Archive for the 'Culinary Career' Category

Networking at a Culinary Convention

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on October 11, 2011
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Network at Culinary ConventionsIf you are a professional cook working in the restaurant setting, chances are you’ll come across a culinary convention opportunity at some time or another. As is the case with any profession in which continued education is the key to success, the chance to learn more is simply part of the job. And as you move up the ranks in your culinary career, the chance to attend these conventions will only increase.

Attendance at a culinary convention usually takes one of two forms: you’ll either be there to meet other professionals and learn what’s hot and new in the industry, or you’ll actually have a booth that showcases your product/restaurant/skills. The latter typically comes only after you’ve already made a place for yourself in the industry, and can be costly for setting up.

If you decide to attend a culinary convention as a networking opportunity—or if the restaurant you work for is willing to send you—here are a few tips for making it work to your advantage.

Make Yourself Known: Wear your name badge, carry business cards, and go out of your way to meet people. Although you don’t have to walk away with a stellar new job offer or become best friends with a leading chef, you can meet other people who can help boost your career or assist you in building lasting culinary friendships.

Know Your Goals: Oftentimes, there are workshops and courses that you can attend to learn new things. Other times, there are showcase booths that allow you to learn more about culinary organizations in your area and around the world. Know what you want to get out of the convention and plan accordingly. Even though it can be fun to just sit and chat with others, you should walk away with some new knowledge, as well.

Prepare to Take Notes: Okay, so maybe you won’t walk around with a pen and paper in hand, but you’ll most likely get quite a few handouts, fliers, business cards, and other promotional materials. If you can devise a system for organizing all these materials, you should be able to get more out of your experience without too much additional hassle.

Of course, the most important thing you can do is have fun. Culinary professionals are known for their larger-than-life personalities, and the food and wine is often freely flowing at these types of events. Know what you want, get what you want, and then have a good time. Your culinary career is all about finding a place where you feel comfortable without sacrificing your success, and culinary conventions are a great opportunity to put some of these goals to good use.

Related Topics:

International Association of Culinary Professionals

Find a Culinary School in Your City

What is the Institute of Food Technologists?

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on October 3, 2011
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Food TechnologistWithin the culinary field, there are a number of professional organizations that can help boost careers and assist chefs and cooks hoping to network within their fields. Of them, the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) is one of the more specialized ones, dedicated as it is solely to “the advancement of food science and technology.” As an international organization, it boasts a total of 22,000 members worldwide, and is well known for its contributions to the field of food technology.

What is Food Technology?

Food technology is the application of science to the growth, development, and processing of food. Everything from poultry farms and frozen food factories to canneries fall under this category, and for years, many people assumed food technology had only to do with manufacturing.

Today, food technology is a much broader and more diverse field. In addition to food production, it deals with food safety and nutrition (especially as it relates to bacteria), bioterrorism, food preservation, and even cooking techniques that are new and innovative in the culinary world.

Getting to Know the IFT

Like many other national and international organizations, the Institute of Food Technologists has an annual convention and expo, and a number of prizes that are given out every year. These are typically only of interest to those who are fully immersed in the food technologist field, though everyone who pays the entrance fee is welcome to attend.

Interested in Food Technology?

Food technology is a growing field, and it is a great place to look for a culinary career that straddles the line between cooking and a more industrial and scientific approach to food production. Most food technologists have a background in food science, and work for the government or manufacturers, using their chemistry and biology training to make food safe and healthy for consumers.

Those interested in pursuing the field should look to four-year universities offering food science training. Great as a compliment to an existing business or culinary degree, this field offers a high level of stability and regular working hours. If you are currently a culinary student, you might also find it interesting to network with those who work on the other side of the food counter, bringing ingredients safely and efficiently to your restaurant’s back door.

For more information on the Institute of Food Technologists, visit them on the web at http://www.ift.org/.

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Are the Culinary Arts More Science or Art?

Culinary Arts Doctorate Degrees

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Top Four Locations to Put Your Culinary Degree to Work

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on September 21, 2011
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Top Locations for Culinary School GraduatesThere’s no question that some U.S. cities are better than others when it comes to the culinary scene. Hot spots like New York are known for their great restaurants and high-end customer base, and as the saying goes, “If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere.”

