Cooking,
baking, managing, producing, distilling, brewing,
distributing, planning, marketing, writing, editing,
photographing, filming, selling, designing—the career
opportunities in the food industry today are seemingly
endless. Culinary Careers: How to Get Your Dream
Job in Food, with Advice from Top Culinary Professionals
(Clarkson Potter, May 2010) is the only career book to
offer candid portraits of dozens and dozens of coveted
jobs at all levels to help you find your dream job.
Because
so many career paths are possible, it can be hard to
find out exactly what job would best suit oneself, or
how to go about obtaining it, short of talking to
everyone. In Culinary Careers, ICE
President Rick Smilow and co-author Anne E. McBride did
just that: They talked to people in all aspects of the
industry about their education, career path, and
day-to-day activities. They conceived Culinary
Careers as a comprehensive guide to help
students, career changers, prep cooks looking to move
up, weary chefs in need of a new way to use their
skills, budding food writers, or aspiring winemakers go
about their job search and learn more about the industry
as a whole.
|
* Get
the ultimate in advice from those at the very pinnacle
of the industry, including Thomas Keller, Daniel Boulud,
Lidia Bastianich, David Chang, and Ruth Reichl.
* Read
about the inspiring—and sometimes unconventional—paths
individuals took to reach their current positions in 89
in-depth profiles.
* Learn
what a food stylist’s day on the set of a major motion
picture is like, how a top New York City restaurant
publicity firm got off the ground, what to look for in a
yacht crew before jumping on board as the chef, and so
much more.
* Find
out what employers look for, and how you can put your
best foot forward in interviews. |
Click here to see the Table of Contents, list of
featured chefs and a selection of interview answers.
Culinary Careers opens with three chapters that cover three
different career-building stages: Getting Started
features information on educational needs for beginners
and career changers alike, describing programs and
schools around the country, along with some top
international programs. This chapter also offers tips
for resume writing and job interviews. Career
Development and Growth gives advice on advancing
one’s career, from developing a palate to acquiring
additional education and credentials. It also discusses
how to change jobs, which organizations to join and
trade shows to attend, and networking both in person and
online. The third chapter, Ownership and
Entrepreneurship, addresses the many entrepreneurial
opportunities that the food industry affords, from
owning a restaurant or a food product company to a
public relations firm or a catering company. It covers
the pros and cons of ownership, the components of a
business plan, permits and certifications, and
investors.
The most
unique feature of Culinary Careers are
chapters 5-15, which include the exclusive interviews
with both food-world luminaries and those on their way
up, allowing readers to discover what a day in the life
is really like in diverse areas of the culinary world.
They also offer their thoughts on salaries in their
field and what they look for in a new hire, for
up-to-date, frank information on what one can expect to
earn when working in the food industry. Those job
category chapters are:
|
Lessons from the Stratosphere
Cooking
Pastry and Baking
Catering, Events, Personal and Private Chef Work
Management
Wine and Beverages |
Food Artisans
Retail, Distribution, Sales
Media, Marketing, Public Relations
Assorted Business Services
Nutrition and Nonprofit
Education |
The 89
interviews include chefs such as Thomas Keller
(California, New York, Las Vegas), Daniel Boulud (New York,
Palm Beach, Las Vegas, Vancouver, China), Dan Barber, David
Chang (New York), Rick Bayless, Graham Elliot Bowles
(Chicago), Joseph Wrede (Taos, New Mexico), and Kelly Liken
(Vail, Colorado); pastry chefs such as Gale Gand (Chicago),
François Payard (New York, Las Vegas, Brazil), Mindy Segal
(Chicago), Erin McKenna (New York, Los Angeles), Michael
Laiskonis (New York), and cake designer Elisa Strauss (New
York); people from the media world such as Ruth Reichl
(author, former editor-in-chief of Gourmet), Michael Ruhlman
(author), Gail Simmons (Food & Wine , Top Chef ), Molly
Wizenberg (the blog Orangette, Bon Appétit ), and Susan
Spungen (food stylist, former food editor, Martha Stewart
Living); food artisans such as Zingerman’s Ari Weinzweig,
Chef’s Garden Lee Jones, Allagash Brewing Company’s Rob Tod,
and Savannah Bee Company’s Ted Dennard; as well as
sommeliers, caterers, company owners, media producers,
stylists, photographers, publicists, consultants, educators,
and more.
Culinary Careers
(352 pages, $16.99) is available for sale at bookstores
nationwide, online at amazon.com, and at ICE.
Praise for Culinary Careers
"If you suspect you might have the itch to make a mark anywhere in the hospitality industry, this is your book. It's chockfull of genuine insights, accurate information, and thoughtful advice from real people who have already walked in your shoes – or the ones you've been contemplating trying on."
– Danny Meyer, restaurateur and author of Setting the Table
"Smilow's book is recommended for readers seeking a thorough introductory exposure to today's professional possibilities in the culinary world."
–Eric Peterson, The Library Journal
"Thank Goodness Rick Smilow & Anne E. McBride have written Culinary Careers"
– Gail Ciampa, Providence Journal
"Smilow leaves no refrigerator unopened in this guide that is excellent for everyone from new grads to those contemplating a major career shift"
– Lisa Messenger, Cooks Books
"Culinary Careers does a great job laying out road maps for a career in the food world. And through its eighty-nine interviews, the book also conveys the passion and dedication that I see amongst my fellow chefs and restaurant professionals, around the nation."
– Marcus Samuelsson
"For anyone in the food service business, or even thinking about it, this is a must have guide."
– Tim Zagat, Zagat Survey
"Culinary Careers is a refreshingly unbiased introduction to the range of educational opportunities and careers available to those who see the world through the lens of food and cooking."
– Bob delGrosso, A Hunger Artist
"A heaping plate of solid, first-hand advice from real people in the business."
– The Sacramento Bee
Click here to see a selection of book reviews.
About
the authors:
RICK SMILOW is the president and CEO of the Institute of
Culinary Education (ICE). During his tenure, ICE has grown
to become one of the nation’s leading culinary education
centers, winning two coveted awards from the International
Association of Culinary Professionals. Smilow has an MBA
from the Kellogg School and has held corporate and
entrepreneurial marketing positions prior to acquiring ICE
in 1995 and landing his dream job. He is also a director of
Daniel Boulud’s Dinex Restaurant Group and a board member of
City Harvest and Careers through Culinary Arts Program.
ANNE E. MCBRIDE is a food writer and editor. With famed
pastry chef François Payard, she wrote Chocolate Epiphany
(Clarkson Potter, 2008) and Bite Size (William
Morrow, 2006). After being a senior cookbook editor at
Hippocrene Books, she has been working as editor and writer
of ICE’s tri-annual publication, The Main Course,
since 2004 and is the director of the school’s Center for
Food Media. McBride is the director of the Experimental
Cuisine Collective, an interdisciplinary group of
scientists, chefs, media personalities, academics, and food
enthusiasts that examines the connections between food and
science. She is working towards a Ph.D. in food studies at
New York University, where she also teaches, and sits on the
board of the Association for the Study of Food and Society
and the New York Women’s Culinary Alliance.
