Are you really passionate about beer, wine or any other types of beverages? Or do you actually carry a dream or planning to become the kind of expert who can pair beverages and food for the most discerning customer? Well, if so then making a career in this wine and beverages management can play a vital role in realizing your dream. In fact, this could be an ideal field where you can make your career.

Today there are many culinary schools in the United States that are offering specialized programs in wine and beverages management. The key feature that makes this program unique and different from others is it is designed and supported by leading wine and beverage experts from some of the industry’s finest restaurants and hotels. The program educates you about all the key skills that you generally required to pursue a rewarding career in wine and beverage management. And, best of all, this program is it provides a platform where you can expand your knowledge of:
• Viticulture and Viniculture
• Tasting techniques
• Management of beverages for special menus

Graduating from this program can open all kinds of doors for you. In fact, once you complete your program you can begin a rewarding career as resident wine expert in different work settings like clubs, catering companies, restaurants, beverage agencies, cruise lines, and resorts or may even work in the beverage and wine supply industry. Apart from this, there are many other options where you can make your career as-

Wine / Beverage Sommelier: Working as a wine or beverage sommelier, your responsibilities may revolve around serving in a restaurant, including storage, and wine cellar rotation. He may even require to work along with the executive chef to find wines that complement a specific menu. However, if you are working in any restaurant then at times you may require preparing the wine lists or even provide training to other staff about the wines and wine service. If we talk in terms of salary then as a beginner, you could easily earn a decent salary as $28,000, but as you gain experience and certification, you may make between $80,000 and $160,000. Though to be a Master Sommelier, you need to pass a series of exams from the Court of Master Sommeliers.

Restaurant or Hotel Beverage Manager: This is another specialized field that combines the creativity of the kitchen along with the business of running wine and beverage operations. Now, working as a restaurant or hotel beverage manager, your skills may go beyond managing day to day beverage operations. A good wine & beverage manager is a good leader and manager of diverse staff, and so your day to day work responsibilities may include:
• Recruiting and providing training to staff
• Monitoring the staff performance and further provide the feedback
• Monitoring revenues and expenses
• Negotiating supplier arrangements for wine and beverage products

Casino Wine and Beverage Manager: No other job prospects have gained as popularity in the past ten years as the casino line jobs. In fact, the demand for casino wine and beverage manager in the last four years has doubled. Performing the role of casino wine and beverage manager, your responsibilities may revolve around managing different activities of the beverage function. Besides this, at times you may even require to identify or evaluate strategies in order to increase your revenue and guest satisfaction with the department’s services. In addition to this, you may also require monitoring the equipment and inventory levels and take appropriate action if required.

Cruise Line Beverage Manager or Director: Playing the role of a cruise line beverage manager, your responsibilities may generally include:
• Directing, supervising and evaluating the performance of all direct reports.
• Watching the overall operation of all wine and beverage outlets and the galley area.
• Managing the general wine, spirit and beverage budget by reviewing financial transactions and monitoring the budget to ensure an efficient operation.
• Administer the wine and beverage inventory and further ensure that the appropriate inventory controls are in proper place while managing carrying costs effectively.

Adding to this, working as a cruise line beverage manager you would be answerable for all of the Beverage Department’s financial matters. Apart from all these profiles and positions, today you may even enjoy your career as a Wine, Beer and Spirits Distributor/Sales/Owner. However, it doesn’t matter what role you play, you could be the very important professional working in one of the emerging industry.

Over the last few years, the wines and spirits sector firms are looking for experts who cannot just work with the marketing tools, but can also understand the different facets of sales and its techniques. To understand and master the sales technique, it is very important to have a good education. Attending an accredited culinary school is unavoidable if you are really looking to learn the tricks of this industry. Proper training can surely help in sharpening the skills required if you are deciding a make a career in this industry.

It is beyond doubt that pizza is one of the most popular fast food items all across the globe. It doesn’t matter what age group you belong to, today every one of us loves to have it. In fact, many of us have even tried a hand in preparing it at our own convenience. However, it would be quite interesting if one has ample information about the various culinary schools and programs that can train and enable one to be dexterous in cooking varieties of food including pizza.