Of course, that’s not necessarily true if you’re a recent culinary school graduate. Competition for the best jobs in large cities can be fierce, and you might find yourself working in an entry-level position where you have to prove your worth.

If you want to get the most out of your culinary degree and enjoy both good employment opportunities and a great local food scene, here are a few cities you might want to consider:

Portland, Oregon: The population in Portland is young, highly educated, and focused on a more environmentally friendly way of life—and they have plenty of disposable income with which to buy good cuisine. This adds up to great potential in the culinary field, especially if you work somewhere there is a focus on fresh, well-prepared foods.

Denver, Colorado: The average chef salary here is a generous $48,000, and the demographic lends itself to a youthful and vibrant food scene. Like Portland, Denver is a hotspot for young professionals who focus on an active and healthy lifestyle. Farm-fresh foods, an eco-friendly atmosphere, and fine dining all come together here to create a unique backdrop. At the same time, because this is a fairly large city, there is plenty of room for continued growth and development.

San Francisco: San Francisco is one of those cities that has seen nothing but economic prosperity in the past few decades. Although the cost of living here is high, California cuisine is world famous as being unique and focused on fresh ingredients. A large proportion of new restaurants only adds to the appeal of living and working here.

Washington, D.C.: Another big city containing plenty of people with disposable income, Washington, D.C. is growing as a culinary center of the country. The average chef salary here hits about $58,000 per year, and there is a huge market for ethnic foods and specialty restaurants.

Of course, most major metropolitan centers are going to be a good place for a culinary career—if only because these are the best places to find enough customers to succeed in the restaurant industry. Going to culinary school in the immediate area can be a great way to find work in these city centers, since you’ll be more familiar with regional cuisines as well as the local top employers.

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Big City vs. Small City Culinary Schools

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Culinary Trade Organization Spotlight: Slow Food

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on September 14, 2011
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Slow FoodEcologically sound farming practices and cuisine with strong ties to the land are becoming an increasingly important part of the culinary world. From restauranteurs who have their own farms to open-air markets that cater to an upscale culinary clientele, everyone is starting to tap into the idea that good cuisine starts at its most basic level—its roots.

Slow Food is an organization that works hard to support this more healthy and sustainable way to view living and eating. This grassroots company has thousands of worldwide members and contributes to many smaller, locally-driven programs dedicated to filling our plates with fresh and healthy options.

Slow Food currently has over 200 chapters in the United States alone. Its mission, “to create dramatic and lasting change in the food system,” is accomplished through a combined focus on food production and policies, and many of their changes start a small level and move up through entire communities and the political systems contained therein. It is this combined focus—on good, healthy food and changes at the political level to sustain it—that makes Slow Food unique.

Their activities include:

  • Public education and awareness, especially regarding the risks of fast food
  • Protecting biodiversity among both animals and produce
  • Advocating for farmers and artisans committed to the Slow Food way of life
  • Hosting events that promote local cuisine and customs
  • Organizing small-scale processing facilities
  • Celebrating food, community, and tradition
  • Lobbying against unsafe food practices

Slow Food first started in 1986 by a food advocate named Carlo Petrini. As the name suggests, it was meant to be a simple alternative to the fast food craze and a direct opposition against a McDonald’s going up near the Spanish Steps in Rome. Since that time, there are now more than 100,000 members in the world, represented across 132 countries.

Because Slow Food is still a somewhat new organization, it isn’t well-known in the culinary market—especially in the United States. However, many top culinary schools (including Le Cordon Bleu) have recognized the organization and even include components of it as part of their curriculum. If you’re interested in learning more about the Slow Food movement and where it can be found in your region, visit them on the web at http://www.slowfoodusa.org/.

Related Topics:

What is a Food Activist?

Culinary Careers in the Farming Industry

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Top-Paying Culinary Careers

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on September 6, 2011
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Top Paying Culinary JobsFew people get into the culinary field because they’re looking for a fast and easy path to riches—but that doesn’t mean you can’t earn a great living doing what you love. Although it might take a few years to earn the right experience, get the necessary degree, and work up the ranks to your dream culinary job, here are a few of the best paying careers you can find in the food service industry.

