Turn Your Passion for Food into a Career

Do you have a passion for tasty treats? If you love cooking (and eating!), a career in food might be perfect for you. While there are many paths to becoming a chef, you can also consider other jobs in this industry. You aren’t limited to working in a restaurant kitchen!
So what are some of your other food-related career options?

• Television Chef: While a television chef does still spend time cooking, in this field, you also need to connect with fans. There’s also a teaching element to becoming a television chef. If you have dreams of being the next Bobby Flay, start small by working on set, even with local cooking shows. You can also show off your personality online, by hosting your own video blog.
• Nutritionist: If you have a passion not just for food, but also for health, working as a nutritionist or dietitian might be the right choice for you. Nutritionists work closely to ensure that people are getting the right foods they need, whether it be in a hospital setting, through one-on-one training, or otherwise. Right now, nutritionists are also getting involved in federal politics, as they’re campaigning for better funding for healthy school lunches.
• Farm Work: By working on a farm, you’re getting back to the basics with food. Small farms especially allow you to work providing fresh and even, in some cases, organic ingredients to chefs around the world. The best food is made with the best products!
• Franchise Owner: Working at a restaurant may not be your cup of tea – but what about owning your own business? One of the ways to become a business owner is to open a franchise location. One of the biggest advantages to opening a restaurant that’s part of a franchise is that they are often nationally recognized, so you have a built-in fan base.
• Food Critic: One of the most fun jobs for a foodie is to work as a food critic for a magazine, newspaper, or website. You’ll get to eat the best foods at awesome restaurants from around the world in this role, but it can be hard to find a food critic position as someone new to the field. Consider starting your own website and doing reviews of places where you eat already in order to build your portfolio.

Of course, in addition to all of these fun food careers, you can also consider simply becoming a chef. To work in this field, you can go two routes – go to school to learn more about food or get started working as a dishwasher in kitchen and slowly work your way up the ladder. Both paths to becoming a head chef can be advantageous.