Opportunities in Cooking & Catering

Trained, experienced professionals who can demonstrate the right skills and knowledge should be able to pursue many exciting and respected career options.

Restaurants, Hotels & Resorts

Some restaurants have separate departments and rooms dedicated solely to catered events. For restaurants in hotels and resorts, catering operations may provide an important source of business.

The chef or caterer faces different challenges for each type of affair. It may be a formal, nine-course dinner. A theme buffet. An informal garden brunch. An intimate party with as few as ten guests or a wedding reception with as many as several hundred. A bar mitzvah, birthday party, or retirement celebration. And during holidays and the wedding season, it’s not at all unusual to be managing several catered parties in one day!

It’s challenging work. Planning, preparing, and serving for such occasions requires careful organization, attention to detail, confidence in the kitchen, and creativity. But the rewards can be substantial. Imagine experiencing the satisfaction of seeing that all the guests are happy and smiling—and asking for seconds of your special artichoke and goat cheese soufflé!

Catering Halls

Private catering businesses may manage and host entire events, with menus and décor designed and prepared either on the premises or off-site. In addition to preparing, and serving the menus, catering hall professionals may include florists, party consultants, interior decorators, and other specialists in their plans.

Institutional Food Service

Many public and private institutions and organizations—hospitals, schools, clinics, businesses, assisted living quarters, convalescent homes, and retirement facilities among them—prepare meals for large numbers of people in on-site restaurants or cafeterias. They may also be expected to cater special occasions, such as holiday get-together’s, meetings, and even parties and picnics.

Bakeries & Specialty Food Markets

Home meal replacement is a trend that has emerged in the past few years. People with busy schedules are finding less time to cook nutritious meals at home. It’s often easier to stop by the local bake shop, take-out market, or deli and pick up a quality, prepared meal—or even arrange for it to be home-delivered.

Enroll online or call 1-800-535-1613 to speak with an Admission Advisor!