Nevertheless, before we proceed, it is pertinent to know concisely about the history of pizza. Many researchers talks regarding Neolithic Age evidences while speaking about the pizza’s origin. In the history of pizza, Italy is considered to be the hub of bringing in all sorts of variations in the early mound of flour that later shaped into a flavored concoction affectionately known as ‘pizza’. It was considered to be a peasant’s meal in Italy for centuries. But unfortunately it is not easy to say who invented the first pizza. Perhaps, we can also find the early stages of its modification even in Greek manuscripts and in Persian writings. Many food historians even believe that pizza like dishes were also served by peoples lived in the Mediterranean regions including the Egyptians and the Greeks.

However, the popularity of Pizza spread to other parts of the world, especially to the United States, England and Spain, after World War II. After conquering major territories of Italy, many U.S and European soldiers had the taste of Pizza for the very first time. In fact, it was the deep inclination towards pizza that made immigrants from Italy sell their Pizzas in their American stores for the very first time, but it was the soldiers who returned from Italy with a hunger for the saucy delight that pulled the taste of Pizzas out to the nearby Italian neighborhoods and in the main stream of every city’s day to day life all over the continent. The square “Sicilian Pizza” which is now well recognized was the forerunner of well-promoted “Party Pizza” is an American invention. And, today we celebrate the February 9 as an international Pizza Day.

Today on an average, almost every citizen of the United States and Canada eat 23 pounds of pizza each year. Adding to this, Cheese and Pepperoni is among the most favorite combinations, especially with the younger set. Apart from this, if we talk in terms of present context the concept and popularity of pizza has taken many forms such as Ice Cream Pizza, Mexican Pizza, Candy Pizza and many more.

Cooking pizza is an art, and to learn in the best possible way, enrolling into the culinary programs offered by any of the top culinary colleges is important. A good college always makes an inquisitive and hard-working student ready for both traditional and unconventional culinary challenges, and of course, in making pizza. The world class culinary schools have top notch facilities for assisting in gaining refined culinary knowledge and getting placed under famous brand names. All that one has to do is innovate and apply the culinary skills in preparing various food items, including the pizza.

The term ‘food’ is a wider one inclusive of different types of food items like ice creams, burgers, sandwiches, cakes, pastries, cookies, chips, macaroni, pizzas, pasta, noodles, breads and much more.

Culinary science has professionalized this art of food making and it is widely accepted a job for millions to survive. Food itself got subdivided on the basis of regions.

Sandwiches
• Sandwich is one of the widely popular food items in the world.
• They are seen as dietary food rather than a full fledged meal.
• It is estimated that Americans eat more than 300 million sandwiches a day.
• Although, mainly non-vegetarian in nature, it veggie counterparts are widely popular in India.

Burgers
• Hamburgers are often served with lettuce, tomato, onion and pickles
• 8.2 Billion Burgers were served in commercial restaurants in 2001.
• Burgers account for about 40% of total sandwiches consumed.
• 65% of Burgers are consumed away from home.
• Hamburgers and Cheeseburgers comprise 71% of the beef servings in commercial restaurants.

Noodles
• Noodles are made from unleavened dough that is cooked in a boiling liquid.
• China is the place of origin of Noodles.
• For Chinese, long noodles are eaten during birthdays to symbolize longevity.
• In Japan, it is polite to slurp loudly while eating noodles or soba.
• The oldest type of noodle is made from millet.
• It is the basic ingredient in dishes like spaghetti pasta, linguine, soba and udon.

Macaroni
• Macaroni is the Italian variant of Noodles.
• Macaroni and cheese is consistently on the list of top ten favorite food choices for children.
• The recommended wine to serve with macaroni and cheese is Burgundy wine.
• Thomas Jefferson is credited with introducing macaroni to the United States.

Breads
• Breads are the foundation of cooking in European as well as American Countries.
• Today, in specialized bakeries, you can even buy 11 grain bread.
• Whole grain dark breads have become more popular mostly due to their high fibre content.
• Bread is such a powerful food that in antiquity Egyptian governments controlled it from production to distribution as a means of controlling the populace.
• One can use mashed acorns, ground beans, crushed tree barks, nuts, or chestnut flour, but most balers use primarily finely milled wheat, or rye corn, barley, millet, kamut, spelt and other grains. Wheat flour is preferred because of its gluten content.
• The greatest thing since sliced bread” is a phrase commonly used to describe an innovative achievement.
• Vitamin C (ascorbic acid, E300) is added to “improve” and strengthen the flour, making it easier to mix the dough at high speed.
Buns
• A cross bun kept from one Good Friday to the next was thought to bring luck.
• Buns can be long and skinny, short and round and or come in many different shapes and sizes.

