More than 500 Programs in the U.S. and Abroad
- Explore in-depth profiles of certificate, degree, and apprenticeship programs in culinary arts and restaurant management
- Get advice form experts in the field on choosing a school and paying for it
- Research culinary organizations awarding scholarships and get tips on how to apply




Excerpts from Our Guidebook

Applying for Scholarships

Almost all culinary schools award scholarships to truly promising students, so remember to ask for information about each school’s requirements. In addition, many organizations associated with the culinary field award scholarships. You will want to begin addressing the scholarship application process even before you send in your admission application because the scholarship process can take longer than the admission process.
Scholarships awarded by organizations (other than schools) are of two kinds:

Awards for specific schools. These awards are usually for tuition credit, although occasionally some aid is given for room and board, books, uniforms, or tools.

Awards of a specific cash value that can be used at a variety of institutions. Awards like these are usually designated by the donors to be applied only against tuition. They cannot be used to help pay for room and board, books, tools, uniforms, or getting to and from school. Cash-value awards generally are paid by the awarding organization directly to the chosen institution. Rarely, if ever, is money paid directly to a student to use as he or she wishes.

What Else Can You Do with a Cooking Degree (besides open a restaurant)?

Chef, caterer, pastry cook, and restaurant cook are merely the most familiar four; there are hundreds of jobs in the food industry. You may want to consider preparing for positions in management as executive chef, or sales as catering director, or administration in food and beverage management. Maybe you’ll want to explore developing specialty products—a line of sauces, dressings, or convenience foods, for example—for retail or wholesale markets. There are also teaching opportunities in professional cooking schools (possibly even the one you choose to attend). Others set out to become a restaurant consultant to entrepreneurs who want to start a restaurant or improve the one they own. Still another option is food writing and editing for magazines and books devoted to food and cooking.

Where Do I Fit?

To choose a career path that seems right for you, you’ll need to define your own personality profile, whether it gives you the skills you need if you want to move higher or take a detour and move sideways. Or do you need to add some skills that you haven’t yet developed?

Whether or not you seek outside career guidance, you should do some soul-searching on your own. Take stock of who you are. What are your best skills? Break them down into culinary, service, finance, research, communication, and management. Some of the categories will be longer than others; that tells you where you’ve placed your learning emphasis and where you’ll have to work a bit harder. Think about your lifestyle and workplace values. Is independence something you seek, or do routine and stability matter more? Are you aiming for wealth or is leisure time now more important? Another significant list is what leisure activities you enjoy the most, then rating them by cost, whether they are solitary or social activities, and whether you’ve been able to fit them into your life lately. Are you a risk taker or do you proceed with caution? Even the most cautious of us can be successful entrepreneurs, but your own slant between these two types is important for you to know.