Kansas Culinary Schools

Imagine being admitted into one of the best Kansas culinary schools and earning a top qualification. You enter and win cooking contest, make lifelong friends, get to meet celebrity chefs and eventually land your first job as a chef in an esteemed restaurant. Depending on your cooking skill, talent and networking skills, this is an actual possibility if you decide to study in Kansas. The state is well known for its somewhat modest and traditional cuisine but many chefs have taken advantage of the state’s curiosity in the culinary to open restaurants, manage hotel and resort kitchens and work in established corporations. With the right qualification, you can too.

Whether you are interested in a certificate or culinary degree, the most common curriculum courses at Kansas culinary schools include:

• Culinary arts
• Hospitality Institution management
• Baking and Pastry principles
• Restaurant management and operations
• Food cost control
• Nutrition
• Dietetics
• Food purchasing
• Food service
• Leadership skills
• Kitchen equipment operation
• Food safety and sanitation
• Knife skills

With a culinary qualification from Kansas culinary schools, you can work at hospitality institutions like spas, hotels and resorts. You can also find work at casinos, schools, private businesses and catering companies. If you enjoy finding and cooking for private clients, a certificate, associate degree and bachelor’s degree can prepare you to become a personal chef.

The best Kansas culinary schools include:

• International Art Institute in Kansas City
• Barton Community College
• Garden City Community College
• American Institute of Baking located in Manhattan
• Johnson County Community College

To maximize your educational experience, it would be best to attend conferences and festivals in Kansas. Take time to pass by at the Wichita Wagonmasters Downtown Chilli Cook-off. This festival is usually open to entrants and the main dishes are obviously chilli. This contest allows a certain number of chefs to enter and stand a chance to win a cash prize of up to $5000. Another fun festival to attend is the Kansas City Hog Wild Barbecue festival. Kansas is renowned for its barbecues and is home for many barbecue themed restaurants. Another barbecuing festival to note is the American Royal contest.

The purpose of attending these festivals is, first and foremost, to showcase your kitchen skills if you are accepted as a contestant. Even though you might not win the first prize, being among distinguished and loved chefs is a great way to get noticed by industry foodies and get in contact with future employers. Another reason you should be present at these festivals is to sample local food and learn the responses of customers to different flavors and tastes. This knowledge will come in handy when you are job hunting, especially if you’re looking for work in Kansas. The third reason festivals should be attended is to exchange ideas, industry tips, meet other students, form relationships and potentially build a client or customer base if you’re planning to run your own food franchise.