Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
Pantry chef education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a pantry chef. Pantry chefs usually study culinary arts, business, or hospitality management. 36% of pantry chefs hold a associate degree, and 28% hold an high school diploma. We analyzed 2,215 real pantry chef resumes to see exactly what pantry chef education sections show.
The most common colleges for pantry chefs are the Johnson & Wales University and the Johnson & Wales University.
There are also many online pantry chef courses to help get the education required to be a pantry chef.
There are certain pantry chef certifications that you should consider. These pantry chef certifications include ServSafe Food Protection Manager Certification and Certified Food Manager (CFM).
What education do you need to become a pantry chef?
What degree do you need to be a pantry chef?
- Associate, 36%
- High School Diploma, 28%
- Bachelor's, 21%
- Diploma, 9%
- Other Degrees, 6%
What should I major in to become a pantry chef?
- Culinary Arts, 48%
- Business, 14%
- General Studies, 5%
- Other Majors, 28%
Most common colleges for pantry chefs
| Pantry chef common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Johnson & Wales University | 36.92% |
| University of Akron | 6.15% |
| Culinary Institute of America | 6.15% |
| Western Washington University | 6.15% |
| St. Louis | 3.85% |
Best majors for pantry chefs
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Culinary Arts | 48.1% |
| 2 | Business | 13.7% |
| 3 | Hospitality Management | 5.1% |
| 4 | General Studies | 5.1% |
| 5 | Liberal Arts | 2.8% |
Best colleges for pantry chefs
The best colleges for pantry chefs are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and Boston University.
A pantry chef with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for pantry chefs. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become pantry chefs.
1. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
2. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$53,948
Enrollment
17,238
3. Drexel University
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$53,244
Enrollment
15,557
4. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
5. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$55,188
Enrollment
15,105
6. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
7. SUNY College of Technology at Alfred
Alfred, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,570
Enrollment
3,721
8. SUNY College of Technology at Delhi
Delhi, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,360
Enrollment
3,142
9. University of Charleston
Charleston, WV • Private
In-state tuition
$30,900
Enrollment
1,910
10. University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX • Private
In-state tuition
$10,610
Enrollment
40,329
20 best online courses for pantry chefs
Advertising disclosure
1. Cooking for Busy Healthy People
Cooking is one of the most powerful ways in which we can optimize our enjoyment of great quality food while protecting our health. Even on a tight budget, cooking can be a cost-effective, joyful and rewarding way to love the food that will love us back for a lifetime. In this course, you’ll learn some basic recipes from a home cook and two professional chefs who prioritize healthful eating. You’ll also learn some of the fundamentals of principle-based cooking that can help you break free from...
2. Fun food safety and sanitation course
The food safety course will help prepare you for safely working in a kitchen and food handler tests like Servesafe...
3. Customer Service & Support For Customer Service Executives
Learn Customer Service Skills & Provide Excellent Customer Support, Customer Experience & How To Manage Upset Customers...
4. Herbalism:: Cold, Flu & Immunity Remedies Certificate
Effective home & natural remedies for health this cold and flu season with herbalism and herbal medicine...
5. Customer Service Mastery: Delight Every Customer
Master Customer Service using this practical customer care course...
6. Customer Service, Customer Support, And Customer Experience
Customer service, customer support, and customer experience training. Loyal clients through world-class customer service...
7. Customer Service: 6 Keys To Exceptional Customer Service
Master Customer Satisfaction & Astonish Your Customers With A+ Customer Service...
8. Your Customer Service Toolbox: Best Practices for Beginners
Excel as a front-line customer service agent using problem-solving & relationship-building skills, etiquette, and more...
9. Email Marketing with Dekker: Cold Email Marketing & More!
Udemy Email Marketing (Unofficial): Cold Email Marketing, Email Writing & Business Development in 2022 Email Marketing...
10. ISO 22000:2018. Food Safety Management System
Understand the requirements for a food safety management system applicable for any organization in the food chain...
11. Small Business Lead Generation & Cold Email B2B & B2C
Create lead generation with cold email. Great for startups, business development, networking, small businesses, & more...
12. Customer Service Basics: Improve your Service now
The basic golden rules to kickstart your service...
13. [2023] Customer Service 2.0: Learn Digital Customer Service
Used by Chase®, Intel®, & more! Learn soft skills, social media customer service, diagnosing user problems, & more...
14. Food Safety for Managers and Supervisors
The Highfield Food Safety Level 3 syllabus presented in two hours of video tutorials. Boost your food safety knowledge...
15. Customer Service: Keep 'em coming back!
How to give the best customer service in your industry and keep those customers raving about your business...
16. The Customer: Build a Customer Service Strategy (BITE SIZE)
For you and your team to be successful in providing great customer service, start by putting your customer first...
17. Fundamentals of Logistics, Supply Chain & Customer Service
Learn Logistics, Supply Chain and Customer Service. 3 Courses in 1...
18. Customer Service
How to Approach New Customers and Maintain Existing Ones...
19. Brilliant Customer Service: How to Impress your Customers!
Enhance your customer support and truly differentiate yourself from your competition!...
20. The Complete Cold Email Course 2023 - B2B Lead Generation
Watch step by step and see exactly how I create effective cold emails campaigns for B2B lead generation...
Top 10 most affordable universities for pantry chefs
The most affordable schools for pantry chefs are SUNY Farmingdale, california state university - bakersfield, and baruch college of the city university of new york.
If the best universities for pantry chefs are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for pantry chefs.
1. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,306
Cost of attendance
16,091
2. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
3. Baruch College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,262
Cost of attendance
14,046
4. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
5. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,240
Cost of attendance
13,991
6. SUNY Polytechnic Institute
Utica, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,238
Cost of attendance
21,567
7. USF Sarasota-Manatee
Sarasota, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,587
Cost of attendance
13,043
8. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
9. University of Alaska Southeast
Juneau, AK • Private
In-state tuition
$7,092
Cost of attendance
16,853
10. SUNY Stony Brook
Stony Brook, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$9,625
Cost of attendance
24,718
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for pantry chefs
The hardest universities for pantry chefs to get into are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and Boston University.
Some great schools for pantry chefs are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for pantry chefs based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.
1. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
2. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
3. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
4. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
5. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,471
6. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
7. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
8. Bentley University
Waltham, MA • Private
Admissions rate
43%
SAT average
1,338
9. Villanova University
Villanova, PA • Private
Admissions rate
29%
SAT average
1,407
10. SUNY at Binghamton
Vestal, NY • Private
Admissions rate
40%
SAT average
1,376
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for pantry chefs
The easiest schools for pantry chefs to get into are Oklahoma Wesleyan University, life university, and notre dame de namur university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a pantry chef without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for pantry chefs.
1. Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Bartlesville, OK • Private
Admissions rate
68%
SAT average
964
2. Life University
Marietta, GA • Private
Admissions rate
94%
SAT average
979
3. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
4. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
994
5. Holy Names University
Oakland, CA • Private
Admissions rate
70%
SAT average
849
6. LIM College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
1,061
7. Oregon Institute of Technology
Klamath Falls, OR • Private
Admissions rate
96%
SAT average
1,139
8. Presentation College
Aberdeen, SD • Private
Admissions rate
97%
SAT average
1,050
9. D'Youville College
Buffalo, NY • Private
Admissions rate
100%
SAT average
1,072
10. Nyack College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
999
Average pantry chef salary by education level
| Pantry chef education level | Pantry chef salary |
|---|---|
| High School Diploma or Less | $31,482 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $34,526 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $35,037 |
Pantry chef education FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common food preparation and restaurant questions.
Search for pantry chef jobs
Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025