Do you like watching cooking shows in your spare time? Are you passionate about food? Is cooking your favourite past-time? Then working within the culinary arts industry should be your ultimate goal.

What’s this career about?

The field of culinary arts basically deals with the science and art of cooking. The job of a culinary arts professional is to balance the aesthetics with the nutrition — basically to make food look good so that it appeals to our senses, and to also ensure that its food value is not compromised. S\he has the skill to create fusions between different types of cuisines or to be creative and even come up with a unique dish.

A culinarian working in restaurants is commonly known as a chef. A chef is an artist. In a restaurant setting, the Executive or Head Chef is in charge of the kitchen; their duties include kitchen staff training and oversight, food ordering and menu planning, and supervision of meal preparation. The Sous Chef is next in command. They also have supervisory roles in the kitchen, but they typically play larger roles in daily food preparation than chefs.

Apart from the Head Chef, you can also become a Personal Chef, Pastry Chef, Baker, Catering Specialist or Dessert Specialist. Depending on the chef job you are taking on, you could be working before dawn or not even starting your shift until the evening.

Research Chefs create recipes based on consumer feedback, modify existing recipes or even creating new recipes through experimentation. Their duties include testing new products for flavour and nutritional content, monitoring ingredients for quality and nutrition or finding substitutes for additives that could be unhealthy or harmful.

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I want to pursue a culinary course in India with all kinds of Indian and international cuisines, so that I may work abroad as a chef. I want to know more about the possibilities of culinary studies in India and internationally-valid certificates. I also want to know about B.Voc. (Culinary). What is the advantage of pursuing a B.Voc. (Culinary) degree? This is my life’s dream. Please help me take the necessary steps for further studies and help me secure my future.
Sam

Embedded with enormous perks and benefits, being a chef lets you unleash your creativity with the art of cookery. But initial stages are very challenging; the long hours, physical demands, and a low starting salary can be a difficult pill to swallow.

A Bachelor of Culinary Arts degree is the first step towards becoming a chef. Courses may include nutrition, culinary techniques, butchery, pastry preparation, and regional or specialty cuisine topics. You also have mandatorily internships/apprenticeships as a part of the curriculum.

If you are looking to study culinary courses abroad or explore career opportunities, English language tests like TOEFL or IELTS are compulsory. The major drawback of working in countries like the U.S.A. is that most companies often prefer educational qualifications from the same country.

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I am a Std XII Arts student. I want to be a chef and then start my own business. I mostly want to specialize in breads and cakes. What can I do to achieve my goal? Also if some courses can be suggested it would be of great help.
Analine D’Silva (17) / Goa

Due to an unprecedented growth in the culinary industry, there is an increase in the demand for professional chefs. But it requires years of work experience, dedication, hard work and discipline in order to get far in this competitive industry.

Before starting your business, you should have proper education which should include management and accounting courses also. If you want to be a hardcore baker, equip yourself with internships and apprenticeships by working with the best in your chosen field. Food trucks, cafes, bistros, taco stands, ice cream carts, chocolate shops, and pizzerias are all creative ways to market your food dreams.

A variety of diploma courses are available in this field. Some of these are: Diploma in Food & Beverage Service, Diploma in Bakery & Confectionery, Diploma in Kitchen Management. I suggest you go for a 4-year Bachelor of Hotel Management (BHM) degree, for which qualification is 10+2 in any stream. While pursuing this course, you will also learn about the other related fields such as housekeeping and general management. Later you can specialize in Food & Beverage.

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