Culinary Arts & Food Service Career Paths - Research Paper Example

CULINARY ARTS AND FOOD SERVICE CAREER PATHS Introduction Culinary arts refer to the art of making and cooking of a wide variety of foods. A person working in culinary arts is known as a culinary artist or culinarian. Culinary artists work in restaurants, hospitals, delis or any institution that has a kitchen in it and food is required by people working or residing in it. They are commonly referred to as cooks or chefs. They are in charge of preparing meals skillfully; making them appealing to whoever the meal is presented to. Culinary artists are required to have knowledge of diet and nutrition as well as food science. Most importantly, they are expected to have a passion of preparing meals and presenting them in an extraordinary way such that the food will appeal to the eye of anyone who looks at it (Hartel & Christina 47). There are various culinary arts colleges all over the world today. This is attributed to the fact that many people have taken up cooking as a profession. The fact that people will always need quality food, whether at work, at home or when one has gone out to have fun with family and friends makes cooking a vital skill for restaurants, hospitals and other institutions (Masi 79). Before joining a culinary arts college, one has to consider what he wants to do with his life and see if it is available in the wide variety of careers that a culinary artist can pursue. A degree or diploma in culinary arts will land someone in a career path that is exciting, fun and at the same time well paying. A career in culinary arts requires a person who is fit and strong. At the same time, one must have a passion for preparing, cooking and serving meals in a creative way. The career is extremely demanding; both physically and mentally. A culinary artist must be in a position to stand for long hours, chop meat and vegetables, move heavy pans and run around carrying heavy laden plates for the clients. A sharp mind is required to remember each customer’s order if one has pursued a career in a restaurant. One should be willing to work tirelessly if he is to maintain a job in this field or worse still move up the career ladder. For the culinary artists working in restaurants, they have to cope with 12 working hours daily for 6 days a week. In most cases, the starting salary for these people is extremely low in spite of the harsh economic realities today. Many people who pursue a career in culinary arts end up working in kitchens; either at prestigious hotels or just some local restaurants. Others have moved up the ladder to become food managers while the lucky ones end up opening their own food service outlets. The food service outlets in the market today range from traditional food outlets, modern fast food joints, and bakeries. All these are opened depending on the owner’s passion that led him to this industry in the first place. A person’s duties in food service outlets will depend on his position and skills. Ranging from dishwashers, cooks, servers and bussers; a culinary artist has a lot to choose from (Mondschein 198). According to Meyer, a culinary artist who has decided to venture completely into cooking is also faced with a decision of the meals that he will specialize in. Some chose to focus on traditional foods and they are the reason as to why traditional dishes like the Japanese shushi still exists. Pastry chefs are in charge of baking. They are the people behind the wide variety of cakes and other delicacies that are made of wheat. A pastry chef can also choose where to specialize; cakes, breads, doughnuts, cookies or something as simple as a fruit tart. For these chefs to work well, they are helped by the preparation chefs who carry out duties such as chopping, sorting, rinsing and preparing the necessary ingredients required by the main chefs to cook. Assistant or sous chefs develop recipes and oversee the production of the menus that are in the institution. The executive chefs are in charge of the whole kitchen and monitor all the activities going on to ensure proper running of the outlet as a whole. All these chefs need to have a pssion for quality and well presented food. Most importantly, they need to be creative on how they prepare and present tye foods they make. In today’s world where people are willing to pay an extra dollar for good quality food, it is important that chefs come up with something new everyday. Today, a career as a chef is renowned as one is known all over for their great artistry when it comes to food. Of course, this means that a chefs are making more money and gaining more fame in their own countries and the world as well. Conclusion A culinary arts career is a great opportunity for anyone who loves to work with food. In the modern world, chefs have become very vital; not only in restaurants, hotels or schools, but also at home where a special function may be held every once in a while. Culinary artists are people who view food not only as a means of survival, but also a way of making life much more pleasurable by enjoying something of good quality every now and then. Culinary professionals have helped to make eating more fun than it was traditionally. With a wide variety of dishes available in our hotels today, one cannot hungry as there is always something for everyone around the corner. Works cited Top of Form Hartel, Richard W, and Christina P. Klawitter. Careers in Food Science: From Undergraduate to Professional. New York: Springer, 2008. Print. Bottom of Form Top of Form Mondschein, Ken. Food and Culinary Arts. New York, NY: Ferguson, 2009. Print. Bottom of Form Top of Form Meyer, Susan. A Career as a Chef. New York: Rosen, 2013. Internet resource. Bottom of Form Top of Form Masi, Mary. Culinary Arts Career Starter. New York: Learning Express, 1999. Print. Bottom of Form Read More