What Can a Culinary Degree do for Me in the Restaurant Industry?

The restaurant industry is highly competitive and if you want to open the right door, you have to have the skills required to succeed. Obtaining a formal culinary degree in culinary arts could give you the skills restaurants, hotels, cruise lines, and private clients want their employees to master. As a graduate of a recognized culinary degree program, you will have an advantage over other candidates who merely enjoy cooking and want a chance to learn these skills on the job.

Getting Ahead in the Restaurant Industry

Learning to master the culinary arts is a process that requires mastering a wide variety of sciences. It's a profession that requires a solid understanding of how to apply mathematics, chemistry, and biology to every dish. You will apply these skills to everything from nutrition and plate pricing, to determining how different spices interact to affect flavor and texture.

Formal training in a culinary arts program could help you understand these complex interactions so that you can create dishes that patrons return repeatedly to enjoy. After all, culinary education is much more than simply cooking good food. A chef is a manager, leader, and businessperson.

Starting Off on the Right Foot

There is a distinct hierarchy within the kitchen and graduates from culinary arts programs don't start at the bottom. As a degree holder, you will have a demonstrated a mastery of the basic concepts of culinary arts and can move into a higher position within that hierarchy immediately. Whether you start as a Sous Chef, Pastry Chef, or Line Chef, you might find yourself placed in a position where you can use your skills as soon as you start working in this fast paced career field.

Moreover, you might likely be asked to help train prep chefs, salad chefs, and others on the ladder below you. Being a patient and understanding teacher can help show off your leadership and technical skills. Instructing your co-workers can help the kitchen, and you, in a variety of ways.

This makes your kitchen team stronger, more efficient, and most importantly, more effective at delivering delicious dishes to hungry customers list. As time moves forward, this might lead to promotions, pay raises, and new opportunities for you to utilize everything you have learned and continue to improve upon.

Practical Experience is the Best Teacher

Working in a kitchen is like stepping into a classroom each day. Every time you slip into your work shoes and straighten your toque, you will be learning new concepts in culinary arts. Whether you are learning new recipes or creating unique presentations, you will have an opportunity to learn from your peers in the industry as they push the limits of what is known and discover what is possible.

Each day will involve many of the same repetitive tasks including preparing the same sauces, cutting vegetables, trimming meat, etc. This means you will always have a stable foundation for the day and will know what to expect when you enter the kitchen.

On the other side, there's plenty of opportunity for creativity because each day could allow you to craft specials, explore plating techniques, and discover new ways to improve efficiency within the kitchen. This balance of creativity and routine could help you build solid practices that might help throughout your entire career.

Culinary Arts Degrees Provide a Foundation for Specialization

There are a wide variety of specializations within the culinary industry. From mastery of Asian, Italian, or American cuisine, to more modern constructs including paleo, gluten-free, or vegetarian dishes. Each of these types of cuisine require mastery of different skill sets. A culinary arts degree allows you to explore these and many other specialties so that you can use that knowledge in your career.

Are you interested in working at a restaurant? If you want to hone your skills before you step into a professional kitchen, consider a degree in culinary arts! If you want to earn an Associate of Applied Science Degree in Culinary Arts, consider ECPI University's Culinary Institute of Virginia for the education you want. For more information on this exciting program, connect with a friendly admissions advisor today.

It could be the Best Decision You Ever Make!

DISCLAIMER – ECPI University makes no claim, warranty, or guarantee as to actual employability or earning potential to current, past or future students or graduates of any educational program we offer. The ECPI University website is published for informational purposes only. Every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of information contained on the ECPI.edu domain; however, no warranty of accuracy is made. No contractual rights, either expressed or implied, are created by its content.

Gainful Employment Information – Culinary Arts - Associate’s

For more information about ECPI University or any of our programs click here: http://www.ecpi.edu/ or http://ow.ly/Ca1ya.