There are some natural kitchen artists that can just toss in a few ingredients and create a masterpiece. However, most of the great chefs of the world had to start from the bottom and work their way up. It is also simple to assume that most of them have received a proper culinary education.

Cooking can be a very complex industry. It is not simply a matter of throwing a few things together and pitching the dish in the oven. It takes careful planning, consideration and understanding in order to make the perfect meal. And with the proper education, there will be many perfect meals under your belt within a very short period of time.

Since there are so many different types of cuisine styles, culinary school can be broken down into many smaller categories. If baking has always been your passion, you may excel at taking a course in pastry baking and confectionary arts. This type of course will take your muffin and cupcake experience and bring it to a level you never dreamed possible.

This is a course that many culinary students choose to take because it offers a wide variety of baking options that can cater to a wide variety of situations. Whether you wish to make donuts and pastries for a living, or be a dessert caterer, a course like this will have you well on your way. You will learn the intricacies of baking, the ingredients normally used as well as how to add your own personal flair to your creation. Imagine the looks on your dinner guests faces when you come out of the kitchen with a pie or cake that looked and tasted better than anything you see at your local bakery’s storefront window.

The sheer variety in world cuisine offers many opportunities for would-be chefs. And a proper culinary education is the best way to find out exactly what you excel in and what you wish to pursue as a career. There will never be a shortage of people wishing to eat, so the opportunities are endless.

It is important that you understand exactly what aspect of the culinary arts interests you the most before embarking on a career. Catering, cooking, recipe preparing and management are only a few of the things that are covered within the confines of a proper culinary education.

What you want to give and what you want to get out of it are the two most important questions to consider when thinking of a career in this field. There are many culinary schools out there that will be able to take the talent that you already have and meld it into a rewarding career.

It is important to note that a successful career in the food industry does not happen overnight. You need to assess your skills, decide on your target market and above all, have the education to back up your claims. But if you have a love of cooking and a love of great food, a culinary education will be able to grant you the career you have always dreamed of.

In a typical restaurant kitchen there is an order of authority according to the specific type of chef and their specialty. The highest-ranking chef is an executive chef. This chef is responsible for planning and preparing the food that is to be served in the restaurant. A few of the job duties include devising a menu, ensuring the food quality is up to standard and deciding how much food is needed. In training to become an executive chef, students will learn about food preparation and managing a staff.

In addition, restaurants also have sous-chefs who are often times directly supervised by an executive chef. Sous-chefs assist executive chefs in many of the daily restaurant duties, such as planning the menu and requesting kitchen and food supplies. They are also responsible for teaching new techniques to the kitchen staff, as well as supervising other kitchen workers such as specialty chefs and cooks. While studying at a culinary institute, future sous-chefs learn different techniques for cooking, as well as teaching skills.

There are also specialty chefs that work in a kitchen. These chefs can specialize in anything from appetizers and pastries to poultry and fish. These chefs prepare complete meals, as well as decorative food trays, and they also prepare the food for presentation to customers by providing garnishes. Specialty chefs also help to supervise cooks and other kitchen staff. While studying at a culinary arts school, specialty chefs learn about all different aspects of cooking and often times decide their specific specialty while in school.

Lastly, there are also cooks who are part of the professional kitchen staff. Typically cooks do the grunt-work in regards to the cooking in a kitchen. They prepare and cook complete meals and supervise others who are on staff and help in the kitchen. Often times, executive chefs and sous-chefs will begin their career as a cook. It is one of the first stepping-stones to a successful career once a student graduates from a culinary institute.

While students are preparing for the real world and aspiring to become professional chefs, they will learn about all different aspects of cooking. First, students will learn the proper technique to cooking certain foods. They will also learn what ingredients compliment one another. One part of cooking that is often times overlooked but a very important part of the cooking process is food safety. Students will learn how to prepare food safely, as well as the proper cooking temperatures for different types of foods. Another important aspect to cooking is the nutritional benefits and health aspect of recipes and various foods. Students need to know what is in the food they are preparing and how it can affect people with certain health risks.

As a student at a culinary institute, individuals will learn all about these important aspects of cooking, as well as fine tune the cooking skills they already possess.

