If you have considered earning a certificate or degree through any of the top rated culinary programs, you will be amazed at how much information is passed on to you. In addition to learning what it takes to become a head chef or whatever position you are most interested in, you will also learn about general food industry practices and specialized culinary techniques.

While some topics covered may not seem important, if you were to sit down with any of the world’s finest chefs, they would tell you that the more knowledge you have the more marketable you become. Therefore, understanding the history of culinary arts along with skills required to become an exceptional chef would be to your advantage.

The primary goal in taking culinary programs is to gain complete knowledge of how culinary arts began. With this, you would gain an entirely different perspective and respect for this type of career. To help you get started, we have provided just a few fascinating facts about the field of culinary arts.

o Culinary Term – The term “culinary” comes from the word “Culina”, which translates to “cooking” or “cooking area”. Once you complete the required culinary programs to become an expert, you would be a trained and skilled Culinarian. Today, there is a growing demand for experts such as this and earning potential is great.

o Culinary Schools – Restaurants and hotels look for the best Culinarians they can afford, making competition stiff. Because of this, the possibility of securing an excellent position after graduation would be good.

o Cooks versus Chefs – Many people are exceptional cooks and some have earned a special certificate or degree but the difference between a cook and a chef is not only the level of food mastering food but also food presentation. For this reason, courses are known as “culinary art”, which is a reference to presentation of cuisine. After all, Culinarians are not just chefs but also artists.

o Gender Role – For years, people automatically associated cooks with women, probably because women prepared the majority of meals within in the home. However, when looking at trained chefs, the majority are men although we are beginning to see more and more women becoming professional chefs.

o Cooking School History – The first cooking school opened in Boston in 1800 called the Boston Cooking School. The courses offered were designed to teach students about the art of making American cuisine but also to prepare them to pass culinary knowledge down to future generations.

o Recipe Books – The first recipe book was published in 1896 by Fannie Merrit, which focused on American recipes and culinary art. Interestingly, this author was a graduate of the Boston Cooking School.

o Televised Cooking – In 1946, James Beard’s cooking classes were the first to be televised but in 1960, the quirky Julia Child was the star that reached homes around the world with her incredible skill in making French cuisine.

o Career Opportunities – While most people that take culinary programs are working toward becoming a skilled chef, these programs prepare people for all types of food industry careers. For instance, if you have a love for food and teaching, you could consider culinary art classes to become a highly respected culinary lecturer. Perhaps you love making pastries more than main dishes, which could be accomplished by taking culinary programs specific to pastry.

Getting started in the food industry, regardless of the position you want, begins by completing the appropriate culinary art programs so you receive proper training but also hands-on practice. The food industry offers so many opportunities so it is important that you know the career path preferred before you sign up for any courses. From there, the educational process begins and while some areas of training are more interesting and fun than others, the more you can learn the better you will ultimately be in your career of choice.