Culinary Arts Courses

What are the Culinary Arts?

Ever wanted to be a master chef, busting out world-class meals in five-star restaurants all around the world? Or maybe you want to start your own burger food joint, and just want to know how to get started. Whatever your ambition, there are food and catering courses to meet your needs! The culinary arts encompass the art of preparing, arranging, and delivering food to customers.

Careers in Culinary Arts

Australia is one of the fastest growing countries for culinary arts careers. There are currently over 32,000 bakers/pastry cooks and almost 90,000 chefs working throughout the nation. Most careers start off with a chef’s apprenticeship program, combined with one of many short cooking courses available. Typically working a broad range of hours including early mornings and late nights, it is not uncommon for a chef to consistently work weekends.

  • The rate of pay varies as much as the working hours, with a barista earning on average $35,000 per year
  • A pastry chef earning approximately $45,000
  • Head chefs can earn much more, typically having salaries of $75,000 or more per year

Cookery Short Courses

There are many cookery courses available to choose from. Many hospitality short courses focus on specific areas of the culinary arts, including food preparation, food safety standards and more. If you are interested in obtaining a cooking certificate, there are many options in large cities such as short courses in Melbourne.

If you are on a tight schedule, there are also plenty of commercial cookery courses online, allowing you to study at your own pace. Qualifications such as a Certificate in Culinary Arts are a common way for prospective culinary professionals to kick-start their career and ensure they are in the driver’s seat from the start.

Are the Culinary Arts right for you?

Working in the culinary arts industry can be extremely challenging and high-pressure. You will need to be creative, organised, focused, and able to process information and communicate under pressured situations. Traits such as attention to detail and punctuality are crucial in such a fast-moving career. Last but not least, you will most definitely need a passion for delivering delicious meals effectively and efficiently, day in, day out!