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Job outlook for culinary arts instructors in the United States
Are culinary arts instructor jobs in demand?
Culinary arts instructor job and salary trends over time
Culinary arts instructor jobs over time
Culinary arts instructor job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 2,117 | 0.00% |
| 2020 | 1,944 | 0.00% |
| 2019 | 2,190 | 0.00% |
| 2018 | 2,171 | 0.00% |
| 2017 | 2,233 | 0.00% |
Average culinary arts instructor salary over time
Culinary arts instructor salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $45,296 | $21.78 | +1.8% |
| 2024 | $44,481 | $21.39 | +2.8% |
| 2023 | $43,260 | $20.80 | +2.9% |
| 2022 | $42,022 | $20.20 | +1.9% |
| 2021 | $41,256 | $19.83 | +2.4% |
Culinary arts instructor jobs by state
Most common states for culinary arts instructors
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Colorado | 5,607,154 | 488 | 9% |
| 2 | Alaska | 739,795 | 60 | 8% |
| 3 | Virginia | 8,470,020 | 594 | 7% |
| 4 | Montana | 1,050,493 | 70 | 7% |
| 5 | Delaware | 961,939 | 64 | 7% |
| 6 | Wyoming | 579,315 | 39 | 7% |
| 7 | Georgia | 10,429,379 | 650 | 6% |
| 8 | South Carolina | 5,024,369 | 321 | 6% |
| 9 | Oregon | 4,142,776 | 255 | 6% |
| 10 | North Carolina | 10,273,419 | 537 | 5% |
| 11 | New Jersey | 9,005,644 | 437 | 5% |
| 12 | Minnesota | 5,576,606 | 300 | 5% |
| 13 | Iowa | 3,145,711 | 153 | 5% |
| 14 | North Dakota | 755,393 | 35 | 5% |
| 15 | Vermont | 623,657 | 30 | 5% |
| 16 | California | 39,536,653 | 1,716 | 4% |
| 17 | Michigan | 9,962,311 | 407 | 4% |
| 18 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 288 | 4% |
| 19 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 49 | 4% |
| 20 | Rhode Island | 1,059,639 | 42 | 4% |
Most common cities for culinary arts instructors
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Laurel | 1 | 4% | $41,229 |
| 2 | Anchorage | 1 | 0% | $60,393 |
| 3 | Chicago | 1 | 0% | $38,886 |
| 4 | Tucson | 1 | 0% | $43,740 |
Culinary Arts Instructor job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of culinary arts instructor experts
University of Alaska Anchorage
Spokane Community College
Clark College
PattiCakes Bakery and Stoby's Restaurant
University of New Mexico - Taos
Reynolds Community College
Kellie Puff
Department Chair/Assistant ProfessorUniversity of Alaska Anchorage
Culinary Arts & Hospitality Administration
What skills stand out on Culinary Arts Instructor resumes?
Kellie Puff: The skills that stand out most on culinary faculty resumes are having a combination of formal culinary/hospitality education, teaching experience, and industry experience. It is tough to find all three skills in a culinary/hospitality educator!
What soft skills should all Culinary Arts Instructors possess?
Kellie Puff: The most important soft skills, in my opinion, are being able to communicate effectively and professionally, being able to problem-solve, and time management.
What hard/technical skills are most important for Culinary Arts Instructors?
Kellie Puff: The technical skills that I find are most important when entering the culinary workforce are knowing the basics of cooking and baking! It is really beneficial to know commonly used measurements and abbreviations, how to measure properly, knife cuts, cooking principles, and baking principles. These are the foundational skills needed to be confident and successful in a professional kitchen or bakery.
What skills will help Culinary Arts Instructors earn the most?
Kellie Puff: The skills that will help you earn the most are a combination of the aforementioned soft skills and technical skills. Showing up on time, being ready to put your skills to work, having a positive attitude, and a willingness to continue to learn will help advance you quickly in this industry!
Robert Lombardi
Inland Northwest Culinary Academy instructorSpokane Community College
Culinary Arts
What Culinary Arts Instructor skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Robert Lombardi: Personal Communication Skills, Vocational Math, Food Science
Aaron Guerra
Tenured Professor of Cuisine Management, Department HeadClark College
McClaskey Culinary Institute
What skills stand out on Culinary Arts Instructor resumes?
