A Viable Choice for US High School Culinary Arts Program Graduates?

By: Chef Christopher Ellis
Hotel Banquet, Food and Beverage Operations

©2025 Chef William Peterson Foundation

“I’ve been a cook all my life, but I am still learning to be a good chef. I’m always learning new techniques and improving beyond my own knowledge because there is always something new to learn and new horizons to discover.”
~ Chef Jose Andrés

Prolog: As a Chef Ambassador for the Chef William-Allen Peterson Culinary Arts Foundation, I pondered long and hard when asked to write a blog post looking back on my 40+ year culinary career. My perspective on writing this short article is that I have never attended a formal “cookery” school yet having achieved ACF certification. I’ve had a successful career working in upscale hotel properties in the front and back of the house as a club, executive sous and banquet chef, food and beverage manager in Europe and the USA.

Hotel (Hospitality) Industry Food & Beverage Career Options

Back in the day as a young lad growing up in England, I like many of the youth today was looking for a direction in life. I was fresh out of college, (high school equivalent here in the US), and had no earthly idea what career path to pursue! Then one day fortuitously I applied for a position at a long-established upscale country inn (hotel), got hired and began working front of the house (dining room). I was curiously drawn to the kitchen where I began to help out whenever I could. The Head Chef began to take notice of my interest and effort, and said to me “you have a talent for food.” So I switched from the front of house to the back of house (kitchen).

During my time in the hotel kitchen, I was mentored, learned a lot and worked to become proficient at every station. I learned the operations of a restaurant kitchen starting as a dishwasher, later becoming a senior line cook (e.g. Roundsman), and eventually after two years of nearly seven-day work weeks and 12 hour days, I was appointed the executive chef of the hotel kitchen. This was quite an accomplishment for me as a young adult only possible with dedication, drive and opportunity.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Chef Apprenticing

What were the advantages of starting my culinary career as an apprentice chef? Well for starters, the education was free! My accommodations, meals, and uniform were all supplied by the hotel. Plus I got paid a small salary. My family could not afford to send me away to a proper (read expensive) cookery school, which would not have taught me the many adult life lessons I needed to acquire and refined cooking techniques I was taught by a demanding, but caring chef that mentored me.

During my time working front of the house, I also learned about customer service, customer behaviors, developing people skills and the wide world of wines. There was no classroom time, everything was hands-on, in real time with real customers, so I learned by doing. It was tough, intensive and at times intimidating, but that is the nature of apprenticing, it’s on the job right now. Not bad for a youngster fresh out of high school who learned to cook, run a restaurant kitchen and manage staff in the hotel industry without concern for tuition bills! Due to the high reputation of this hotel, moving onto better opportunities in my career was easily accomplished.

And what of the disadvantages? You only learned about the ingredients, flavor profiles and regional dishes that were prepared in that kitchen. Also just cookery techniques used by that chef. But as I later learned this was not a negative, it was my culinary foundation and where I developed my cooking skills and discovered the importance of reading cookbooks, working with other cooks and experimenting with various European cuisines.

Apprenticing teaches initiative and to be successful in the culinary industry students must always exercise initiative to survive and grow! Being “average” was not tolerated in any chef’s kitchen where I worked, nor did I put up with lackluster performance in my kitchens. In fact being mediocre got you replaced quickly, and there was no shortage of young eager, enthusiastic replacements looking for opportunity!

Without question the advantages of a culinary apprenticeship career approach are very favorable. However keep in mind that in European cultures apprenticing is a normal career development path. However, I’ve found in higher level cuisine not so much here in the US. Interestingly here in the US, apprentice programs are quite common in the construction and machining trades, and an excellent alternative to the expensive tuitions associated with a college degree as apprentices are paid for working! Regrettably, not so much in the culinary science and arts domains, where high school culinary arts program support by industry stakeholders is scarce to non-existent.

Realistic Hotel Culinary Career Options

Today, if a high school culinary arts graduate desires to learn how to cook in a family restaurant or grill environment serving a menu of common American dishes or certain ethnic cuisines, then prospects are pretty fair they can work their way into a job cooking. However, opportunities to apprentice in high-end restaurant kitchens under a respected Chef are highly competitive, and very rare here in the US. It is difficult to get one’s foot in the door of a good kitchen without a strong culinary skills foundation, command of cooking techniques and most of all connections made in culinary school, the hospitality industry or professional industry associations like the American Culinary Federation

Notably I did not have to pay for any schools or training to further my professional culinary career. My education was provided by the hotel industry where I worked. While I did not formally attend any cookery school, I learned all the food safety, cooking techniques and recipes through my apprentice chef career path. The hotel industry is quality driven, invests in its employees and led by good chefs. I have been very fortunate to have worked for internationally renowned hotel properties in the United Kingdom and USA, and even a pioneering television celebrity chef in the UK. I have very few career regrets.

In closing I would recommend that if a high school student is committed to a culinary career, they look at the entire depth and breadth of culinary arts and sciences. Hospitality and restaurants are only two areas of opportunity, tough ones yes, but there are many other segments. Before a student makes their final career path decision they should talk with their parents, and ask their guidance counselor to arrange visits or meetings with culinary professionals in their chosen discipline. Ask questions, lots of questions as you’ll find being a culinary specialist or professional chef is far different than is portrayed-on make believe television shows!

Parting Thoughts on Hotel Food & Beverage Careers from Chef Ellis…

1. If I were to do it all over again, I would do my market research, target hotel properties that I would like to work in, and sell myself.
2. If I could not find a suitable apprenticeship in the US, the alternative would be to explore opportunities in Europe. Today the internet is a wonderful tool…use it to your advantage!
3. Set objectives, goals and timelines for your career advancement and accomplishments. Do not fear putting in the hard work, always keep in mind you are worth the investment!
4. I would advise a chef apprentice, to get all your employment offer details in a written contract, to include: expected work schedule, time off, pay rate, overtime, benefits and training. This is the norm in Europe.
5. Apprentices must be flexible, adaptive and resilient. Most importantly be respectful, listen, learn and if you don’t understand instructions given, ask for clarification.
6. A Sous Chef at the Four Seasons hotel in Washington D.C., once told me “make sure you listen to the chef when he talks but only remember the important things he says.”
7. Consider the alternate approach and seek employment in a large corporate food service operation like Compass USA, and work your way up the ladder in the kitchen. Major food service companies have very diverse portfolio of businesses across the USA and abroad.
8. Corporate food service companies offer a better quality of life job experience. Typically with M-F workdays, weekends off and good pay!
9. Once on board, be humble, listen, maintain a positive attitude and execute with enthusiasm.
10. Seize upon every opportunity for further cookery education and training. You will learn something different, meet new contacts and grow your network in every seminar, workshop or course you attend.

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