Landing a culinary institute scholarship isn’t as difficult as it sounds. It’s not overly easy either. You’ll have to do your part and put some effort into searching one out. Hundreds of opportunities are there for the taking. The trick is to know where to look. These opportunities won’t come to you. No one is going to wake up one morning and hand out culinary institute scholarships to anyone who asks. Securing a scholarship takes time and effort on your part and the results are more than worth it.

You will need to know where to look, so the first thing to do is gather up your resources and build a file with a list of places. The phone book is always a good start for locating a cooking school near you. The Internet is even better. Do a search on schools, colleges and universities. Don’t rule out continuing education, night classes and online classes as keywords to use in your search.

There are many other sources to include when searching for the best school. The following is just a sampling of sources.

High schools: Whether you’re still in high school or not, guidance counselors have many resources at their fingertips and it’s worth talking to one of them. If they can’t help you directly, they can certainly point you in the right direction.

Universities: Many culinary institutes offer scholarships to students already attending and there are some that also provide scholarships to those wishing to attend. Talk to the financial aid department. Scholarships are not something most schools put right out in plain view. Unless you ask for it, the school isn’t going to volunteer the information.

Your current employer: If you’re already working in the cooking industry, some employers offer to pay for furthering your education. Talk to your Human Resources department and find out what programs are available.

Community groups: Check out the local cooking clubs and other community groups in your area. While these groups may not be directly involved with a culinary institute, some members might have had scholarships themselves. Use someone else’s experience to your advantage and don’t be afraid to pick a few brains.

Culinary organizations: Sometimes it pays to go right to the source. Many culinary institutes regard this as good public relations. They want to promote their craft and are on the look out for fresh talent. You may have to go beyond the web page and actually call these places, send a letter, or email requesting information on scholarships.

Big business sponsorship: Many big businesses in specific industries make large contributions to scholarship programs. If they don’t offer the funding to the students directly, they may make donations to the schools. Companies like Coca Cola and Pepsi have their own foundations set up, as do many others. Again, it takes some digging, but the results are well worth the effort.

Keep in mind that knowing where to look is as important as when to look. Starting a month or two before the next semester begins is already too late. This type of planning starts at least a year or two in advance. Take a look at where the awards went and to whom. Make a checklist with everything you need to do to fulfill all the requirements. Create a timetable for yourself so you don’t miss a thing.

A scholarship may not provide you with complete funding for your entire education, but it will give you a head start. You might end up finding a few small scholarships that are only a couple of hundred dollars. Don’t turn your nose up at these either. It all helps, even if it just covers the cost of your books or tools. Keep looking and stay focused.

Many large food retailers and manufacturers utilise the skills of culinary artists for their ready to eat named products. Most of which are of such a high standard they could be served in restaurants.

These days more and more traditional institutions that cater for culinary arts students are beginning to appear in all walks of life. Students are being employed in holiday resorts, cruise liners, hotels and restaurants. World famous chefs are opening schools to train the future master chefs. The best culinary arts schools supply hands on and real time training in fully functional kitchens. The students of today are very well prepared for the trials of their future.

Few culinary art study courses are focusing on the science of cooking, others on food decorating methods and ingredients. These courses also split training into soups, meats, stocks, poultry and pastries. Other schools are beginning to run courses on exotic cookery. All students today are very well trained with regards to food safety and sanitation.

As is par for the course with virtually all professions, the newly graduated culinary arts student will find himself at the bottom of the ladder. This is common in the highly discriminatory food preparation industry. Only after years of toil and effort will a chef qualify to the status of a master chef. Highly talented chefs probably won’t wait long to reach this coveted and elevated status though, as long as they apply themselves well and build a solid reputation.

Based upon the number of cooking schools opening each year, there must be a lot of folks interested in getting into the culinary world. I recently read an article in our local newspaper about the growth in local culinary schools, and the numbers surprised me. It appears that supermarkets, gourmet stores, local restaurants, colleges, ex-chefs, and just about anyone else who has the room and expertise is putting on an apron and opening a school.

Many of these schools are there for absolute beginners who just want to learn how to boil water and get around in the kitchen without hurting themselves. These classes tend to be more fun where you watch a professional chef prepare a meal and then you get to share it with the rest of the class. It’s a good way to meet some interesting people, learn a few culinary tricks, and taste some delicious food.

