In this episode, Ryan Parker shares what to expect and consider if your child is interested in pursing a culinary career.

About Ryan K. Parker:

* Has been cooking for 20 years.

* Working in restaurants for the last 10 years.

* Is currently working in the classroom as a culinary instructor.

* Grew up loving being in the kitchen.

Options for Pursuing the Culinary Field

“Schools offer anything from weekend classes for people who want to see what it is like all the way up to degree granting programs,” explains Parker. These programs can include certificate programs that take a year to complete or full bachelor degrees.

What to expect when enrolling

* Robust programs.

* Ability to customize beyond core classes.

* Time in the kitchen almost everyday.

* Learning about business, communication, writing, and history.

Parker elaborates, “You won’t necessarily have a wide range of educational background from the certificate programs, but you will certainly have a solid base to build on when it comes to direct culinary skills.” This provides a great opportunity to start in the field quickly after high school, or if changing careers, by providing a strong set of skills and understanding of the flow of a kitchen.

Careers in the Culinary Field

There are lots of opportunities in the culinary field from health care to a typical kitchen. “You can go a lot more places today than when I was in culinary school,” says Parker.

Some potential careers in the culinary field are:

* Hospital Wellness/Healthcare cooking

* Entry level position at a restaurant

* Retail grocery to prepare foods

* Cooking show star

* Food Journalist

* Research and development team for chain restaurants to invent new menu items

“All of these large chains have teams of people who develop food for them,” notes Parker.

Choosing the Culinary Path

You can customize your education depending on your preference. “I would say the expectation that parents should have when children leave culinary school is they are not going to be a chef walking out the door, but they will have a lot more opportunities than someone that has no formal training,” warns Parker, “Restaurant ownership is a possibility, but it is one of those things you need to build into your career and track yourself in that direction.”

Things to consider when selecting:

* Plan for the career you want when entering culinary school

* Look for programs with wonderful reputations or years behind them.

* Should have some state or national accreditation.

* The American Culinary Federation is a national program that gives certification based on a school’s level of performance and has a high level of standard.

Visiting a Culinary School

Visiting the campus is very important. Parker states, “I think one of the things I look for, first of all, is that you are going to schedule a tour with the admissions rep.”

There are a few things to think about when on the tour:

* Location

* Housing, moving away, and thinking about finances for that.

* The facility itself

* Is it clean, organized, and set up well?

* Is everything accessible to students to help them be successful?

Most of the major schools started as stand alone culinary programs, but have added some additional disciplines, depending on their location, such as hospitality. There is not a hard and fast rule for transferring, so if you change schools you might not be able to transfer course credits.

Contact a school and plan ahead of time to find out what classes will or will not transfer.

Job Prospects for Graduates

Parker jokes, “People always need to eat and people always get sick.