Pasta
• The Chinese are on record as having eaten pasta as early as 5,000 B.C.
• In the 13th century, the Pope set quality standards for pasta.
• There are more than 600 pasta shapes produced worldwide.
• To cook one billion pounds of pasta, you would need 2,021,452,000 gallons of water-enough to fill nearly 75,000 Olympic-size swimming pools.
• Christopher Columbus, one of Italy’s most famous pastaphiles, was born in October, which is now National Pasta Month.
• Pasta existed for thousands of years before anyone ever thought to put tomato sauce on it. The Spanish explorer Cortez brought tomatoes back to Europe from Mexico in 1519

Food items like burgers, buns, cookies, pastries, pancakes, noodles, doughnuts and bread have different tastes as they are made from different cereals and grains. Here is some more interesting information about different types of food grains.

Wheat
• Wheat has been cultivated since 9000 B.C.
• Over 725 million metric tones of wheat are produced all around the world and China tops the list followed by India and US.
• Wheat forms the major ingredient of many food items such as breads, porridge, crackers, biscuits, cookies, muffins, rolls, pies, pancakes and pastries.
• The principal elements of wheat flour are gluten and starch.
• Wheat is also used for fermentation to make beer, vodka and alcohol.
• Major cultivated species of wheat are Common wheat, Durum, Einkorn, Emmer and Spelt.
• There are more than 30000 different varieties of Wheat representing 14 different species.

Barley
• Russia is the largest producer of Barley in the world.
• The World’s total production of Barley is 136 million metric tones.
• Barley is extensively used in the production of Alcoholic Beverages and is used as an animal feed too.
• There are as many as 80 countries in the world alien to Barley cultivation.
• US alone cultivates around 150 varieties of Barley
• Barley contains 8 amino acids and eating whole grain barley can regulate blood sugar in our body up to 10 hours after consumption.
• Barley has the potency of combating many diseases.

Maize
• Maize, popularly know as corn is the widely grown crop in the American continent.
• Maize contains ‘lipid transfer protein’, an indigestible protein which survives cooking. This protein has been linked to a rare and understudied allergy to maize in humans.
• US alone produce 332 million metric tones.
• Maize has around10 chromosomes.
• Maize is the principal ingredient in Custard Powder.
• It is said that there are more than 3500 uses for corn products.
• Farmers can grow corn everywhere except Antarctica.
• Maize is used in products ranging from chewing gum to bathing soap.

Millet
• There are about 9 types of millets.
• Pearl Millet is the most important member of Millet family.
• India is the principal producer of Millet in the World followed by Nigeria and Niger.
• A Millet grain is rich in B Vitamins.
• They are used in Alcoholic Beverages.
• Thyroid patients should stay from their over consumption.
• Millets are widely used as bird as well as animal feed.
• They along with birdseeds are commonly used as fillings for juggling beanbags.

Rye
• Rye is used both as a food grain as well as a forage crop.
• It is used in manufacturing beer, vodka, bread and some whiskies.
• Russian Federation is the largest Rye producer in the World.
• It is a popular food grain in the coldest regions.
• Rye is a god source of Vitamin E, Proteins and Calcium.
• It is god for the digestive system.

Research Culinary Schools and find the perfect culinary career for you.

Chefs not only add flavor to the food they cook, but also mix the required quantity of professionalism into the food culture. In a professional kitchen setting, the term ‘chef’ denotes the executive chef or master chef who spreads the magic taste of kitchen to the outside world. Guy Ramsay Ferry or Guy Fieri as is he popularly known is one such chef who has been able to devise an altogether different recipe of food culture.

Guy Fieri never limited himself to just cooking and he is lot more than this. He is a TV personality and an author of many recipe books. After earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Hospitality Management from University of Nevada, Las Vegas in 1990, Fieri could develop his own innovative world of food science coupled with creativity. No wonder, his Chef personality is well acknowledged in US and abroad through his cookery shows alone!

Since awards and recognitions have always been on his favor, he could shape his own good will and reputation among the masses. Through his shows, Guy Fieri has been able to successfully broadcast his style of cooking. ‘Guy’s Big Bite’, ‘Diners, Drive ins and Dives’, ‘Ultimate Recipe Showdown’ which he co-hosted with Mark Summers are some of his popular TV shows. His way of presentation, bleached bond spiky hair have added much color to a Chef’s physique and in this way, he has proved that Chef’s personal zeal is equally important as his cooking excellence.

