Culinary Arts

What is Culinary Arts at SLCC?

For more than 15 years, the Culinary Arts program at Salt Lake Community College has prepared students for careers as chefs or food and beverage supervisors in a wide range of industries.

SLCC offers the only culinary arts program in the state of Utah accredited by the American Culinary Federation. The American Culinary Federation says programs that earn their approval "distinguish themselves from hundreds of other post-secondary culinary programs in the nation and abroad...Graduated students have an advantage when seeking employment, because certification is representative of having the knowledge and skills to be successful."

Click here to see what else the ACF says about their accredited programs, like SLCC.

By successfully completing SLCC's program students earn an Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degree. Students also will become active ACF members and are eligible for free ACF certification as either a Certified Culinarian (CC) or a Certified Pastry Culinarian (CPC). Courses in the program also fulfill the requirements for the National Restaurant Association certificates.

What will I learn?

In addition to learning culinary skills such as food preparation, baking and continental cuisine, students also receive thorough training in the business side of the food industry. Courses are available in supervision and training, purchasing, catering management, menu design and marketing management.   

Students benefit from highly-trained full-time and adjunct faculty skilled in various areas such as safety and sanitation, supervision, nutrition, herb horticulture and food and wine preparation.

The program combines classroom education and practice with on-the-job training. Students in the full-time culinary arts program must complete two years of coursework and 2,000 hours of on-the-job training. Part-time students must complete three years of coursework and 6,000 work hours.

Please click here for a full list of SLCC's Culinary Arts courses.            

How long will it take and how much will it cost?

CHEF: The full-time CHEF program requires five semesters (two and one half years) to complete the curriculum as outlined and approved by the American Culinary Federation. These courses also fulfill requirements for the National Restaurant Association Certificates. In addition to two years of related instruction, there is an on-the job requirement of 2,000 hours. This work must be performed in an establishment with more than 51% of the food being prepared from scratch. The classes are held during regular day hours.

*The CHEF program tuition and fees are based on the SLCC Resident/Non-resident tuition schedule, plus the purchase of uniforms and tools.

*These figures are approximate.

CHFA: The part-time CHFA program is a three-year (6 semesters) fully accredited program with the American Culinary Federation and the Federal Bureau of Apprenticeship and Training Standards. This program requires 6,000 hours of on-the-job training, and completion of all CHFA courses. The classes are held in the afternoon and evening hours.

*The CHFA program tuition and fees are based on the SLCC Apprenticeship tuition schedule, plus the purchase of uniforms and tools.

*These figures are approximate.

SLCC’s Culinary Program is a fraction of the cost of the top Culinary schools in the nation, but our Culinary Arts facilities are state-of-the-art and are comparable to other leading Culinary schools in the country.

Click here to compare other Culinary Arts program costs in Utah as published by the Salt Lake Tribune.

Where will I be able to work and how much can I make?

At any given time, there are 80-100 students in the program, with 12-14 graduating each year. SLCC graduates have gone on to work in a wide range of industries including:

• Commercial Kitchens
• Restaurants
• Hotels
• Private Country Clubs
• Commercial Catering
• Assisted living facilities
• Hospitals
• Newspaper Food Journalist
• And more!

The Salt Lake Tribune published a list of salaries for Culinary Arts careers on January 23, 2007 as follows:

Cooks in the kitchen

Here is a list of what some kitchen jobs are paying. Salaries will vary greatly depending on place of employment, schooling and experience.

• Executive chef $65,000-$85,000
• Sous-chef (chef's assistant) $37,000-$48,000
• Pastry chef $30,000-$36,000
• Line cook $21,000-$28,000
• Garde-manger (cold-line cook) $30,000-$36,000
• Prep cook $21,000-$28,000
• Dishwasher $14,000-$20,000
Source: hotjobs.com, Utah Restaurant Association

What are SLCC’s Culinary Arts facilities like?

The Culinary Arts program moved to its new location at the Larry H. Miller Campus in 2006. The new facility includes more than 10,000 square feet of training space including classrooms, computer lab, demonstration kitchens, gas and electric kitchens, refrigerator and dry storage space and dining room.

The Miller Campus was donated to Salt Lake Community College by Larry H. Miller, owner of the Utah Jazz, the Salt Lake Bees and a number of businesses throughout the Intermountain West. The Miller Campus opened its doors in 2001.

SLCC's Culinary Arts Program is also recommended by the National Restaurant Association Education Foundation's ManageFirst Program. Click here for more information about ManageFirst.