The Pay Scale for those in the Culinary Arts Field

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Choosing a career in the culinary arts opens a rather large field of possibilities for employment in food services and a choice of specialized fields. There are plenty of jobs ready and waiting for you as a line cook, sous chef, baker or pastry chefs, as well as openings in the more exotic field of International chefs or the administrative capacity of an executive chef.

Restaurant work, however, may not be the only field you are considering with your culinary arts degree. Your interests may be geared toward becoming a food scientist, a nutritional expert or in hotel and restaurant hospitality. All these fields vary in culinary pay scale, with many culinary chefs choosing to specialize in more then one field to add versatility and flexibility in their choice of employment.

Choosing Your Field

The culinary pay scale will vary depending on several factors. What field(s) you choose and how high you wish to go up the ladder in the food industry, of course, a major factor, cooking assistants will average $25,661 annually whereas an executive chef working for a high end restaurant can expect $69,336 a year or more, while an executive pastry chef might bring home $60,480 annually.

Your work environment will also affect your culinary pay scale. Fine diners, hotels offering food services and exclusive resorts will average a higher culinary pay scale, whereas institutional cafeterias, casual or fast food restaurants and cruise ships tend to offer the lowest.

Educational Influences

The extent of your education also reflects your wage. It doesn’t take more than a high school diploma to enter a kitchen and begin learning your culinary skills, but learning the disciplines as well as the craft can take many years. A culinary arts degree will help you obtain a prominent position more quickly as it will help you in your preparation for handling the fast pace of a professional kitchen. It will also ensure faster advancement in your field, result in a higher culinary arts paycheck.

As an example, a sushi chef must be trained in the art of Japanese cuisine, with an entry level expectancy of $25,000 annually, but can advance to as much as $70,000 after years of experience. A pastry chef has a degree from a culinary institute, along with at least two to four years experience in a kitchen. The culinary pay scale for a Pastry Chef usually starts around $34,000 annually and increases to an average of $51,000 annually with benefit packages as an incentive to what some consider a low pay scale.

After years of experience, executive chefs can find work in five star restaurants or take positions as private chefs in places such as the White House, earning an average of up to $85,000 annually.

If you have chosen the field of food scientist, the culinary pay scale can vary from $43,240 and $80,300 annually. Positions can be found in food research, in the packaged food industry or as a nutrition expert for hospitals, health food bars and private clubs. You will need at least a Bachelor’s degree in food science to work within the field of research or nutrition.

Environmental Conditions for a Culinary Pay Scale

The federal government has one of the highest paid salaries for those working within the culinary arts, with an expectancy of as much as $91,430 annually. Your qualifications for federal government employment are directly related to your field of study. Your culinary arts pay scale may change depending on whether you’ve specialized in nutrition, International cuisine or grain and dairy.

Location is another major factor in the average culinary pay scale. Areas with a higher cost of living are most likely to pay higher pay wages. Cities with a thriving culinary community, along with fine dining establishments, will most likely also have a higher demand for skilled chefs. Restaurant managers however are an exception to this rule. Restaurant managers in larger cities do not always boast having the higher pay scale, as the rivalry and competition can be very great. Hotels and resorts catering to the tourist trade are more inclined to pay higher wages for their managers. As you can see, there are many factors to consider when you chose a career in the culinary arts, but it can be a most rewarding occupation, with unlimited opportunities for advancement.