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Food is an essential part of our daily lives, and over three million people prepare, cook, bake and serve it to us each day. In restaurants, hospitals, school cafeterias, prisons and private households - at conferences, weddings and funerals - workers in the culinary arts contribute to some of the most important aspects of our culture, often times behind the scenes. These workers are responsible for selecting, cleaning, processing and producing food and beverages for human and animal consumption. Their jobs require that they keep their work areas clean, organized and safe. But there are a lot of careers related to the culinary arts that don't involve cooking or serving, or even working directly with food.
There are almost as many kinds of culinary careers as there are types of food. Here are a few examples of the careers that focus on preparing and serving food:
These careers demonstrate the wide variety of ways to put food on the table without actually putting food on a table:
The outlook for available jobs in the culinary arts is promising, as Echo Boomers, the children of Baby Boomers, are now entering college and beginning families. This population growth means that more and more people will need to be fed. In the restaurant industry alone, two million jobs are expected to be added over the next decade, according to a recent forecast by the National Restaurant Association. Jobs not included in the forecast include cooking for hotels, schools, hospitals, airlines - even prisons. Nor does it include the services of private chefs and personal chefs, which happen to occupy the fastest-growing segment of the foodservice industry. The U.S. Personal Chef Association predicts the number of personal chefs will double in the next 6 to 8 years.
Work Environment and Job Characteristics
From cruise ship dining rooms to hot dog stands, vineyards to drive-thrus, laboratories to tiki bars, people who work in the culinary arts can be found just about anywhere. In most cases, they are working directly with food, on their feet, in often hot, busy kitchens. Some kitchens are equipped with modern equipment, are kept clean and safe, and are well organized. Many others, especially older ones, can have poorly functioning equipment in less appealing environments. The size of the kitchen is relative to how many people are served at one time, what kind of food is being prepared, and state laws regarding food service facilities.
Workers in kitchens need to be strong to handle lifting of heavy pots, and careful to avoid cuts, burns and slips. They must work quickly while being conscious of quality, often under significant pressure. Cooks and chefs rely on creativity, managerial skills, high standards of cleanliness, and the ability to communicate well with staff. Benefits of working in food service include the variety of environments, work schedules and geographic locations where opportunities are available. The many different roles people play in food production can be grouped under broad categories:
Farmers & Wine Production Workers
Agricultural workers prepare crop production areas, plant, grow and reap food for consumption. They must have expertise in understanding different types of soil, the impact of climate conditions and weather, pest control, growing techniques for different kinds of plants, regulations for food production, and the use equipment for mass production. Those who work in vineyards require knowledge of the science of wine production in order to produce different qualities of wine and make the most of each harvest. Organic farming also requires special expertise in order to effectively manage pest control, maximize crop production, and meet regulations for organic foods.
Chefs, Cooks & Food Preparation Workers
Over 3 million culinary arts jobs are held by chefs, fast food and short order cooks, and food preparation workers, and two thirds of them work in restaurants and bars, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Chefs have received a degree in culinary arts and have had substantial on-the-job training. They are trained to work with the best foods, uphold standards of high quality and safety, and function as managers in restaurant environments. To formalize their accomplishments in the field, they may be certified by the American Culinary Federation (ACF). There is a hierarchy among chefs, with the Executive Chef supervising the Sous Chef or assistant chef, who oversees Line or Station Chefs who work different stations to form an assembly line in the kitchen. They may work for hotels, resorts and convention centers preparing food for large banquets and events.
Cooks do not need training in order to be employed, and have developed their skills through experience. They are responsible for establishing a menu, and making sure sufficient food supplies are purchased and stored properly. They are expected to keep a clean, safe and organized kitchen. Short order cooks specialize in cooking a wide variety of dishes quickly.
Food preparation workers clean, chop, slice, dice, marinate and assemble the necessary ingredients for cooks. They may assist cooks in shopping for and storing food supplies, and may work to keep the kitchen clean when not preparing food.
Professional Chefs & Caterers
Professional chefs prepare meals in bulk for a client, often times in the client's home, packaging and storing the meals for single-serving consumption over a week or two weeks' time. Or they may live in the clients' home, travel accordingly, and manage all aspects of food for their client.
