Is there a difference between Culinary Art and Culinary Management

The most popular programs in the gastronomical field are culinary arts and culinary management. Demand continues to rise for professional chefs and an increasing number of institutions are offering culinary management and culinary arts education, opening up infinite opportunities for career advancement in this sector. But there is confusion regarding these terms and they are used interchangeably. Both programs cover the basics of food preparation and culinary techniques and offer students practical training and/or internships in restaurants and hotel kitchens. To get an insight into the right-fit career option, identifying the main differences between these overlapping yet distinctive areas is vital.

The main focus of Culinary Arts programs is always food - how to prepare it, how to cook it, and how to make it look like a work of art. The programs include knowledge about food science, nutritional content of raw materials/ingredients, combining flavors, culinary techniques. Areas of study could include nutrition and physiology, chemistry, thermodynamics, butchery, manufacturing processes like milling, refining, etc. The subject on visual presentation of food infuses the “art” in the program. It depends on individual creativity for combining flavors to create visually beautiful dishes that others will enjoy. Few well-rounded culinary arts programs could include coursework on restaurant management, food safety, and even kitchen maintenance. Although there certainly are exceptions, most culinary arts programs are offered as diploma, certification, or Associate Degree. Graduates from these courses typically work in restaurants, bakeries, commercial kitchens. Most culinary arts professionals work as chefs, sous chefs, celebrity cooks, bakers, line cooks. The work hours are physically demanding, fast-paced, with busy weekend and evening hours.

Culinary management is an educational course that prepares graduates to work on the practical side of a commercial kitchen, extending beyond food preparation to include restaurant management, human resource management, kitchen safety, menu development, and front-of-the-house issues. It is ideal for those interested in learning management and business skills for working in supervisory positions in the food industry. Students learn to deal with the kitchen, supplies, staff and control finances and front-office issues. Courses include classic cooking techniques, food service, food and kitchen safety, menu design. Students typically develop a strong base in business subjects like human resource (HR), leadership, sales, marketing, law, business and management before they learn about the specializations of the culinary field. The program has a more “scholarly” approach. It is ideal for students who enjoy cooking but want to take a more business-oriented approach and are comfortable working with customers and staff for efficient and effective running of a restaurant. Many culinary management programs are offered in conjunction with private and public universities, and anything from a two-year Associate Degree to a six-year Master’s Degree could be awarded. Individuals who graduate from culinary management programs work as restaurants kitchen supervisors, menu developers/planners, at front desk, food and beverage control, front office management, etc