List of Courses to join after 12th to become a Chef in India - Colleges, Admission Process, and Career Prospects

Being a foodie, one always wonders what the recipe of that food is or what is the secret ingredient that made the food so delicious. You always go back to a particular restaurant for their fabulous dishes. The reason behind this is the magic of the chef. Chefs not only decide the menu or make the food, but they also manage the kitchen staff and examine the food quality minutely.

The duty of a chef is very important for a restaurant. Because the prime responsibility remains on their shoulders. It sounds like a very interesting and fascinating career to students who have leaned towards the arts of culinary. In India, some of the successful chefs host their own cooking shows or run their own hotels as well.

If a student feels their passion lies in the culinary arts and hospitality and cooking, they can easily pursue their dreams. In India, many colleges offer different courses related to culinary arts. Doing these courses will help a student to turn into a brilliant chef day by day. This article will provide all the details about these courses, colleges, and career options as a chef.

Courses of culinary arts to become a chef:

Eligibility criteria of culinary arts to become a chef:

If a student wants to become a chef, they must opt for a degree related to culinary arts or hotel management, or catering technology. Completing any courses from a reputed institute will give you an opportunity to get better placements for a job. Students can get jobs by doing any diploma courses or a two-year-long degree course or a four-year-long degree course.

To opt for these courses, a student can have any subject in their 12th academic background. The students just need to pass the 10+2 examination with a passing mark from a recognized board or institute. For PG options a student needs to complete a UG course or diploma at the UG level. In these courses, a student will be trained in different aspects of cooking, management skills, culinary skills, etc.

Top colleges for culinary arts courses:

There are some great colleges that offer different courses related to culinary arts to help the students to become a chef. These courses also help to take any specialization as a chef. Some of the best colleges related to these courses are:

•  Culinary Academy of India, Hyderabad
•  APCA India – Academy of Pastry and Culinary Arts
•  International Institute of Culinary Arts
•  Institute of Hotel Management, New Delhi
•  Institute of Hotel Management, Aurangabad

Different jobs as a chef:

A student can pursue different job roles as a chef according to their field of interest. There are various kinds of roles that a chef needs to handle. Or anyone can totally choose something different as well. Some chefs have their specializations while others roam in different dishes. The jobs an aspirant can go for after the completion of the courses are –

Head chefs or executive chefs:

These chefs conduct the kitchen and manage the sous chefs. They make sure that the kitchen and cooking are going fine to serve the customers. The head cooks also help to decide the menu. New cooks get training from the head chefs. In some cases, the executive chefs help in administrative works of a restaurant and don’t always look after the kitchen.

Sous chefs:

They are the second important chefs after the head chefs. Sous chefs have the total responsibility for the meals that will be prepared for the customers. They supervise the whole kitchen and report it to the head chefs. In the absence of the head chefs, sous chefs run the kitchen in an organized manner.

Private chefs:

There are many corporate groups or any individual personality that hires private chefs. They cook for that group or president or any other personality.

Food critics:

The experienced and skilful culinary experts turn into food critics in the future if they want that. Food critics review restaurants and give detail about their food and other aspects.

Cookbook writer:

Cookbook writers provide people with different, interesting recipes. They share their personal recipes as well in their book that turns out to be very helpful for the common household.

Salary as a chef:

Salary as a chef depends on different topics – experience, specialization, skills, place of work, etc. The starting salary as a chef ranges between Rs. 10,000/- to Rs. 15,000/-. But chefs having a minimum of 10 years’ experience can get a salary of around Rs. 40,000/- to Rs. 50,000/-. In some places, the executive chefs get a salary of almost Rs. 1 lakh to Rs. 2 lakh per month.

Top recruiting companies:

With days passing by the need for experienced and skillful chefs are going upwards. Not only chefs but there are also so many different jobs in the hotel management and hospitality field. There are many companies that recruit culinary experts and offer a good amount of salary. These recruiters are –

Oberoi Sheraton
Taj Group
ITC Hotels
Hyatt Hotels
Marriott International, Inc.
The Leela Palaces, Hotels & Resorts
As you can see the path and career as a chef can be very glorious if used correctly. There are Indian chefs like – Vikas Khanna, Sanjeev Kapoor, Late Tarla Dalal, Ranveer Brar, Kunal Kapur, etc. who are recognized worldwide. So, if you find your passion in cooking and kitchen, don’t fear becoming a chef.

By Sayantika Mondal

Also Read:

• Hotel Management Admissions Process in India
• Courses for Hotel Management in India