According to the National Restaurant Association sales in the restaurant industry were $426 billion in the US in 2002. This money was spent on more than 54 billion meals. The National Restaurant Association forecast for 2004 is $440.1 billion in sales (get more info at the: National Restaurant Association website. Simply put, the culinary industry is huge, and growing. 11 million people work in it, representing about 1 in 11 jobs in the US. Selling food is big business!
Culinary careers can follow many paths. About 60% of all culinary workers find jobs in restaurants and eating and drinking places. 20% work in cafeterias inside hospitals, corporations, nursing homes, and universities. The remainder work in hotels, grocery stores, or other locations.
Many people can find a job in a cooking career without having to get a formal education, but the best paying and most prestigious jobs are easier to get if you get a diploma from a Le Cordon Bleu Culinary school. You can find a bunch of Top Culinary Schools by clicking this link. This site provides information on many of the best schools and also allows you to go to a form for each school and request information directly from that school.
Kitchen workers must have the ability to follow recipe instructions, a well developed sense of taste and smell, personal cleanliness, and the ability to work as part of, and direct, a larger kitchen team. Many states also require culinary workers to obtain certificates that they are free from communicable diseases. Obviously, you and I hope they do a good job at this …
Culinary schools teach you the skills of a master chef through actual practice. It is not uncommon that the actual time in live kitchens represents the majority of the education. Le Cordon Bleu culinary schools like those listed on the Le Cordon Bleu section of this site train you in the supervisory and management skills to become a master chef and also include courses on menu planning, portion sizing, food purchasing and cost control, food storage and how to leverage leftover food to minimize waste. Culinary schools also provide you with a background in sanitation and public health rules.
In general, culinary school graduates find work as chefs and cooks, and are responsible for measuring, mixing and cooking ingredients according to a recipe. In the course of their work, chefs use a variety of equipment, including ovens, grilles, toasters, stoves, blenders, slicers, and grinders. Graduates from culinary schools often become head chefs, and are additionally responsible for ordering food supplies and the supervision of other kitchen personnel.
Working as a chef, head chef, or in related restaurant and hospitality industry roles can be fun and rewarding work. Preparing good, or even great food, is by itself rewarding, as is having other people enjoy the results of your work. Career advancement is faster for those who have a Le Cordon Bleu Culinary diploma.
http://www.education-online-search.com/articles/careers/culinary_careers/about_culinary_careers
