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work in many different aspects of the restaurant industry, both in the United States and beyond. Once you complete culinary school, you’ll need to select a career path — and there are numerous roles wherein your skills and creativity can shine. In this post, we’ll highlight a few of the many that students can pursue.

Potential Career Pathways for Culinary School Graduates

Though you may have a dream of working as an in a fine dining restaurant or even owning your own restaurant, that’s not the only path available after completing your culinary education. The restaurant and hospitality industry offers a wide range of opportunities and specializations. Among these are:

Management

Graduates who love the business side of the restaurant industry may be well-suited to roles in Hotels, event centers, and larger restaurants often have purchasing managers who buy and manage ingredients and supplies. This career path can eventually lead to becoming a general manager who oversees all aspects of restaurant operations, from hiring and training staff to payroll and vendor partnerships.

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Catering and Events

Caterers and catering managers work to prepare food for events like wedding receptions, conferences, fundraisers and other celebrations. Because they often prepare food offsite, catering managers are logistics experts. They also display their creativity through food and beverage presentation.

Pastry Arts

If your focus is , you may have the goal of becoming a pastry chef. Within this field, there are many specialties. For example, bakery owners, concentrating on bread, bagels or pies. Or, perhaps you want to work as a cake decorator. The : According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there will be approximately 28,300 job openings in the U.S. each year until 2030.

Ecommerce

You’re probably familiar with companies like HelloFresh, Blue Apron, and Sunbasket. All of these meal kit companies deliver fresh ingredients and easy-to-follow recipes directly to customers' homes. In recent years, these meal kits have exploed in popularity. According to , the global meal kit market is expected to grow into a $12 million industry in the next few years. These services require culinary professionals to develop, test, and refine their user-friendly recipes.

Artisanal Food

Interest in local, sustainable, and organic food has been on the rise for decades now, and culinary school graduates can pursue pathways in artisanal food production such as cheesemaking, , and butchery. Craft beer brewing and cider making are also potential career paths.

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Nutrition

Many graduates are interested in the intersection of food, health and wellness. Known as , this field focuses on using fresh and seasonal ingredients to help individuals live healthier lives. Students may pursue careers as restaurant chefs, , private chefs, or cookbook authors.

Food Media & Influencers

From magazines to blogs to social media, there are many outlets and audiences searching for content creators with food and cooking expertise. Life after culinary school can lead to working as a social media influencer, photographer, food stylist, restaurant reviewer, or food journalist.

Find Career-Focused Education at the 51³Ô¹Ï

If you’re ready to take the next step in your education, attending culinary school may be the right decision for you. At the 51³Ô¹Ï, we offer programs online and at our campuses in and . Ranked as the by  , our courses are taught by chef-instructors with extensive industry experience.

Students at the Institute of Culinary Education have access to a wide array of , including:

For more details on our in-person programs or online culinary school, or today.