Hospitality, Travel and Tourism Program: Career Facts - Culinary Arts Specialist
Other Careers:
Food Management Specialist
Hotel-Motel
Manager
Travel Agent
Culinary Arts Specialist
What is a culinary arts specialist?
In food service operations, chefs, cooks, and food service workers
receive, prepare, and present the food consumed by guests.
Nationally, more than two million people are employed in culinary
arts in over 550,000 food operations. Because of the specialized
skills necessary in food preparation, employers are showing an
increased preference for college-trained personnel. Recent reports
indicate that chefs, cooks, and other culinary arts workers will
provide the most job openings of any occupation in the next 10
years.
What types of skills are required?
Skills in food preparation, knowledge of a variety of foods, knife
skills, the ability to operate specialized equipment, sanitation,
and recipe reading are required. Also, personal qualities such as
stamina, organization, ability to work under pressure, creativity
and the ability to work in a team environment are important.
Where are they employed?
Culinary arts specialists work anywhere food is served, including
restaurants, resorts, hotels, health care, business and industry,
cruise ships, airlines, and other similar establishments.
What degree is available?
An associate degree in business is offered in hotel-motel/food
management specialist with specialization in culinary arts. This
program area also offers many personal interest courses in food
preparation.
What is the salary range?
Locally, chefs are paid from $17,000 to $30,000 per year. Nationally,
earnings range from $16,000 to $100,000+ depending on location, type of
organization, experience, and responsibilities.
Culinary Arts Specialist is part of the Business, Management, Marketing and Technology Career Pathways.
For more information please contact the Hospitality Office at (517) 483-1527
