Making a career in the profession you are passionate about is the best gift you are giving yourself. Not many are able to do it as they or their loved ones fail to understand their hidden talents. Hence it is extremely important to know what you passionate about. If you are passionate about art, take up painting, if you have a keen interest in science become a scientist and if cooking food is your passion then take by a career in culinary arts. Believe me very few of them can actually transform their passion into a fulltime career. If food is your passion, don’t think twice take up a career in culinary arts as food industry can never be hit economy slow down or recession. Whatever the scenario, people are going to eat food and enjoy it too. So if you are good in your art there can be no looking back.
Things to know before taking up a career in culinary skills:
The first step is to find out how the culinary arts industry functions. This will help you understand what are the needs and requirements and where can you see yourself after gaining the right qualifications. It’s just not limited to being a chef that cooks in a huge restaurants or hotel kitchen. There are different types of chefs in any fine dine restaurants, most commonly know as the executive chef, sous chef, chef de partie and chef de cuisine. Each one has a different responsibility and tasks to look after. The executive chef is responsible for the functioning of the entire kitchen. Right from tasting the food, deciding the days menu, having a close look to presentation and appearance of the food. He also needs to co-ordinate with other staff of the kitchen to run the kitchen smoothly. Chef de cuisine job profiles includes, creating signature dishes, this is very critical job and only individuals with exceptional culinary skills are given this responsibility. Chef de cuisine also works extremely closely to executive chef and assists him everywhere required. Sous chef supervises smooth functioning of the kitchen under the guidance of the executive chef. He cooks, inspects and helps co-workers cook dishes too. Chef de partie is a station chef. He or she undertakes the tasks of cooking some exotic dishes and serving it to customers. This is a very challenging job indeed, but the best way to start your career in culinary arts. No that you know the brief working of a typical fine dining restaurants; you need to figure out where you stand and work on it accordingly.
Degree in Culinary Arts:
There are various degree programs available in culinary arts, right from Certification programs, associates degree, diploma programs and bachelor’s degree programs. Diplomas, associates degree and certifications degree programs focus on inculcating world class technical skills needed for key positions in kitchen who are looking for masters in management. Associates degree can also be very handy if you want to start up your own food joint. Bachelor’s degree give you an overall training in all aspects of culinary arts, menu selection, nutrition, service, ambience, wine pairings and much more. Bachelor’s degree program gives in depth knowledge in food preparation to its students. The curriculum covers various cuisines around the world like, Japanese, Chinese, thai, Mexican, Italian and so on. Bachelor’s degree program also focuses on the business aspects of hotel industry. Students learn to manage working staff from chefs to servers and also deal with vendors, people, investors and government bodies. Any Degree program in culinary arts requires dedication and concentration. The curriculum can physically drain you too. So you need to be prepared to go through the grill during your degree program.
This rigorous training is given to make you prepared of the hardships you might face on job, as there is a constant cut throat competition in the food and hotel industry.
Culinary Arts Salary:
Salaries in the culinary arts differ by place, occupation, experience and at times depending on the city too. However as per the department of labor the average per annum income of a head cook or chef must be about $43000 approximately $20 per hour. Executive chefs tend to earn a very high income ranging from $75000 to $ 125000 per annum. Food service manager and pastry earn an average of $50000 per annum. If you are working in five start hotels or high end resorts earn a little more than cafes of hospitals and schools. Working in cruise ships can be a little inconvenient as the salaries are not on the higher range for beginners but this can give you very good experience that can help you in the long run. Other than being employed, degree holders can also open their own restaurants and cafes after gaining ample experience in the hotel industry. Opening up your own restaurants and cafes is a very natural transition for most of the top chefs in the hotel industry. As by now you know the restaurant business at the back of your hand, it wouldn’t take much time and efforts.
Some of the best institutes that offer degree programs in culinary arts are given below. You can visit their websites and request for more information. There are many institutes that help students with campus placement also. Read through the prospectus carefully. Earning a degree and turning your dream to reality wouldn’t take much time. All you need is the right degree with an accredited university and the confidence of a top chef. So sharpen your knife the world is waiting for you.
Lincoln Culinary Institute
Keiser University
Virginia College
Dorsey School
Salter College
Remington College
Brandford Hall Career institute