Executive Chef (Average Salary: $58,000 to $88,000)

Everyone wants to be the boss, don’t they? In a restaurant setting, this is no less true. If you ask most culinary students what their ultimate professional goal is, the answer will be Executive Chef, managing chef, or restaurant owner. All of these professionals have a few things in common: they get to call the shots, they have creative control over the kitchen, and they are among the top professionals in their field.

Of course, this kind of prestige comes with its own kind of price tag. Even with advanced degrees from top culinary schools, almost all Executive Chefs have to prove their worth through years of hard work and culinary innovation.

Hotel Manager (Average Salary: $68,000 to $124,000)

Hotel managers who have a hospitality management degree from a top university can expect to enjoy large salaries and quite a bit of responsibility. In charge of overseeing hundreds of staff members, dining facilities and restaurants, and the entire hotel setting, hotel managers are equal, career-wise, to professionals like Executive Chefs or hospital administrators.

As is the case with most professional chefs, there is an experience curve in which the more time you put in as a lower-ranking employee, the better your chances of moving up through the ranks. Unlike other culinary careers, however, getting a Master’s degree in hospitality management can help you land a high-ranking job right out of school.

Food Scientist (Average Salary: $50,000 to $76,000)

Food science isn’t technically a culinary career, since there is a very strong chemistry and biology foundation that requires a few years of school at a traditional university. However, if you’re interested in the sciences as well as cooking, this could be a great choice. Food scientists work in laboratories and in industrial food production facilities to help with issues related to food safety, quality, taste, texture, preservation, packaging, and product development.

In recent years, television shows, documentaries, and other inside looks at food manufacturing has put the spotlight on how our food is made and where it comes from. For food scientists, this kind of backseat approach is a daily task, and with the right education, it can be a very rewarding job.

Related Topics:

Chef Salary Averages

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Government Culinary Jobs (Prisons, Schools, and More)

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on August 31, 2011
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Government Culinary JobsAs any culinary professional will tell you, working as a chef or cook isn’t always glamorous work—especially while you’re still working your way up the ranks in a restaurant kitchen. And in many cases, the top paying jobs (and the ones with the best hours and the most stability) are the least glamorous of all.

Among these are cooking positions with government organizations and civil service posts. Whether you become a kitchen manager in a prison or plan menus for an elementary school district, there are great job opportunities and chances to gain experience for those willing to walk a little way off the beaten track.

Why Government Jobs?

Government jobs have the benefit of offering stability, great retirement plans, health insurance, and regular working hours. Because they are closely regulated, you’ll always get paid for overtime and receive compensation and raises in keeping with national standards.

If you want this kind of stability but still wish to dabble in the culinary world, here are a few positions to consider:

School Chefs/Cooks: Cafeteria food has a pretty bad reputation these days, but that doesn’t mean the work is easy. In addition to preparing large quantities of food, many qualified school chefs help to develop menus, oversee staff, and meet nutritional requirements—and all on a very tight budget. This is an especially appealing job if you like working with kids.

Chefs/Cooks for Detention Centers and Prisons: Prisoners need to eat, too—and in many cases, their nutritional options are better than what you’ll find in the school setting. As is the case for school cooks, this is a great position for someone who recently graduated with a hospitality or restaurant management degree, since it is a way to get experience working with large-scale food production. However, if you aren’t comfortable working with the prison population, this probably isn’t the job for you.

Hospital Chef/Cook: In many cases, hospitals and city health services are run by government organizations, and they may offer culinary jobs of varying levels. Whether you cook to meet the nutritional needs of patients, or if you take a job as a nutritionist/food educator in a public health setting, you can make a real difference in people’s lives through cuisine.

Although you can certainly build an entire career out of government culinary jobs, these are especially good positions for new graduates hoping to gain experience and pay back some of those culinary student loans. Oftentimes, having these types of positions on your resume shows that you are not just about making fancy food or knowing how to plate. Instead, you can show that you’re willing to get in the trenches and even take on supervisory or management roles that transfer well into the hospitality industry.

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Careers in Food Safety

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Why a Catering Career Can Earn You Big Bucks

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on August 19, 2011
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catering careerMost people don’t go to culinary school because they’re after an easy fortune or instant fame. Professional cooking, with its long hours and often back-breaking work, is very much a labor of love, and people enter the field because they are passionate about food. Money usually comes second.

