School of Hospitality Management and Culinary Arts
From meeting planning to menu planning to service, you will gain skills that are transferable around the world. But don’t forget, you’re already in the hospitality capital of the world where exciting career opportunities are abundant.
Recipe for Success
Do you enjoy cooking, entertaining or seeing a smile on a guest’s face? Is your dream to work with innovative chefs in the restaurant or culinary industry? Do you imagine yourself planning captivating conventions or making vacationers’ dreams come true? Whether you’re into four-star resorts or five-diamond restaurants, a career in the hospitality or culinary field may be just right for you.
Job Outlook
Central Florida is one of the most popular destinations in the country, and one in five jobs here are in the hospitality industry. Get help with job search strategies, employment readiness, interviewing and more at one of our four on-campus Career Centers.
Baking and Pastry Management
(Salary Range: $30,000 – $40,000)
If you are creative and love baking, consider a career in baking and pastry management. This program will give you the opportunity to learn in a state-of-the-art production kitchen and gain hands-on instruction in confectionery artistry, breads, pastries, cakes, chocolates and more. Graduates will be prepared for the following tasks:
- Baking and other pastry making, including breads, cakes, pies, icings, puddings, fillings and desserts
- Catering and banquet management, including training service personnel, preparing food cost estimates and stewarding control sheets
- Perform confectionery artistry
Potential Careers:
- Assistant Bakery Manager
- Assistant Pastry Chef
- Baker’s Commis
- Baking and Pastry Chef
- Executive Pastry Chef
- Lead Bread and Pastry Baker
Culinary Management
(Salary Range: $35,000 – $45,000)
This program provides you with some of the best chefs in the industry as your teachers, and provides instruction in sanitation, nutritional analysis and the basic elements for great classical, international and American cuisine. Graduates will be prepared to:
- Create recipes for healthy cuisine including classical, international and American regional cuisine
- Plan menus, estimate food needs, order the proper amount of food, track costs and trend analysis
- Produce quality food with an emphasis on presentation
Potential Careers:
- Culinary Manager
- Executive Chef
- Food and Beverage Manager
- Lead Cook
- Prep Cook
- Sous Chef
Hospitality and Tourism Management
(Salary Range: $40,000 – $50,000)
If you have always wondered how so many memories are made in Central Florida, consider an A.S. degree in Hospitality Management. You’ll study in the tourist mecca of the United States and train in a sophisticated computer lab with a dynamic point-of-sale system and a hotel front desk simulation area. Graduates will be able to perform the following tasks:
- Analyze and control food and labor costs, monitor sales, evaluate competition and develop a marketing plan
- Plan and execute banquets, conventions and other major events
- Plan, organize and manage the operation of restaurants, hotels, motels and other eating and lodging facilities
Potential Careers:
- Catering/Sales and Services
- Food and Beverage Specialist
- Food Service and Lodging Manager
- Front Office Supervisor
- Guest Services Supervisor
- Rooms Division Specialist
Valencia College provides equal opportunity for educational opportunities and employment to all. For more information, please visit valenciacollege.edu/equalopportunity