And then there are schools for home cooks who have some experience but want to build upon their skills and learn some new techniques. These schools tend to have classrooms with individual stations where the students learn by doing. Often these classes will specialize in one particular technique or cooking style.

But what about the individuals who wants to make cooking their career and go back to school for a degree in culinary education? They may want to learn about hospitality management to master the skills needed to run a resort, restaurant, or theme park. Or they may want to become professional chefs and cook in some of the best restaurants in the country.

Lucky for them, there are now more than 500 vocational, college, and university programs scattered around the country with more schools opening each year that offer first-rate educational degrees in this field. The bigger question is: how do you choose the best culinary school for you?

Here are a few steps to help you narrow down the field and simplify your decision:

Step 1 – Figure out what you want to do after you graduate.

Do you want to start a catering company, make pastries and fancy desserts, or how about manage a restaurant? Once you have an idea of what it is that you would like to specialize in, you can limit your search to only those schools that offer the necessary classes.

If you have no idea what you would like to do in the culinary field, be sure to go to a school that offers a number of choices in every field of the industry- sort of like taking a liberal arts’ approach.

Step 2 – Determine what’s most important to you in a school. Some topics you may want to think about before choosing a school are:

Location

Entry requirements

Length of program and class schedule

Costs and financial aid

Class size and student-to-faculty ratio

Classroom facilities

Class schedules

The school’s faculty and reputation

Degrees and accreditations

Externship opportunities

Location and housing

Schools contacts, job placement, and/or internships

Step 3 – Create a list of schools to contact for more information.

You can start with your local yellow pages but if you don’t find a school close enough, or one that strikes your fancy, try doing a search on the Internet. Just type in “cooking schools in [your state]“, or “culinary schools [your state]“, and you will find hundreds of leads to schools worldwide. Type in culinary schools with a city and it will narrow down the field even more.

There is also a listing of top schools listed by state at The Reluctant Gourmet web site. Go to http://www.reluctantgourmet.com/cooking_schools.htm and click on the state of your choice and pick a city of interest.

Once you find a few schools that look promising, read a little about them to see what they have to offer. Most sites will provide a short form that you can fill out for more information. Once you fill out the form and send it back to the school, someone will call you within a day or two to answer your questions, provide you with additional information, and offer to send you some brochures and an application.

Be sure to have a list of questions you want answered when you speak with a school’s representative. You might also ask for a list of current students and graduates to contact for their assessment of the school.

This is also a good time to ask about scholarships and what the school has to offer. If financing is going to be an issue, it’s better to find out alternatives now rather than wait until you have been accepted. Remember, the school representatives are there to help and most, I’ve found, don’t push too hard–although it is their job to sell you on the school.

Step 4 – Narrow down the field.

Once you look over what the schools have to offer and have spoken with the representatives, start eliminating those that just don’t fit in with your needs. Maybe a school is too far, too costly, or just doesn’t offer the courses you are interested in taking.

Step 5 – Visit the schools that fit best.

In my opinion, this is one of the most important steps you can do to make sure that you are going to be happy at any cooking school. You want to see the actual classrooms you will be attending, see some of the teachers and students in action, and get a feel for the surroundings to make sure you will fit in.

I once made the mistake of taking a new job on Wall Street with a competitor without ever seeing the offices I’d be working in. Sure the money was better and I thought I would make faster advancement, but when I arrived for my first day of work, I couldn’t believe the conditions they wanted me to work in. The office space was old, dirty, and outdated compared to where I was working. I was horrified and only lasted about four months!

So, make sure that the school in which you are thinking of investing your time and money is as good, if not better, than the brochure they send to you.

Step 6 – Apply to your top picks.

After you make your visits, narrow down the field to your top choices and prepare the applications you were sent. Be sure to be neat and complete, and provide the schools with everything they ask you for. If you have any questions about the application, pick up the phone right away and get answers. You don’t want to be sending in incomplete forms.

Step 7 – Choose your school.

Once notified by the schools of your acceptance, you can decide which school works best for you. Because you did your homework and followed the steps above, this final choice should be easy.

Be sure to inform the school of your choice that you will be attending, and find out what steps are required to get you enrolled and what you will need to start school.

Although this article was written for those of you interested in going to culinary school, you can follow these same procedures when choosing any continuing education degree. If you think about it, it’s just like getting everything prepped and ready to go (mise en place) before starting to prepare a meal.

