Culinary art is the art of cooking. The word "culinary" is defined as something related to, or connected with, cooking or kitchens. A culinarian is a person working in the culinary arts. A culinarian working in restaurants is commonly known as a cook or a chef. Culinary artists are responsible for skillfully preparing meals that are as pleasing to the palate as to the eye. Increasingly they are required to have a knowledge of the science of food and an understanding of diet and nutrition. They work primarily in restaurants, fast food chain store franchises, delicatessens, hospitals and other institutions. Kitchen conditions vary depending on the type of business, restaurant, nursing home etc.

Related Careers

There are a wide variety of opportunities in the culinary arts profession. Below is a non-exhaustive list at some opportunities available to those interested in working as culinary professionals.

• Chefs and cooks - Work directly with the preparation at food for service in various establishments including full-service restaurants, catering facilities, institutional dining, corporate dining, and various other venues. It has been recorded that 54% of all Culinary art professionals are female.
• Dining Room Service
• Food and Beverage Managers - Manage all food and beverage outlets in hotels and other large establishments
• Food and Beverage Controllers - Purchase and source ingredients in large hotels as well as manage the stores and stock control.
• Consultants and Design Specialists - Works with restaurant owners in development of menus, layout and design of dining room and establishing cosina protocols.
• Salespeople - Introduce chefs and business owners to new products and are able to demonstrate the proper use at equipment. They may sell any range at products needed in the industry from various food products to equipment.
• Teachers - Train future culinary professionals with their experience in the classroom.
• Food Writers and Food Critics - Establish a public contact with the public on food trends, chefs and restaurants. Many write for newspapers, magazines and some publish books. Notables in this field include Julia Child, Craig Claiborne and James Beard.
• Food Stylists and Photographers - Work with magazines, books, catalogs and promotional and advertising to make them visually appealing.
• Research and Development Kitchens - Develop new products for commercial manufacturers, they can also be test kitchens for publications or others can be kitchens for restaurant chains or grocery chains.
• Entrepreneurship. Many culinarians develop their own business with examples including restaurants, bakeries, specialty food manufacture (chocolates, cheese etc).

Occupational outlook

The occupation outlook for chefs, restaurant managers, dieticians, and nutritionists is fairly good, with "as fast as the average" growth. Increasingly a college education with formal qualifications is required for success in this field.