Aaron Guerra: ServSafe 5 year certification as a student; basics of any quality student: good attendance, substantial grades, evidence of incorporating and demonstrating hard skills like plating and organization as well as soft skills like the ability to cost recipes correctly, produce accurate production sheet, and execute events; portfolios and management project binder that illustrate previous skills (Our students must provide a portfolio at the end of the program with their 120-hour externship paperwork and develop a small business plan/Restaurant management project that includes menu, full costing including q factor and budgeted yield percentage, profit and loss sheets, equipment depreciation, dining area and kitchen floor plans, business prospectus including demographics, marketing, and specified segmentation.
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Culinary Arts Instructors to find work opportunities?
Aaron Guerra: Before covid, it was limitless. I had one student go to the Grand Lodge at Glacier National Park in Montana. She was offered a job but returned to the PNW and landed as Assistant Kitchen Manager at Pok Pok restaurants. I had another do her externship at CNM Central New Mexico Community College in Albuquerque, New Mexico's entrepreneurial Food Truck program. She is currently working her previous job as a police dispatcher and prepping her food truck. The opening date is not yet set. Here locally, especially the new waterfront in Vancouver and the greater Portland area. One student is working in a restaurant in Texas. I have a student at Twigs, C'est La Vie, Amaro's Table, Rally's Pizza, and one that was at Renata's.
During covid, it has been more challenging. Some are still working. One is at Intel, the ones at Rally, C'est La Vie and Twigs are still working, but some are being extra cautious until this pandemic breaks.
What general advice would you give to a Culinary Arts Instructor?
Patti Stobaugh: Being humble and willing to learn will take you far in your career, not just in the beginning. If you have the desire to open your own food service business, go to work for a business that has a great reputation. That will give you the opportunity to learn so much.
Karla Nardi
Program CoordinatorUniversity of New Mexico - Taos
Department of Culinary Arts
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Culinary Arts Instructor job market given the pandemic?
Karla Nardi: Of course, the latest trends are to amp up the take out and delivery mode for restaurants in the current situation. Ordering on-line is great for both customers and restaurants. Restaurant operations that do not have a take out or delivery mode (or both ) will find it challenging to stay in business with the limited number of tables they are allowed. Take out containers, therefore, will become an important statement.
I think more thought will be put into boxes so that the food quality does not deteriorate. Dressing up the take out containers will serve as an advertising tool, as well. Outdoor dining has been incredibly helpful but will not help during the colder months. Paying more attention to outdoor seating areas, I believe, will continue even after the pandemic passes.
Another area that we could see an increase in demand is the field of Personal Chefs. As families struggle with rearranging their time, having a personal chef do the shopping, and cooking could become very attractive.
Will there be an increase or decrease in demand for Culinary Arts Instructors in the next 5 years?
Karla Nardi: Even with the pandemic, we still have people calling us for students to work. The restaurant industry is evolving as we speak, and we, as educators, must keep one step ahead. The demand for graduates will increase, and students with specialization in different culinary fields will be in order.
Dave Quisenberry
Culinary Arts InstructorReynolds Community College
The Kitchens at Reynolds
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Culinary Arts Instructors?
Dave Quisenberry: Yes! I think the whole planet, as well as the hospitality industry, will have a lasting impact. As the industry struggles to cope and redefine itself, we are forced to embrace some fundamental principals. The reliance on building partnerships and networking is now more important than ever before. This will help those in the labor pool match skill sets with the need in industry.
COVID-19 has also been disruptive in the traditional foodservice model. No longer can we assume that viable business models are "dine-in" consumer-based primarily. As we practice more and more social distancing, we need to incorporate food outlets such as "to-go" and home meal replacement in existing models. These options will require specific operational guidelines and technical support to achieve success safely and efficiently. These trends have already started being addressed in educational content to better prepare graduates upon entry into the job market.
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Culinary Arts Instructors to find work opportunities?
Dave Quisenberry: While COVID-19 has most of the industry being restricted, one way or another, some sectors have been less affected. Healthcare and Corporate entities have maintained consistent; however, diminished labor needs. Graduates will be forced to consider options such as relocation and redirection of career pathways in the post-pandemic environment. That said, we have seen an unfortunate acceleration of business failures due to the economic impact of COVID-19. The post-pandemic environment will undoubtedly provide opportunities to fill voids in local markets as well as emerging markets, such as home meal replacement, etc. The need for trained professionals will have a much greater demand for emphasis on an understanding of total operational knowledge.
How do you envision technology impacting Culinary Arts Instructors in the next 5 years?
Dave Quisenberry: As we deal with the impact of COVID-19 in our industry, we are being forced to rely on technology to communicate with each other, as well as our potential customers. Business models that have seen some success in maintaining market share have relied on new and existing web platforms to bring products and services to the market. The demand for knowledge in web design and virtual marketing will increasingly be a strong asset in any candidate's skill set.