Copyright © 2005 G. Stephen Jones, The Reluctant Gourmet

The largest demand for skilled cooks and chefs is expected in sit-down restaurants, which offer more varied menus. As the population ages, people are less willing to put up with fast food restaurants, and seek a more personal experience.

In addition, as hospitals and schools attempt to make their menus and service more attractive, they are outsourcing cooking and serving in their cafeterias to third parties, resulting in fewer institutional and cafeteria chefs and cooks.

If you enjoy meeting people, relish daily challenges, and have the energy to succeed, a culinary career could be good for you. The popularity of cooking shows on television, and the perception that chefs are artists has caused applications at culinary schools to rise.

While it’s certainly possible to begin your culinary career by starting at a low level job and working your way ‘up the ladder’, most studies agree that with formal training at a good culinary school, you’ll get paid more, and reach the top faster.

Students at culinary certificate or degree programs spend most of their time learning how to prepare food, including baking, broiling, and pastry making. Time is also spent on the use and care of kitchen equipment. In addition to learning about food preparation, students study health and sanitation requirements, portion control, cost management, food purchasing, selection and storage, and menu planning. Many schools also teach general management skills, including accounting, employee relations, and other topics. It can take from a few months to up to two years to complete a degree or certificate courses.

A degree from a culinary school trains you for a variety of careers, including restaurant management, hotel management, pastry chef, and other related positions.

For someone still in high school and contemplating a career as a cook or chef, the best advice is to complete high school, making sure to select, if possible, courses in mathematics and business. If a school offers internships or training programs in food preparation, they should be taken, as they provide a sense of what a culinary career could provide. Particularly when seeking a career as an executive chef or other managerial job, a further education at a college offering culinary degrees or at a culinary institute will provide more career opportunities with less on the job training. You may need to spend between eight and fifteen years as a cook before becoming a chef.

While chefs and cooks share similar duties, chefs typically have more training than cooks, including culinary degrees. The exact duties performed by a chef, cook, or food preparation worker often depend on the type of establishment that employs them.

In addition to being divided by food specialty, chef and cook job titles are sometimes determined by the type of institution that employs them.

Institutional cooks work in hospitals, cafeterias, and other establishments that typically serve a regular clientele. Short order cooks work in restaurants that emphasize fast service, and are trained to prepare a wide variety of items quickly. There is a small market for household cooks, who have the entire kitchen responsibility, including cooking, cleaning, and menu planning, for a family.

The wages of chefs, cooks, and other food service and preparation workers may vary depending on geographic location, but one thing is clear: working in an elegant restaurant or hotel generally produces a higher salary. This is partially because these types of establishments are likely to have executive chefs, and other highly trained workers.

The reputation of a fine restaurant may rely on the head chef, but the food service manager is often responsible for many of the behind the scenes activities that keep the establishment going. Food service managers have responsibilities ranging from ordering food and supplies, selecting menu items and determining their prices, and ensuring the high quality of food preparation and service. They are frequently responsible for administrative tasks, including human resources.

A major part of the food service manager’s job is selecting each day’s menu items. Factors influencing menu selection include the past popularity of the item, the availability of ingredients, the number of customers likely to order the item, and creating a variety among the menu offerings. After selecting a menu item, the manager must determine the food and labor cost, and then establish the price the customer will pay.

After determining the menu, the manager is responsible for estimating the number of customers for a given day, and ordering the food necessary to prepare the meals for them. In addition to food, the manager must plan for and order needed supplies, including table and glassware, cleaning supplies, kitchen tools and supplies, and other items. The manager also coordinates outside services, including trash removal, pest control, and maintenance and repairs needed. Managers frequently meet with sales and service representatives of suppliers to learn about new offerings, and to check the quality of items received, particularly fresh food.

In order to advance in their career, food service and restaurant managers may need to relocate. Sometimes, more senior positions open up as new restaurants are created within a chain. Other more senior positions may be located at the firm’s regional or national headquarters. Some managers will start their career at restaurants, and then move to a hotel or resort, where they can use their experience to gain a more senior position. There are a number of certification programs that managers can complete to further indicate their skills. For example, the Certified Foodservice Management Professional designation is given by the Educational Foundation of the National Restaurant Association following completion of a series of courses and a written examination.