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.

Ever thought for a moment about vendors selling eateries in theatres and concierge in 5 star hotels? Interestingly, both belong to the hospitality industry. The hospitality industry has a wide reach spanning health spas, hotels, museums, resorts, travel, tourism, cruise ships, amusement parks and casinos. It is one of the biggest industries in the world.

The competition in this industry is intense particularly for higher positions. As such, it makes sense to pursue higher education in this field. Several institutions offer programs catering to educational needs of this industry through diplomas, certifications, Associate’s, Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees. Course content covers industry standards and practices, hospitality management, convention and meeting planning, destination services management; travel and tourism, recreation related industries, purchasing fundamentals, food and beverages. By attending hospitality management courses through an educational institution, future workers may gain the edge that will help them to succeed in this dynamic field. Even better, qualifications can be acquired through online mode in most cases. Moreover, working staff can work and study simultaneously.

The hospitality industry has a robust forecast in terms of growth. The U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics has indicated that employment in hotels and other accommodations is expected to increase by 17% in the coming decade. Salaries vary depending on the job role. For example, in 2004, lodging managers drew median annual incomes of $38,000 with the top end at $72,000.Additionallly, yearly performance bonuses and lucrative discounts add flavor to hospitality careers.

The International Culinary Schools at The Art Institutes is a preferred destination for culinary management degrees offering quality education. Following it closely are Le Cordon Bleu Schools North America and Le Cordon Bleu International with an established track record of long standing excellence in imparting education. The French Culinary Institute and The Culinary Institute of America continue setting high standards in imparting quality programs.

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.

Entertainment management is a new discipline in management being offered at Master’s level. There are several programs at Associate and Graduate level alongside diplomas catering to this field. These are termed as Fine Arts like BFA and allied education. The purpose of this post-graduate management discipline is to equip aspiring students to transition smoothly into management careers within the entertainment industry.

Managing facilities like sports, theaters, museums, live music locations, art galleries, broadcast media companies and night clubs is a critical theme of entertainment management. The Master’s degree prepares students in gaining in-depth understanding of industry along with knowledge of business standards and practices. A sizable portion of the course work is through practical exposure to the industry by way of field work and lectures by industry leaders. The discipline requires high level of creativity, idea generation, effective communication, networking, marketing and problem-solving skills.

As per Bureau of Labor Statistics, growth is expected to be equal to national average until 2014. Hence, job prospects are bright especially for those with right qualifications and throw up opportunities as consultants, executives and other attractive positions in this field. The average starting salary in 2004 for individuals with an entertainment business management diploma was $60,059 as per BLS.Possessing a Master’s degree can only mean higher remuneration than that.

Entertainment Management programs are offered at several institutions including International Culinary Schools at The Art Institutes and Le Cordon Bleu Schools North America. The former offers host of programs across multiple locations whereas the latter provides current courses well suited to changing needs of students. Joining its peers are Le Cordon Bleu International and The French Culinary Institute offering world class instructors imparting incomparable training through practical exposure. Completing the list is The Culinary Institute of America that has set standards of excellence for the group.

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.

The world at large loves cakes and pastries decorated stylishly with rich flavours appealing to multitude of tastes of food lovers. If you have creativity, a taste for beauty and a sweet tooth, then Baking and Pastry Arts are where you should be.

The Baking and Pastry Arts involves creation of different types of bread viz., hearth and specialty breads. The discipline would be incomplete if it did not include desserts, pastries, patisserie and confections. You get to learn basic pastry and cake production, cake styling and menu planning. Additional aspects include basic cooking, nutrition and food safety. If you choose to do a program in this discipline, some institutions also offer you paid externships that double up for practical experience.

For most of us, baking and pastry arts is more than an interesting hobby. There are attractive career prospects in this industry like entry level positions of Pastry Cook and Baker and later on, moving to Pastry Chef, Dessert Chef, Bakery Trainer, Bread Maker or Production Pastry Maker. You can work in bakery shops, kitchens, grocery stores, restaurants, hotels. Food service managers in this specialty can earn from $40,000 to $70,000 annually as per statistics recorded in 2004.

There are several institutions offering reputed programs for degrees in Baking and Pastry Arts across the world like The International Culinary Schools at The Art Institutes located over several locations. Another school in the same league is the Le Cordon Bleu Schools North America. Add to the menu, the Le Cordon Bleu International is another top class school with over 110 years of teaching experience. The University of Phoenix’s punchline reads “Thinking Ahead” and true to its name, it offers online learning. The French Culinary Institute completes the list of top schools honing the next generation of culinary leaders.

Today, getting a job that offers long time stability is impossible due to the economic conditions, thus the consumers are putting off buying luxury products. However, one cannot stop from eating , and so a career in food service management is sure to stay for long. Today it is more in demand compared to any other industrial job or service.

The most advantageous position in Food Service Management is that of a Manager. When we talk of Restaurants, sports complexes, prison kitchens or any other establishment which deal in cooking and serving food, a need for a manager who coordinates the business the operations related to the occupation and the human resource is a must. He is the one who communicates with the customers and makes sure that they are attended the best possible way. What appears to be the most challenging job of the manager is to hire, train and then retain good employees for the Food Service Industry.

