

Human resources

Strategic management

Each successive year of formal training helps to open more doors. In addition, supplementing your culinary arts education with real professional experience can make you a more marketable candidate once you graduate.

Outlook: Culinary Arts Careers

The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts slower than average growth for the culinary arts industry as a whole, but it is also quick to point out that job opportunities should be favorable through 2018. This seemingly contradictory information stems from the high turnover rate that many restaurants face. In addition, a sizeable portion of professionals in the dining industry do not have formal culinary arts training, meaning that an accredited degree can help distinguish as you apply for jobs.