When it comes to the culinary arts, there are lots of jobs and career opportunities in the hospitality field. Whether working behind the scenes in the kitchen, ordering ingredients, or managing service staff, a restaurant at a hotel or resort is a place bustling with exciting culinary arts careers. If you are interested in the culinary arts, here are some positions in hospitality that might interest you.

An Executive or Head Chef is in charge of everything that comes out of the kitchen of a hotel restaurant. They create recipes, plan menus, manage staff, and do the most difficult cooking. They may also be in charge of other duties such as ordering ingredients and overseeing the restaurant as a whole, but these responsibilities often are delegated to other individuals in a hotel. Becoming an executive chef requires exceptional training and years of experience. High-end hotels and resorts, such as those in Las Vegas, have luxury restaurants featuring these highly trained, well-known chefs.

A Station Chef specializes in a specific area of production. They are especially important in large kitchens where lots of food is being prepared, and they may even have assistants. Station chefs may specialize in a specific type of cooking, such as sautéing or frying, preparing a certain type of meat, or making dishes with vegetables, pastas, and soups.

A Food Preparation Worker prepares food in the kitchen before it is cooked. These important culinary jobs generally involve basic tasks like washing produce or peeling vegetables, preparing sauces and spices, or carving artistic garnishes to give dishes a flare of elegance.

A Caterer works with a hotel to provide food service for special events such as weddings, banquets, and conventions. They must prepare food on a large scale that can be easily stored, transported, and presented in an elegant way. They may also be responsible for setting up and decorating the dining area.

A Food and Beverage Controller purchases and sources ingredients for large hotels. They calculate the costs of food and beverage items to control the ordering and distribution of food in a restaurant. They may also negotiate for competitive costs on food orders and help to price restaurant menus based on food costs. In addition, they oversee food deliveries and stock control.

A Hotel Restaurant Manager manages many aspects of a restaurant in a hotel or resort. They are responsible for the day-to-day operations of the restaurant, such as managing wait staff, health and safety standards, and customers’ needs. Depending on the role of the head chef, they may also manage kitchen staff and food production quality. There are also administrative duties such as scheduling, budgeting, and stock control, though they may share these duties with other hotel restaurant staff.

A Restaurant Consultant works with the hotel and/or restaurant owner to develop menus, design dining rooms, and create strategies for service and management. They may work with new restaurants or those that are looking for ways to improve their profits.

This article was written by our guest blogger, Joseph Morris, courtesy of CulinaryArtsCollege.org. Joseph Morris has been a professional chef for over 20 years. He also owns the site Culinary Arts College for students interested in getting a degree in culinary arts.