Career Options after BA Culinary Arts: Job Roles, Salary, Higher Education Scope

To start working in the culinary industry to change the food relationship of customers is a big undertaking for many students. However, this can be easily simplified with a BA in Culinary Arts program. This program is a 3-year specialisation in food production providing candidates with the art of cooking using multiple cooking techniques and use of edible materials. As there has been a surge in the top culinary arts colleges in the country, the demand for professionals in the culinary industry has also increased. Also, the graduates of Culinary Arts courses are skilled in multitasking, analytical skills and more to give their best while in their workplace. These graduates can work as Food Stylists, Food writers, Food Scientists and multiple more job roles as mentioned in this article.

Career Options After BA Culinary Arts: Overview

Check out the overview of the career options after B.A. in Culinary Arts before referring to the in-depth information: 

What is Culinary Arts?

Although a simple Google search will give you an idea of culinary art as a chef cooking for food customers, a lot more comes under the industry of culinary arts. Culinary simply means related to cooking, while arts involve diverse areas of interest. Hence, preparing, cooking, presenting, and serving food- all come together as culinary arts.

Employment Areas After BA in Culinary Arts

Culinary Arts being one of the important parts of the hotel management domain is a widely growing industry. Graduates of B.A. in Culinary Arts specialisation can work across multiple domains such as: 

List of Job Roles for BA Culinary Arts in India

There are multiple job roles available after the B.A. in Culinary Arts program, some of the highly anticipated ones are:

Food Scientist - Pursuing the career of a food scientist is an excellent career choice for culinary arts graduates. Food scientists are people who are responsible for studying food processing, packing, preservation and at times, the way it smells. It is an exciting job where you get to solve problems daily in a creative manner. A food scientist also works with sustenance safety and atomic gastronomy.

Kitchen or Culinary Manager - as a culinary or kitchen manager, you will be responsible for bringing in new talents and providing them with training. You will also be responsible for managing information and communicating with different divisions in the kitchen, internal operations of the kitchen, etc.

Executive Chef - An executive chef is responsible for managing the entire kitchen staff, marking out work schedules, preparing menus, and also calculating the cost of food.

Chef Entrepreneurs - You can choose to start your restaurant or food business.

Sous Chefs - A sous chef directly reports to the executive chef or is commonly addressed as the right hand to the executive chef.

Pastry Chef - A pastry chef specializes in desserts like cakes, cookies, and other pastries. Their primary responsibility involves baking various dishes to pair with wines or to match the demands of the menu.

Personal Chef - A personal chef prepares meals for private clients in their home kitchen or a commercial kitchen. They are required to adhere to specific dietary requirements and restrictions while preparing the food.

Food Writer- The job of a food writer involves writing about food and drinks. They also report on food-related or cooking-related events, conduct interviews with chefs, and write reviews of restaurants and recipes.

Food Styling - A person who works to make the food look appealing to the eyes, and aesthetically pleasing is known as a food stylist. Food stylists work in the food and beverage retail industry as their target is to improve the visual representation of food items in advertisements as well as for live demonstrations.

Scope of Higher Education after BA Culinary Arts

After completing your B.A. in Culinary Arts, you can opt for higher studies to grasp the technicalities of the field. Several Indian colleges offer post-graduation courses such as:

Required Skill Set for Culinary Arts

Graduates with a B.A. in Culinary Arts are regarded to gain more important skills and experience through this program. Check out some of the important ones below: 

• Multitasking 
• Nutritional Science
• Communication Skills 
• A Classic Culinary Foundation and Understanding
• Analytical Skills
• Time management and Group Leadership
• Ability to handle criticism
• Being driven by curiosity
• Good sense of flavours
• Inclination towards cleanliness

Common Myths About Career in Culinary Arts

Just like any other industry, there are many myths about the Culinary Arts industry such as:

Culinary School Is Only For Future Chefs

One of the biggest myths related to culinary schools is the assumption that you only become a chef. Graduates from culinary school recreate a successful career for themselves as food stylists, food writers, entrepreneurs, and so much more. Moreover, chefs not only work in restaurants but also in hotels, airlines, cruise liners, resorts, hospitals, retirement communities, schools, and universities.

Every Culinary Program Teaches the Same Thing

Each culinary program’s course structure, offerings, and curriculum is different. There are differences in time frames and the focus of courses. Any top-notch culinary programs will train you on to develop culinary skills set, menu development and presentation, and so much more. They will also teach you how to perform operations management, safety, kitchen sanitation, purchasing and storeroom management, as well as supervision.

Also Read: List of Government Jobs for Hotel Management Graduates in India

Salary for Graduates with a BA in Culinary Arts

Graduates with a B.A. in Culinary Arts must note that their salary packages will be based on different factors such as practical experience, skills, organisation, and type of company. So, with experience, the salary is stated to increase, check out the salary for different job roles below:

Also Read: Hotel Management vs Culinary Arts

Scope of Abroad Placements After BA Culinary Arts

The scope of placement abroad for Culinary Arts students depends greatly on several factors such as the hotel industry of the country in question. Opting for internships in different countries will also add value to your portfolio. You can also choose to go for higher studies in other countries for better prospects.

Culinary Arts is a dynamic profession. It is growing every single day and will continue to grow at the rate of 11% annually. While the average salaries of chefs and executive chefs are also reflecting the change, the growth spurt is also dependent on experience, training, and position. We hope with today’s article, you are now equipped with a working knowledge of the Culinary Arts industry and ready to take the next step! 

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