Caterers prepare a selection of pre-defined dishes for big events (e.g. weddings, corporate events and holiday dinners, conferences, funerals and religious celebrations), small meetings and private parties. They must be skilled at transporting, setting up, taking down and cleaning up food and equipment before, during and after events. Grocery stores frequently offer a different form of catering, including party trays and prepared dishes ready for carry out.
Cake designers and pastry chefs rely on creativity and expertise in using different confections to create cakes and other desserts for weddings, birthdays, promotional events, etc. They often work from home or in small bakeries, lifting and delivering their creations on a regular basis.
Food & Beverage Service Staff
Working in restaurants, hot dog stands, cafeterias, hotels, coffee shops and bars is many a budding chef, actor or college student working in food service roles. Requiring basic on-the-job training to start working, hosts, wait staff and buspersons are typically paid a low hourly wage and share a percentage of tips. In smaller restaurants these roles may be combined into one job shared by staff members.
Butchers, Bakers and Food Processors
Food processing careers such as butchery and baking fill an important role in preparing food for direct cooking and consumption. These workers frequently work on an assembly line, use baking and coffee roasting ovens, blenders and mixers, knives, slaughter and meat packing machinery, and other potentially dangerous equipment. They may work instead in small specialty food stores. Food processing workers must comply with government standards for cleanliness and quality. On-the-job training is all that is required to be employed in most of these jobs. Bakers have the option of obtaining certification through the Retail Bakers of America association.
Researchers & Scientists
Food scientists focus on maximizing nutrition and food safety. They test foods for their nutritional value, and check for harmful additives, ingredients and contaminants. Chemists, microbiologists and nutritionists, many of whom work for the government, make sure the food we eat is safe.
Researchers work with food manufacturing companies and large restaurant chains to identify food products and recipes that appeal to us as humans and to our pets. They work in test kitchens either testing the foods themselves, or overseeing testing activities.
Safety/Quality Inspectors & Culinary Educators
Food safety and quality inspectors provide a first line of defense against diseased, contaminated or unsafe food stuffs. Consumer safety inspectors work often with privately owned meat, poultry, and egg processing plants to make sure they are compliant with standards for safety, sanitation and processing. They also oversee packaging to make sure products are branded properly. Import inspectors oversee food products coming into the US, making sure it does not carry pests or contaminants that pose a threat, and that the quality is equivalent to food produced within the US.
Food Stylists
Photographers and videographers may choose to specialize in creating captivating images of food for advertising and marketing purposes. They must have expertise in preparing and preserving food specifically for the purpose of photography, and therefore require special training through a culinary arts degree.
Culinary Arts Schools and Training
Anyone who loves to cook or is fascinated by food can find a career in the culinary arts. In many cases, especially in entry level jobs, on-the-job training is the only requirement. While the traditional school of thought says that the only way to be a good chef is to learn on the job, many chefs and restaurant owners hold a culinary arts degree, therefore as they hire they hold their employees to the same standard.
Culinary degrees can be obtained at most community colleges or at private schools. Vocational schools often have smaller budgets, and therefore limited access to the latest equipment for their kitchens. With the higher tuition of private schools comes access to state-of-the-art modern kitchens. Although new fangled gleaming steel may be attractive to prospective students, the gritty reality is that most kitchens are not equipped to such standards. In either case, programs should be regulated and certified through the American Culinary Federation (ACF).
Good culinary arts programs will offer experiential learning opportunities such as a student-operated restaurant, or "externships" where students earn course credit by working in local restaurants. They should also offer access to a substantial network of alumni who will be looking to hire from their alma mater. Cooking schools that have been around longer are more likely to have a larger community of graduates.
Resources for Culinary Arts Careers
Schools for Culinary are listed in the column to the left.
The Subcategories tab lists career specialties for Culinary, each of which has a full page profile on the site.
The Find Schools tab lets you search for schools by field of study, degree level, and location.
The Videos tab lets you watch videos describing many of the career specialties for Culinary.
These schools offer particularly quick info upon request, and we have written detailed profiles for each (click school names to see the profiles).
Request info from multiple schools, by clicking the Get Info links.
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We have some additional detailed pages at the state level for Culinary. These pages include maps focused on the particular state, among other details.
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