With restaurants being the very stage of food experiments, Guy has been able to advertise his very concept of restaurants. Guy’s restaurants are located in Santa Rosa, Windsor and Sacramento. His restaurant service mix is so broad a concept where customers can buy many fun products from T-shirts, squeeze bottles and aprons to hats and more. This depicts the uniqueness and style of his restaurants as well as his efficiency and experience in Restaurant Management. Chefs are those who would make others follow them at least in diet. A good chef has no problem in prescribing a balanced and nutritious diet to his ‘disciples’. Guy has been able to convince his admirers who watch his TV shows that his cooking shows are worth seeing and trying. His restaurant management has made him grow into a good recruiter and trainer for the growing chain too.

Apart from these, Guy has been able to lead many aspiring chefs and give them timely training. Guy Fieri has been a three-term President of the Restaurant Association of the Redwood Empire and serves on the Board of Directors for the Educational Foundation of the California Restaurant Association and most recently was he was Grand Marshall for NASCAR in Sonoma. Another milestone in his life occurred when he was flown by the American Navy all the way to Persian Gulf to entertain and cook for the troops.

Thus, Guy Fieri has been able to project himself as a celebrity-chef and a brand ambassador of food all around the world. His professional life a master chef is an inspiration to many who aspire to pursue a career in Hospitality Management.

In last few years, culinary career has made its own mark. We can easily see its impact with the rise in the ratio of culinary schools. Now in order to firm your feet in this profession you have to be well trained and skilled enough to perform your tasks effectively. Now this is possible if you get trained at a right culinary college and school. To get into right school you need to examine the culinary college and its other aspects appropriately. Below are few things you should consider or perform before getting into culinary schools:

Begin Early- It is vital to recognize that getting an admission into the culinary art school is never an easy procedure. It can be a big bonus for you if you can start developing your culinary skills and show those factors that are important to get into a culinary school.

Select Your Additional Activities Carefully – Your input in different non-school activities specially related to culinary can add a unique feature. In fact, it may give an extra consideration to your application. Actually, it can play a key role in offering you another way to get to know faculty and consecutively let them also understand about your strengths that may be very vital for this culinary profession.

Selection of a Reputed School – Look for a culinary school which has a great reputation among chefs, restaurateurs, journalists, etc. It is the most important step towards this career. A good school makes your foundation strong enough.

Look for Placement rate of Student- Always try to find out the rate students’ placement of that school. This important step may help you disclose whether you are investing to the right place or not. Reviewing lists of recent job placements will give you an idea of jobs and employers.

Get Ready for Credentials- When you are all done with the selection of schools the next thing is to know the documents required by the school you want to join. There are many criteria that have to be followed before admission. Academic credentials are one of them. See if you have secured required marks required by the school. Keep all your papers ready before the admission date.

Look for Deadlines- Every culinary school has its educational session, which starts and ends in particular time of a year. So you must know and have proper information of the starting and finishing session of the culinary school.
Culinary art schools play a great role for a successful career. Therefore, selection of a right school becomes a necessity. You can easily do it if you follow above simple tips. Go through these tips and make your way towards getting into a best culinary school.

An individual who has a degree in food service management is qualified for a career in the same. The students are trained with the technical, interpersonal and critical-thinking skills that are in way prerequisites for immediate employment even for entry-level supervisory positions. Those students who have an extensive food service background have an added advantage of finding job posts as managers even though it might not have been much time after completing graduation. A course in food service management would include training in health-care facilities, commercial catering services, private practicing, researching et cetera. The course can help a student build a career as a supervisor or manager in food production and service areas, planning and implementing regular and therapeutic menus, purchasing supplies and maintaining inventory.

It is indeed surprising to know that food service managers hold about 465000 jobs (as per the census on 2000). They are acknowledged with a good salary which increases with increase in experience and certificates. After graduation, one can work in various places like educational institutions, hospitals, restaurants and other civic, social and fraternal organizations.

Many restaurants and food service management organizations carry rigorous training programs so as to prepare the individuals for management positions. They pledge to offer a blend of classroom education and on-the-job training programs, which in the long run helps the students to gain experience and receive instructions in all the aspects of operations of an institutional food service facility or a restaurant. There are a number of colleges that provide a degree course in food service management. Some of these colleges include International Culinary Schools at The Art Institutes, Le Cordon Bleu Schools North America, Le Cordon Bleu International, University of Phoenix and The French Culinary Institute.