Today, management careers in food service industry are very profitable and long term once you know the responsibilities of the service manager well and execute them accordingly. These responsibilities include:

1. Maintaining Customer Relations: this means he has to make sure that guests are served in time and with good service.
2. Keeping in check the cleanliness of the kitchen and dining areas to the set government standards.
3. Maintaining safety standards and observing liquor laws.
4. Ordering food, equipments and supplies.
5. Track seating, inventory and the orders via computers.
6. Supervision of assistant managers.
7. Helping the chef to create successful food items.
8. To recruit, hire, train, motivate and dismiss employees.
9. Schedule work hours and to handle last minute changes.
10. Managing any kind of banquet or catering operations.
11. Invoicing and paying of bills.
12. Processing paperwork like payroll, employment records and tax documentation.

And there are many other responsibilities too, as in long work hours and work scheduled on any day of a week, even holidays.

Schools and Degrees

Today, vocational schools, community colleges, universities and all are offering two to four years degrees in hospitality which are preferred by all the restaurants. Any kind of experience in this field can also pave your way to enter the food service career as practical experience is an essential part of such programs.

The curriculum of the degree offered by such colleges includes food preparation and planning, nutrition, accounting, sanitation, business management and law, culinary courses and computer science.

There are some basic requirements that need to be fulfilled by a person to be a food service manger. Firstly, a prior experience in restaurant or any food service joint, a two-year/four-year hospitality degree for national level restaurant chains.

In order to evaluate whether the chosen university is a good for the hospitality degree, remember few points:

1. The reputation of the college or university,
2. The conditions of the labs and the quality of equipments,
3. Practical experience and exposure,
4. Financial aid to the students and the expenses,
5. The earlier graduates success rates.

A Saucier Chef is the chef who is responsible for making all the sauces, and also those dishes which are cooked in a particular sauce or gravy. A Saucier Chef is basically a Chef de Partie and is the third highest position in most kitchens.

A culinary career is more than simple cooking. This statement can be more aptly appreciated if one understands the fact that in larger establishments, there are chefs who exclusively manage other chefs.

A Saucier Chef is basically a Chef de Partie who is also known as the station staff or line cook. A Chef de Partie is responsible for one particular area of food production in the kitchen. A Saucier is responsible for preparing sauces, sautés, stews and hot hors d’oevres. The saucier chef position is usually the third highest position of all the stations. A Saucier Chef position is considered to be subordinate only to a Chef and Sous-Chef’s position in the kitchen hierarchy.

The saucier chef position is usually available in larger kitchens which can afford a staff big enough to allow for specialization. A Saucier Chef is responsible for all the sauteed items and most sauces. As sauces are the basic ingredients of most dishes, Saucier Chefs must be very knowledgeable about the different possible mixtures and combinations of ingredients, along with the different methods of cooking so that they can create a good sauce for a dish.

Typically, to start in a career as a Saucier, you would have to have completed a two years Bachelors Degree in Culinary Arts, and then would have worked in the culinary field for at least a year or two. You would need to be exposed to the areas involved in food presentation, food concepts, and menu creation. Your salary will depend on your expertise and experience – the higher you are on those counts, the higher your salary can go. You can start off at an hourly rate of $11 when you have at least 1 to 4 years of experience, move on to a $14 an hour rate with an experience of 5 to 9 years, and then go on to $16 an hour for at least 10 to 19 years of working experience in the industry.

In your career in the culinary arts, working towards becoming a Saucier Chef can be a exciting and rewarding, while also exposing you to learning how to cook a variety of dishes and culinary specialities.

A Commis Chef is an entry level position when you are at the beginning of creating your career as a chef. A Commis Chef reports to a Chef de Partie. Find out more about what are the responsibilities and skills required to become a Commis Chef.

Culinary careers are a very exciting, satisfying and an equally rewarding experience. And like in any other path of career, here too, to reach the top, one has to start at the bottom and work hard to reach the top position.

The post of an apprentice chef in larger kitchens to learn and operate a station is also termed as Commis Chef. A Commis Chef reports to a Chef De Partie and ideally needs to have completed formal culinary training. In larger kitchens, the Commis Chef job could also start as a kitchen porter or a kitchen assistant who would be promoted to the post of Commis Chef once the candidate is able to perform basic work like vegetable preparation and working of the kitchen.

The responsibilities of a Commis Chef includes preparing food under supervision of more skilled chefs, learning different styles of cooking, dealing with deliveries, stock rotation and requesting stock, gain knife and prep skills, preparation of vegetables and sauces, maintain accuracy while measuring dish ingredients and portion size, service of starters and desserts, maintain high hygiene standards, general day to day cleaning duties and basically understand and appreciate the pace and demands of a kitchen. The job entails working for three to six months in each section of kitchen. As the position of a Commis Chef is a varied role, the chef usually decides which area of the kitchen the apprentice would work in depending on their preference thereby enabling them to specialize in their area of interest. Further, as the job deals with every aspect of working in the kitchen, it is the ideal position to gain the widest possible experience before a specialization is considered.

The position of Commis Chef is normally obtained via catering colleges. If taking up a formal course is not an available option, then one could also start as a kitchen attendant and then apply for any training that the employer offers. The position usually requires working in shifts entailing 40 hours a week. The annual Commis Chef salary range is between $10,000 and $20,000 depending on the amount of training and experience of the chef. Part time, casual and seasonal opportunities are also available, the payment for which is made on a pro-rata basis.