North Carolina Culinary Schools

Culinary Schools in North Carolina

Charlotte is a great place to get a culinary education in North Carolina, and you can find a wonderful food culture in the state in general. You can opt for a traditional education program, or you could consider going to school online and getting a degree from home. This is becoming an increasingly popular option for education as society is becoming more dependent on technology.

There are some different types of schools that you can attend before you work in the food industry. The first option that you have is to go to a vocational school where you take a year’s worth of courses to get a specialized certificate in a certain field. If you wish to get a mid-level position in a restaurant, you can choose to go to a community college and get a two year degree. That will provide you with knowledge in basic management and supervision. Beyond that, you can also look into getting a degree from a four year university. That may focus a bit more on the business side of the restaurant world, allowing you to work in some of the highest paying positions in the field.

Tips for Choosing a Culinary School

You may not think that the school you go to will be a big deal, but the education you get will be vital to how prepared you are for work. During your analysis, look at how qualified the faculty is that you will be learning under. Their knowledge will be given to you, so you want to make sure that you learn from the best. You also need to see how well equipped the kitchens are that you will be learning in, as well as how helpful the school will be in getting you a job. After that, just look into the required internship programs available and see if there are any student run restaurants around that you can get experience through.

Learning the Local Food Culture

Picking up on the local food culture will be a great way for you to gain an understanding of the cuisine in the area. You can do this by visiting restaurants that are owned and operated by North Carolina’s top chefs. Get a taste of the food all around. You may even consider attending local food events like the ones listed below:

• Carolina Chocolate Festival – Morehead City
• North Carolina Pickle Festival – Mount Olive
• U.S. Open Homebrew Competition – Mooresville
• Pinehurst Food and Wine Festival – Pinehurst
• OBX Taste of the Beach – The Outer Banks

Get Your Chef’s Whites and Get a Job

You need to have a solid resume before you even go into a job interview. The more credentials you have, the better you will look. You should consider getting involved with a local food organization so that you have some display of passion for the art. Also try to get an internship under your belt early on to help yourself as well.

There is a great deal of jobs opening up in this field, so you should have no issue finding employment. As an entry level employee you will likely make less than $40,000 a year, but that all depends on where you work. As you go up the chain of command, your pay will increase substantially.

North Carolina Technical Colleges Offering Culinary and Pastry Arts, Restaurant Management, and/or Hospitality Degrees

• The Art Institutes – Charlotte
• Ashworth College – Online