But that doesn’t have to be the case. Although you aren’t likely to strike it rich right away, a career in catering can be a great way to enjoy your love of cooking while also making a decent wage and enjoying great benefits.

Why Choose Catering?

Catering companies can be part of private restaurant businesses, a hotel or hospitality company, or a package of wedding services. They can also be run out of a successful bakery, or even just as one guy working out of a van. And as is the case with traditional restaurant work, you’ll find everything from five-star cuisine to cheap and easy catering solutions for small parties.

The money in catering is good because it lacks a lot of the prestige of working in a restaurant—and because most catering companies doing the hiring are attached to large hotel chains or very successful restaurants that can afford to offer higher rates of pay. Working in catering also requires a bit of flexibility on your part (you might have to work all weekends and evenings to cover weddings and private parties, or work every holiday in which brunch plays a role), so rates of pay are higher to make up for it.

Catering Salaries

The average salary for working in catering is $37,000 per year—well above the national average for entry-level cooks at around $22,000 per year. Although salaries will necessarily vary due to location, employer, industry, and other factors, most culinary professionals just starting out will encounter higher rates of pay here than they will in traditional restaurant jobs.

Of course, working in “catering” means quite a bit. You could just as easily be making omelets to order on a buffet line as you could be managing a catering staff of hundreds. You might be an executive chef planning menus or a hospitality manager who helps plan weddings and large events. Depending on your level of responsibility, you could earn anywhere from $20,000 to $100,000 per year. As is the case with any type of culinary career, your education and personal goals will influence this number, as well.

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Starting Your Own Catering Company

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Becoming a Caterer vs. Becoming a Personal Chef

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on August 1, 2011
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catering vs personal chef

With a catering degree or any kind of training in the catering business, there is often talk of small business ownership and development. That’s because although there are big-name and big-brand caterers (usually aligned with hotel chains), the majority of caterers work for themselves, often running a small bakery or even providing food service out of their own kitchens at home.

There is quite a bit of appeal in this kind of work. Catering is a good way to put a culinary education to good use, especially if you like the idea of setting your own hours and getting away from the fast pace and high intensity of the restaurant world. If you’re a self-starter and are interested in this type of work, you can choose between starting a catering business and starting a personal chef business.

The Catering Business

As a caterer, it is your job to provide a menu of appetizers, main courses, desserts, and beverages to a social function of some kind. This almost always includes food service as well as preparation, and you can work at everything from weddings and business conventions to smaller dinner parties out of a client’s home.

However, there is a lot more to catering than just making food. You typically have to purchase all your own supplies and equipment, and get the right business and food service licenses required in your city and state. You have to find clients, advertise your work, do all the accounting (or hire someone to), and still clean up at the end of the day!

The Personal Chef Business

At first glance, a personal chef business is a lot like a catering business. In both, you are responsible for creating meals and providing service for a client with specific needs (whether it is a bridal menu or a dietary restriction). You can work either on site or at home, and there is a strong business component to everything that you do. And in many cases, you’ll be a personal chef to more than one client at a time, so you will have to mass produce food in the same way you would as a caterer.

There are a few differences in the personal chef business, though. Personal chefs are often hired to provide specialty foods (organic, vegetarian, gluten-free, Kosher) in keeping with a client’s dietary need. They also may be asked to provide both frozen and fresh service, or to control portions for weight loss, sometimes coming up with a nutrition plan specifically for, say, a family of four who needs five meals per week. In this way, many personal chefs are also nutritionists.

Starting Your Culinary Career

In both cases, it’s important to ensure that you have the necessary training to do your job well. Although you don’t have to go to culinary school or get a degree in hospitality management in order to start your own catering or personal chef business, a good education can go a long way in making you a marketable professional. Having the right credentials—and the right skills—will boost your chances of success regardless of what kind of business you plan on starting.

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Chef Salary Averages

Working in a Banquet Service

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Outdoor Cooking: A Unique Culinary Opportunity

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on June 29, 2011
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Outdoor Cooking CareersGoing to culinary school no longer means you’ll walk out the door prepared only to work as a sous chef with a crisp white hat and sensible shoes. These days, the culinary world is growing increasingly specialized, and diners love going to restaurants that promise not only good food, but a unique experience, as well. If you’ve ever dreamed of opening your own restaurant or catering company, you can take the tried-and-true path straight to the kitchen, or you can step outside and try a whole new kind of cooking.

