Bachelors in Culinary Arts: Tasting Future Success

Bachelors in Culinary Arts is an amalgamation of the art of balancing chemicals in the food to bring out the needed taste & the art of making it visually appealing. After all, one first eats with the eyes and then with their mouth. The field is not just confined to these two parts but also revolve much around research & development. Any student looking to accelerate in their career and thinking of presenting something unique to their customers will definitely be making use of these tools.

Being a student of BSc. Culinary Science knows that the food business has the most stable growth, employment creation, and career advancement prospects of any industry. It also has an extraordinarily bright future. Nearly 20% of all jobs worldwide are currently supported by the hospitality and food industries, and there is a constant need for workers with the necessary qualifications. This industry offers very secure, lucrative, and enterprising career opportunities. Teaching should and will proactively fulfil the demands of global employment, since the curriculum's core is fundamentally worldwide and heavily industry-focused.

The culinary program being offered at the university will allow the student to not only gain theoretical knowledge but get hands-on exposure helping in an all-round development of the student. He/she, over a span of time, gains expertise in the field of culinary arts and at the same time, becomes industry ready by improving upon their communication and interpersonal skills.

The culinary enthusiasts, like in the past, want to turn their hobby of making their food look attractive into a source of income. They understand that if they’ll turn their hobby into an earning source, they are bound to make more earning as they’ll not only be self-motivated but happy doing what they’ll be taking up. However, to reach a level where one can turn their culinary hobby into a source of income, one must choose a right path to progress in the field of education and there is nothing better than going in for a Bachelor of Science in Culinary Arts.

A culinary enthusiast can opt for any of the below given options. The suggested way to ensure one grows positively in each of the chosen paths has also been discussed against each:

Joining a hotel post cracking a Management Training Program - This path is one that each Culinary professional looks forward to. Giving it their best while on campus studying for the given four years, undergoing one or more Internship Trainings Internationally or locally followed by intensive rounds of interviews is the only path that allows a student to crack a Management Training or to be more precise Kitchen Management Training Program.

Joining a Restaurant Chain - This is one of the upcoming options that a Culinary professional is seen leaning towards. Gone are the days when the food at the restaurants used to be below par when compared to the hotels, salaries used to be lesser or/and the working environment used to be difficult. Any restaurant professional can vouch for the fact that he has better working hours, his outlet serves better food and the staff at his/her outlet stays together like a family. A BSc in Culinary Science student is looking for exactly this.

Getting an International Placement - For any young professional, getting an international job is like his dreams turning into a reality. A student who has completed his program of B.Sc. in Culinary Arts finds it a lot easier to crack an interview.  Few of the rounds included in such type of interviews may include- submitting a recorded video introduction, hands-on practical test/ trait test, personal interview & GM round. A student undergoing a full program is taught how to crack such an interview during his 4 year long process by faculty members who have an apt amount of industrial experience.

Starting their own venture- There is nothing better in this world then to have one’s own business. After all, you end up earning for your own self rather than someone else. A lot of your professionals are opting for entrepreneurship above a regular job. An interested one can easily start a retail street-side outlet for as less as Rs. 1,00,000 that includes his cost of setup, raw materials, rentals (if any), labour cost and other overhead costs. A BSc in culinary management pass-out would have gone through entrepreneurship management subject during his course of studies making it a lot easier for him/her to aggressively work upon his idea of being his/her own boss. Understanding raw materials, formulas, related food safety norms, the right way to train one’s staff & a lot more can be learnt while going through the bachelor of science in culinary arts program.

Opting for further studies- A lot of students don’t want to end their education graph at just the bachelor’s. They want to undergo further studies, maybe a short term program from India or abroad or maybe a diploma in culinary/ patisseries from a place of repute. Again, to be able to crack a decent centre offering such a program, one needs to have completed a graduation program from a decent university. Also, the career fairs that are organized at such centres also provide a push towards a positive direction.

Joining a Multi-National Company- For a student having completed BSc in culinary management, the sky's the limit. If he/ she wants to, he/she can even take up a career with a MNC either after going in for a PG program or straightaway also. Companies like Nestle, Veeba, HUL, Mrs Bectors’ prefer hiring culinary graduates as they believe that their employees cannot sell a product if they don’t understand the product. They believe that chefs are having in-built marketing skills and because of them being used to working for long & challenging hours during their hotel/ internship times, it’ll be a lot easier for them to cope-up. Plus, polishing one’s communication skills is a major part of the program so it’ll be a lot easier for the graduate to grow within the organization.

Choosing a different path altogether- It should always be kept in mind that a Culinary Graduate can never go jobless. He/ she not only has the culinary skills but has also gained the hospitality skills in the given time period making him/her suitable for any/all job profiles out there. In-fact he/she stands suitable for more than 60% of the jobs available out there may be a chef on a cruise line, becoming a flight attendant, taking up a job of a Facilities Manager/ Supervisor, banking, opting for competitive examinations etc. A self-motivated personnel can never fail in life and a student of Culinary Art & Hospitality Management will always be found self-motivated and focused towards his career growth.

In the end, we can conclude that B.Sc. in Culinary Arts has endless scope and a graduate of this program, in one way or the other, will achieve success.

Expanding their family business- A lot of hospitality enthusiasts join the B.Sc. in Culinary Arts with a motive to expand their own family business. Named brands like Chawla’s, Kuremal Kulfi etc. have ensured that their current generation opts for a Hospitality or Culinary program. For expanding the business, the experienced members of the family know it is not possible without a professional getting attached to their name. Keeping the same in mind, they try pushing the current generation to opt for these programs as they understand the effectiveness of an in house professional.

Author:  Chef Sunil Kumar, Deputy Director, Department of  Culinary Arts,  SCHM