A career as a restaurant chef is likely the first career option that comes to mind when you think about the future with a culinary arts degree. However, while a cooking career is a familiar and exciting choice, there are actually a wide variety of opportunities available for culinary school graduates. Here’s a closer look at 6 opportunities for you to consider when exploring the culinary arts:

Restaurant Management

The specialized training and skill that is required to successfully manage a restaurant can be gained through a culinary arts program. Managers oversee all aspects of a restaurant’s inner workings, from hiring staff to following safety and health department regulations. At a large organization, such as a casino or a hotel, someone with a culinary arts degree might work as a food and beverage director.

If you desire a career as a chef, but also enjoy management, then working your way up to being an executive chef is a common way to mix both worlds. Executive chefs usually play a role in the management team of a restaurant.

Unique Chef Opportunities

As a culinary artist, you can explore many different opportunities to be a chef. Personal chefs, for instance, design menus and craft meals for individual clients and families. This is often a solo position. In a restaurant, meanwhile, there are several different types of chefs who all work at different experience levels to keep the restaurant running smoothly. There are also opportunities in baking, such as a pastry chef, baker, or cake decorator.

Wine Professions

Just as in the restaurant business, there are endless opportunities for culinary artists in the wine industry. Sommeliers, or wine stewards, use their in-depth knowledge of wine to assist restaurants and special events with their wine selections. An interest in wine could also take you into beverage management.

Food Writing

A career as a food writer is an amazing way to combine a love of writing with a culinary arts degree. Food writers are hired by the media, including by magazines, websites, blogs, and newspapers. Many food writers also work on a freelance, or self-employed, basis. As a food writer, you’ll write about your experiences trying new restaurants or attending food-related events. You’ll offer your opinion of specific dishes or local fare. Your writing pieces will help influence readers to visit (or not visit) new restaurants and food establishments.

Food Stylist

The mouth-watering photographs of food that you see in cookbooks and magazines were taken with the help of a talented food stylist. Food stylists learn a variety of tips and tricks to make food look gorgeous and appetizing for all types of media, from print media to movies and television shows. A career as a food stylist is a unique way to combine the culinary arts with visual art.

Catering and Entrepreneurship

A culinary arts background makes it possible to successfully cater weddings, parties, and other special occasions. You could run your own catering business or cater for a restaurant.

There are many opportunities for self-employment and entrepreneurship in the culinary arts, which is another perk of this career path. You could start a food truck or even begin your own restaurant.

Explore Your Future with Culinary School

KLG Culinary Arts Foundation is dedicated to helping young women attend culinary school. Are you interested in the culinary arts? Contact us today to learn about our scholarship program.