The culinary landscape has been changed and brought to our attention by dozens of trailblazers who have left their mark on the art of cuisine and our psyche. These culinary mavericks have helped integrate the art of making food away from the secluded world of professional kitchens and into the limelight of the mainstream. They’ve educated us, entertained us, and, most importantly, inspired countless generations of up and coming talent. They’ve taken an artform that has always been essential but known to few, and helped the world embrace it wholeheartedly. Their innovation has helped recruit budding chefs that would have otherwise never known about this lifechanging career stream. It’s a colorful revolution – which doesn’t seem to be stopping any time soon. Recruitment into culinary institutes has been witnessing study upward growth, and we’re seeing more budding culinary entrepreneurs pursuing their dreams than ever before.
Even within our country, we’re witnessing a surge of interest within the culinary arts – and taking part full force in the culinary renaissance. Last November, India made international headlines for the first female Indian chef to receive her very own Michelin star – Garima Arora, for her restaurant Gaa. Joining her in bringing India into the global limelight are Gaggan Anand, Vineet Bhatia, Atul Kochhar, Ritu Dalmia and Manish Malhotra, who have been breaking culinary boundaries and inspiring the new generation of chefs for the last decade.
Because of icons such as these, we’re less afraid to join an industry that was seen almost unfavorably just a few decades ago. We’re seeing colleges across the country have increasing enrollments into culinary courses. More people from all walks of life are choosing to change careers and finally take the leap and pursue their culinary ambitions. To keep up with this socio-cultural shift, we’re seeing the rise of programmes uniquely designed to give mature professionals the foundation they need to change their career path and enter the food industry.
What does this shift mean for newcomers into the industry? How does this change their career trajectory as opposed to the one followed by their predecessors? If we follow the paths of any of our celebrated chefs without rose-tinted glasses, we know that working in their industry wasn’t always easy. Long working hours, a physically straining environment and a non-stop stress level are all familiar things to someone working behind the closed doors of a restaurant kitchen. While it can often put the strain on a trained chef, it’s often even tougher on those who are still working their way up the ladder and trying to actively pick up new skills. This type of intimidating environment has the ability to make or break young culinary aspirants – often turning away those who couldn’t handle the heat. The advent of various culinary programmes, however, helps bridge this learning gap. Shorter duration courses enable aspirants to learn culinary fundamentals in an academic environment, allowing them to enter a professional kitchen with a strong foundation under their belt. While it’s a fact that a degree or certification is not always a necessity to enter the world of culinary arts, it’s a beneficial faster track to achieving your professional goals and standing up to the pressures of the food industry.
Given below are the options of career opportunities in the world of culinary arts:
- Chef Entrepreneurs: It opens up an avenue for candidates to start their restaurants, food business etc.
- Executive Chef: Manages the kitchen staff, formulates work schedules, crafts menus, and calculates food costs.
- Sous Chef: Supports the Executive Chef in managing the kitchen.
- Banquet Chef: Manages the kitchen staff in bulk food production.
- Pastry Chef:responsible for baking breads, pastries, and desserts.
- Purchasing Manager:Buying and managing inventory of all products used in a hotel.
- Private Club and Resort Manager: Manages all of the departments and all of the employees in clubs.
- Institutional Food Service: Food service opportunities in schools and health care facilities.
- Contract Food Service: Food service opportunities within corporations.
- Restaurant Manager:Manages restaurant for owner, schedules employees, works with the Chef to promote quality food service that is professional and timely.
- Catering Director: Promotes and organizes banquets and catered events.
- Food Production Manager: Manages the production of quality food in large food service operations.
For foodies, chefs, home cooks and other lovers of food – it’s an exciting time. Food – and those who make it – have fully established itself at the forefront of popular culture and aren’t going anywhere. With groundbreaking chefs at the forefront, they’re forging the way for women and men who have always dared to dream differently – after being inspired by mentors and peers themselves. This in turn is cementing culinary arts as a steadfast pillar of our culture, bringing with it exciting new trends, experimentation, and more creative talent than ever before.