The culinary profession has several branches like baking and pastry arts, chef training and general cooking techniques. Students and staff working in this industry may go for higher education for career growth. An example is culinary management. Several institutions offer culinary management programs like Bachelor in Culinary Management. Other programs are also available based on student’s convenience and need.

Culinary management deals with core functions of kitchens and dining rooms management. Though they are available through campus and online modes, the former may make more sense for beginners into this field. A key requisite expected from culinary management professionals is being generalists. They are expected to be aware of different roles and what they do in the institutions they serve. The program covers dining room operations, nutrition, current cuisine, food service management, employee turnover, shrinkage, food costing and hospitality managerial accounting.

The outlook is bright for culinary management professionals. The food service industry is progressing well in growth and job openings as per Bureau of Labor Statistics. Culinary management professionals are in demand as growth of hospitality industry spearheads innovation in fine dining establishments. Salaries are wide ranging with middle 50 percent of workers making between $30,000 to $50,000 per year.

The International Culinary Schools at The Art Institutes is a preferred destination for culinary management degrees offering quality education. Following it closely is Le Cordon Bleu Schools North America which has constantly kept its programs updated to the needs of students. Not far behind is Le Cordon Bleu International with an established track record of long standing excellence in imparting education. Interestingly, The French Culinary Institute is a chef school that focuses on practice oriented programs that enrich students knowledge. Lastly but not the least is The Culinary Institute of America which continues to set high standards in imparting quality programs.

The art of cooking is referred as culinary arts. Culinarians work in kitchens honing talents in culinary arts. Food becomes appealing and tasty if prepared well alongside effective decoration and presentation. Culinarians [aka chefs / cooks] transform raw materials into eye pleasing, aromatic and tasty preparations that tingle our taste buds. If you are inspired, creative and love flavors of food, then a culinary arts career may be for you. Culinary degrees are offered by several institutions like Associate and Bachelor degrees alongside Post-graduate degrees. These programs prepare culinary artists in fundamental cooking techniques and skills, cuisine, menu development, materials management, costing, budgeting, decision-making and problem-solving skills.

Career prospects are encouraging and demand exists for successful chefs. Post completion of formal programs, entry level jobs open up like line cooks, pantry cooks and assistant bakers. Industry outlook is favorable with forecasts that jobs for chefs may increase by 11% through 2016. However, competition is intense at the top is intense and formal programs provide an edge to students against others. Salary ranges vary based on type of culinary job, relevant education, experience, location and employer. Executive chefs earned median annual salaries of $57,982-$88,386 whereas line cooks’ salaries ranged between $19,957 – 26,118 [data as of June 2009].

Among institutions offering programs in culinary arts, International Culinary Schools at the Art Institute stands tall with country wide locations imparting learning. The USP of Le Cordon Bleu Schools North America is programs designed as per latest trends in industry. It is followed by Le Cordon Bleu International which maintains a global presence and excellent standards. Not far behind is The French Culinary Institute which is a chef school that imparts practical training. Completing the list is The Culinary Institute of America that sets standards of learning excellence for the industry as a whole.

Catering Management is not about providing food to people and organizations. It involves individuals who love business and immerse themselves in the flavors of food they work with. Hygiene, speed of service, pricing, quality and customer delight are key prepositions. It covers purchasing materials, menu development, food preparation, storing and serving food, and sales and marketing. Catering Management programs equip students with necessary business skills to rise to higher positions like Catering Manager. Importantly, if you are inclined, you could start own catering business in future. The discipline teaches managing people, materials, money and customers. Learning is through theory, simulations and practice.

In terms of careers for those who have pursued Catering Management programs, there are several opportunities beginning from entry level jobs and transitioning to Catering Managers or even starting own businesses. Though the Bureau of Labor Statistics indicates that employee turnover rates are higher in this industry, yet positions such as Catering Managers provide stability and a sense of job security. Importantly, salary levels are also higher at this level and range from $30,180 to $57,611 based on experience, region and employer as per statistics provided by salary.com [as of Nov., 2009].

The International Culinary Schools at the Art Institutes leads the group with a variety of programs in this discipline. Le Cordon Bleu Schools North America is a close second with adaptability and flexibility inbuilt into its host of programs. Not to be left far behind is Le Cordon Bleu International that designs and implements its programs in such a fashion that they are acknowledged world-wide. The French Culinary Institute is unique in it being a chef school that teaches programs through world class faculty. Completing the list nicely is the The Culinary Institute of America that focuses on setting standards of excellence in the field. Its programs are second to none.