IHM - Culinary Arts Vs Culinary Management: The Difference

Anything that relates to cooking education is referred to as culinary in nature. However, cooking education is further divided into two major sectors, i.e., culinary arts and culinary management. So, if you are planning to make a career in the culinary field, it's crucial you understand the fundamental

To start off, you can understand as the two most common programs offered by culinary schools worldwide. They have the same primary education at their core, but both are intended for different professions. Are you confused about which field will be the best for you?

Reading this guide will eliminate your confusion regarding the culinary arts and culinary management scope. So, stay tuned.

Meaning of Culinary Arts and Culinary Management

Before we dive into culinary arts vs culinary management, let’s start with understanding what these courses entail individually.

Culinary Arts

Food preparation, cooking, and presenting food, is an art that needs mastery. And such art is nothing but culinary arts. Thus, you can understand culinary arts as the technique where the main focus lies in cooking aspects and kitchen management.

The following points separate culinary arts from culinary management:

  • You have a keen interest in the profession of chef, baker, cook, celebrity chef, etc.
  • All the kitchen-related work falls under the category of culinary arts.
  • You are interested in learning the science behind food and recipes.
  • Here, you focus mainly on your food's nutritional content and combine the flavors using your intellect and understanding the innovative culinary tricks.
  • If you are studying culinary arts, your area of study can be anything among thermal & chemical science behind foods, butchery & visual presentation of food.
  • Other domains that can fall under culinary arts include food safety, food nutrition, and food item processing.

You must be thinking; culinary arts is much about studying kitchen engineering, i.e., technical fundamentals of working in the kitchen. Yes, it is so, but the core is always to focus on food, which is the art of cooking and the art of representing food to make it more delicious and tempting.

Culinary Management

Do you want to learn the practical and technical aspects of working in a commercial kitchen? Enrolling in a culinary management course is the solution for you. Following are the key points under the culinary management scope:

  • The culinary management course empowers students interested in learning a commercial kitchen's business skills and management.
  • After acquiring a bachelor's in culinary management, you can easily earn a job as a supervisor in the production line of any food industry.
  • Bachelor's in culinary management teaches you about the food services side of the industry.
  • You also learn about how to design a menu for a restaurant.
  • Culinary management teaches you leadership, kitchen safety, HR management, marketing, and many more roles that bring growth to your culinary management salary.
  • It also teaches you how to tackle restaurant supplies and manage finances.
  • Working in culinary management, you will also be required to address the front house issues of a restaurant.

So, the primary difference between culinary arts and culinary management is that the latter teaches you to tackle kitchen work, infrastructure and staff.

Culinary Arts vs Culinary Management: What is the difference?

In the above paragraphs, you have got to know the individual meanings and scopes of culinary arts vs culinary management.

But if you didn’t, here is a clear description of culinary arts vs culinary management

  • The scope of the definition is different for both the fields and hence it becomes the very basis of the difference between them. In culinary arts vs culinary management, the art refers to cooking and food presentation techniques. While management teaches students how to work in a commercial kitchen.
  • Culinary management teaches you to be proficient in restaurant or kitchen management. It teaches you to address food safety needs, menu design of restaurants, supply chain, and other management related to the commercial kitchen. But culinary art only deals with cooking food by combining flavors and presenting it creatively.
  • The next comparison between culinary arts vs culinary management is the nature of the jobs you get after pursuing them.

Culinary arts programs will suit you if you want to become a chef, baker, etc., in a commercial kitchen. However, if you have some other plans and want to open up your kitchen, restaurant, bakery, etc., then a culinary management course will be best.

But if you want to join the commercial restaurant industry as a culinary or restaurant manager, then culinary management is the way to go. The culinary management salary you get is also high once you pursue this course and join as a manager.

Culinary Arts vs Culinary Management: Which is most suited for you?

You have read all the definitions and differences between culinary arts vs culinary management. So, by now, you must be in a position to understand which course will be best suited for you. However, if you still feel it is difficult to decide the course for you, here are a few more tips you can use to narrow your confusion.

Each of these programs has its boons and banes, and it’s your prudence to decide what you can bear and what you cannot.

Talking about the culinary arts and culinary management salary, the latter gives you more, but it also requires you to study more. As culinary management education is complex, it demands more time to complete than culinary arts.

On the other hand, culinary arts are sought by most who love cooking and feel emotionally satisfied while cooking food.

Thus, it will be better to join a school that offers both these programs. You can choose the course you like, but entering such a school will also give you some exposure to other culinary education. And getting something extra is not bad at all.

Why Should You Choose ITM for a Successful Career in Culinary Arts?

We don't simply make promises; we've delivered successful culinary careers for the past 30 years. Today, ITM students hold prestigious positions in significant hospitality sector firms. Our culinary arts bachelor's degree blends academic parts of culinary expertise with intensive on-the-job training.

ITM provides 100% placement aid to our students hired by the leading names in the hospitality management sector. Our recruiters who often visit our campus to employ our talent include Oberois, McDonald’s, Four Seasons, Taj, ITC, Radisson, Starbucks, and many more. We organize monthly excursions to hotels and restaurants to give our students a real-life sense of the profession. ITM's campus life is rich with hands-on instruction and enjoyable learning activities. Our culinary courses are designed to provide our students with business's skills.

So, are you ready to take the first step towards a bright career in culinary arts? Visit us here and learn more about our culinary courses.