Culinary Arts, a Viable and Exciting Career?

2010-01-23T19:11:00.000+07:00

Culinary art

Culinary art is the art of cooking.

The word "culinary" is defined as something related to, or connected with, cooking or kitchens. A culinarian is a person working in the culinary arts. A culinarian is commonly known as a cook or a chef. Culinary artists are responsible for skillfully preparing meals that are as pleasing to the palate as to the eye. They work primarily in restaurants, fast food franchises, delicatessens, hospitals and other institutions and corporations. Kitchen conditions vary depending on the type of business, restaurant, nursing home etc.

Careers in culinary arts

The culinary arts profession is made up of people who work either directly or indirectly in the preparation and service of food items in the public or private sector. They work in a range of establishments including, but not limited to hotels, full-service restaurants, private clubs, corporate dining, institutional catering, caterers, and home meal replacement (carry-out). With the increased demands of the consumers for nutrition, quality, sophistication in all parts of the culinary industry, today's culinary professional needs to be well trained and prepared to meet the consumers demands.

Possible careers
There are a variety of opportunities in the culinary arts profession. Below is a non-exhaustive list of some opportunities available to those interested in working as culinary professionals.

Chef and Cooks - Work directly with the preparation of food for service in various establishments including full-service restaurants, catering facilities, institutional dining, corporate dining, and other various venues.
Dining Room Service'
Food and Beverage Managers - Manage all food and beverage outlets in hotels and other large establishments
Food and Beverage Controllers - Purchase and source ingredients in large hotels as well as manage the stores and stock control.
Consultants and Design Specialists - Works with restaurant owners in development of menus, layout and design of dining room and establishing kitchen protocols.
Salespeople - Introduces chefs and business owners to new products and is able to demonstrates the proper use of equipment. They may sell any range of products needed in the industry from various food products to equipment.
Teachers - Train future culinary professionals with their experience in the classroom.
Food Writers and Food Critics - Establish a public contact with the public on food trends, chefs and restaurants. Many write for newspapers, magazines and some publish books. Notables in this field include Julia Child, Craig Claiborne and James Beard.
Food Stylists and Photographers - Work with magazines, books, catalogs and promotional and advertising to make them visually appealing.
Research and Development Kitchens - Develop new products for commercial manufacturers, they can also be test kitchens for publications or others can be kitchens for restaurant chains or grocery chains.

2010-01-22T11:36:00.000+07:00

Associate Degree in Culinary Arts

Do you want to further develop your creative skills in the kitchen? Do you feel that you want to pursue career in the culinary arts industry? If you have the skills and the right attitude to follow this path, getting an associate degree in culinary arts is your best option. This program is most suited to those persons who are still unsure on the specific area of culinary art education they want to have.

The associate degree in culinary arts program usually takes two years to complete. Some schools though, offer a 21-month associate degree in culinary arts program. However, as with the other cooking schools and culinary institutes that require longer period of learning, these schools still claim to provide extensive training.

The programs under the associate degree in culinary arts are generally the most famous educational programs under the culinary arts. This is so because the programs serve as a good starting point towards a definite area of interest in the culinary arts profession. The typical associate degree in culinary arts program includes the following areas of training: knife skills, nutrition, kitchen procedures, and food presentation.

Culinary art institutes, cooking schools, and even community colleges offer the associate degree in culinary arts program. Their methods of learning may slightly vary from one another but they all aim to prepare you for the highly-competitive world of culinary professionals.
Aside from the basic trainings, there are schools and institutes that go as far as teaching those who are enrolled in the associate degree in culinary arts some advanced and special courses like baking, international cuisine, and dining room operations. A number of these institutions even require their students to enroll in business classes and undergo internship before an associate degree in culinary arts can be completed.

Basically, the reason that the associate degree in culinary arts is considered as a good starting point for a culinary arts career is because it prepares you right away for a job in the culinary arts and can help you pursue a bachelor’s degree in the field. If you wish to join the workforce after acquiring an associate degree in culinary arts, such employment opportunities that you will be qualified for are: working in restaurants, hotels, private clubs, and catering companies. You are also qualified to apply for a position in food production, shift supervision, and kitchen management.
Obviously, an associate degree in culinary arts can open several doors of career opportunities for you. If you love the culinary arts industry enough to consider it as a profession, the associate degree in culinary arts can help you polish your skills, motivate you to get a bachelor’s degree and guide you towards a more specialized area of study.