Culinary Arts: Know where to study, courses and prospects

Don’t you love to see an exotic dish being whipped up with raw ingredients casually strewn over the kitchen table? It’s nothing short of a magical experience. Chefs perform this magic every day, nay, every hour with loving care in the secret of their sanctum sanctorum — the kitchen. A course in Culinary Arts can help you waft towards a career in food preparation as a professional chef.

Things you can learn from Culinary courses

Culinary courses encompass all aspects of food preparation, cooking, plating, presentation and service. These include a broad range of topics like food science and nutrition, ingredient quality, seasonality, flavours and textures, plate layout and food colour.

More than cooking classes, these courses teach students how to effectively prepare, cook and present a dish. Apart from that, you can learn food and beverage administration, kitchen management and other hospitality and food-related areas.

Studying Culinary Arts

• You need to clear your Class XII board exams in any stream with at least 55% aggregate.
• Some institutes offering this course admit students on the basis of merit, while others require you to clear their entrance exams.
• After completion of your undergraduate degree, you can pursue a master’s degree in Culinary Arts.

Institutes that offer Culinary Arts courses:

International Institute of Hotel Management (IIHM), multiple locations including Kolkata

Course: Diploma in Culinary Arts.

• Duration: One year.
• Eligibility: You need to clear your Class XII board exams in any stream to appear for the IIHM EChat (IIHM Electronic Common Hotel Management Test).
• Admission: You need to clear IIHM ECHAT.
• Click here to know more.

Symbiosis School of Culinary Arts, Maharashtra

Course: BSc in Culinary Arts.

• Duration: Three years.
• Eligibility: You need at least 50% aggregate in your Class XII board exams in any stream to appear for an entrance test.
• Admission: You need to clear the online test and perform well in a personal interview.
• Click here to know more.

Indian Institute of Hotel Management & Culinary Arts, Hyderabad

Course: Bachelor’s Degree in Catering Technology and Culinary Arts.

• Duration: Three years.
• Eligibility: You need to clear your Class XII board exams in any stream to appear for an entrance exam.
• Admission: You need to clear the entrance test and perform well in a personal interview.
• Click here to know more.

Madras Institute of Hotel Management & Catering Technology, Chennai

Course: BSc in Culinary Arts & Chef Management.

• Duration: Three years.
• Eligibility: You need to clear your Class XII board exams in any stream.
• Admission: Merit-based.
• Click here to know more.

Welcomgroup Graduate School of Hotel Administration, University of Manipal

Course: BA in Culinary Arts.

• Duration: Three years.
• Eligibility: You need to clear your Class XII board exams in any stream to appear for an entrance test conducted by the department concerned.
• Admission: You need to clear the entrance exam.
• Click here to know more.

Job roles with a degree in Culinary Arts:

• Personal chef: They plan and prepare meals for their clients in a private atmosphere. These chefs deal only with small amounts of food as there is no mass cooking involved. They are also responsible for finding ingredients and supplies needed to prepare meals.

• Nutritionist: They assist in meal preparation planning by considering an individual's medical history, chronic condition, body weight and health conditions. Restaurant chains and health food counters employ these professionals.

• Executive chef: They manage the kitchen crew, prepare work schedules and menus, and estimate the cost of food. Any necessary food and cooking equipment must be ordered by the executive chef. They motivate and manage their personnel to accomplish meal services as a team.

• Food stylist: They showcase dishes in a way to make them appear more appealing. A food stylist's work is frequently used in advertisements and magazines to promote products. They frequently collaborate with chefs, professional photographers, advertisers and editors to prepare and arrange dishes in order to improve their visual appeal.

• Restaurateur: They open restaurants and create a dynamic environment to display culinary aesthetics and style. They are entrepreneurs armed with the knowledge of culinary arts, which sets them apart from other entrepreneurs and chefs.