What is Outdoor Cooking?

Most people equate outdoor cooking with good, old-fashioned barbecue. While this is often the case, and many culinary professionals have built careers out of amazing barbeque, cooking outdoors is actually a lot more diverse than that. From cooking a beachside feast to creating gourmet meals that backpackers can take on the go, there are plenty of ways to explore the outdoor cooking and dining experience.

Careers in Outdoor Cooking

In addition to working at a restaurant that focuses on barbeque, you can find several different types of jobs focusing on this niche culinary field. Here are just a few:

Cookbook Writer: Creating tasty meals from ingredients that can be used for campers (think dried fruits and vegetables, canned meats, and other easily portable items) is a unique skill set. So is coming up with new ways to barbecue or use traditional techniques like a dutch oven to bake bread over the fire. If you can use these skills to create a cookbook or post recipes online, you might be able to create your own outdoor cooking niche.

Cooking Classes: Campers and other outdoor enthusiasts are often the first in line to learn more about combining their love of the open air with gourmet foods and great dining experiences. Whether you teach classes to a small group or opt to work with an outdoor adventure provider (either as an instructor or as the cook they take along), your ability to improvise outside can translate to an interesting career.

Survival Training: Okay, so eating bugs and making twig salad might not exactly tap into your culinary training, but survivalist training is an important part of outdoor cooking. If you can create an oven and boil water using only what nature provides, you might be able to be part of a survival training team.

Traditional and Cultural Techniques: Many types of international cuisine rely on outdoor cooking (earth ovens, clambakes, etc.) to get the right combination of flavors. Opening a restaurant that specializes in these types of cuisine can be a very rewarding career.

Like the great outdoors, the sky is the limit when it comes to building your own culinary career. If you’re passionate about the outdoors and camping, and you enjoy providing good cuisine to those who share the same passions, you might be able to find your place among the outdoor cooking stoves and barbecues!

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Culinary Careers in the Farming Industry

Some Culinary Career Choices After Culinary School

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Restaurant Consultant Careers

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on June 20, 2011
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Restaurant ConsultantTraditionally, working in the culinary field means long hours, lots of weekend and holiday work, and being tied to a kitchen or restaurant for several years. In fact, unless you are a celebrity chef or a restaurant owner, there isn’t a whole lot of autonomy in the field.

However, as more and more people are searching for careers (even culinary ones) that provide a better work-life balance, new opportunities for culinary students and professionals are opening up. One such example is a restaurant consultant: a professional others turn to for help opening, running, maintaining, or streamlining their own culinary business.

Why There is a Need for Restaurant Consultants

Running a restaurant or hotel is a big job. Worrying about so much more than just the food on the plate, a successful restauranteur knows all about design, finance, real estate, human resources, project management, and customer service, just to name a few. And in many cases, successful chefs capable of creating extraordinary dishes don’t have the time or the education needed to juggle all these tasks. A restaurant consultant can come in, help set up the restaurant or pick it up off its feet, and hopefully settle the chef for a long and successful future.

Because most restaurant consultants on a case-by-case basis with their clients, there is quite a bit of autonomy in this career. The best consultants can make their own schedules and travel around the world helping others to run their businesses.

How to Become a Restaurant Consultant

If this is a field you’re interested in becoming a part of, it’s best to have the education and experience you need to back up your credentials. In most cases, this means a four-year degree in hospitality management or restaurant management, as well as a few years working in a professional kitchen or even owning your own restaurant.

This kind of educational background helps because you not only have the culinary knowledge needed to succeed, but you have business training, as well. Because most restaurants hire a consultant because they need help with the business side of things, having that degree helps to lend you credibility and make you better prepared to offer sound and solid advice.

Once you have the degree in place, it’s up to you to find your niche. You can work with an existing restaurant consulting firm, or start your own. If you have the self-drive and entrepreneurship to build your own business, you can expect great things and plenty of good food in your future!

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Restaurant Management Courses

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