It starts with passion: love for food, for wine, or for a process. It’s the one common quality you’ll find in students and graduates at Le Cordon Bleu. The paths and types of hospitality jobs, however, are fascinatingly diverse.
You might relish the idea of a fast-paced Michelin starred restaurant kitchen. Or you might want to own your own restaurant. Perhaps management is the dream job for you – assembling and organising the cogs in a smoothly running machine (whether that machine takes the shape of a hotel or restaurant). Or maybe you’re enthusiastic about wine and want to share that passion.
The routes to these food and beverage careers take many directions, and careers in food industry can be built on cooking courses, management programmes, specialist diplomas or internships.
Food
Wine
Business & Management
Becoming a Chef
Working as a chef is one of the most exciting, fast-paced and creative career paths available. Of course, you’ll get the opportunity to craft tasty, nourishing and inventive meals. The industry is constantly evolving, so your skillset will broaden and deepen throughout your career. And it’s gloriously fast-paced, as you work as part of a team to keep the restaurant’s engine running quickly and smoothly. There’s also the opportunity to travel – a love of food is universal. And career progression can lead to anything from owning a restaurant to consulting and beyond.
Find out more about the different routes you can take including starting your chef career, how to become a professional chef and becoming a personal chef.
Becoming a Pastry Chef
Pastry chefs make the world a better place – sweetening desserts and enhancing savoury meals. It’s a delicate, skilful job, and one that rewards dedication and a love of food. They are an essential part of a restaurant, café or hotel: pastries are often the stars of a menu or venue; and when done right, they’re both a treat for customers and immensely profitable. The career of a pastry chef is deceptively varied; including opening a bakery, owning or managing a café, or running a sweet food business.
Find out more about how to become a pastry chef.
Opening a Bakery
One of the most romantic careers in the hospitality industry; owning and running a bakery is a way to bring comfort and nourishment into countless homes. It’s also a creative pursuit, benefitting from panache, skill and imagination. It can be a tough road between imagining your bakery and turning the key on the first morning, but many Le Cordon Bleu graduates have taken that journey before you.
Find out more about how to open a bakery.
Working with Wine
For many of us, a good wine is one of the great joys of life. Beyond the pleasure of the great taste, wine is a passport to other cultures and a portal to fascinating history. For experts like a sommelier, it is about knowing how to pair the right wine with a meal, reading the market, making purchases and sales and working as a consultant to share their expertise in the food and drink industry. Working with wine is a satisfying, rich hospitality career, suited to connoisseurs, salespeople and those who delight in research and knowledge.
Find out more about working in the wine industry, how to become a sommelier or a wine merchant.
Opening a Restaurant
A much-discussed ambition within the walls of Le Cordon Bleu, opening a restaurant is a dream of many of our students and a reality for numerous alumni. Owning and running a restaurant is gratifying, exciting and creative. It’s the chance to be a focal point of a community and to work in an ever-changing, fast-paced business. It’s a long road to a restaurant’s opening night, but there are clear steps to take on this journey.
Check out our guides on how to start a successful restaurant, catering business or become a restaurant manager.
Starting a Food Truck Business
Food trucks no longer conjure up images of greasy burgers and strong tea in polystyrene cups. Some of the most successful street food brands around operate from or started out in food trucks. This format is a great way to start a business without needing too much money or man-power. You can use the mobility of your business to reach a wide variety of people at different events to really get your name out there and find the best customer for your product.
Find out more about starting a food truck business.
Following Your Dreams
The phenomenal success of our graduates is a testament to Le Cordon Bleu. Not only are our alumni experts in their chosen fields, but they are equipped with a globally recognised qualification and poised to follow their dream careers. There’s much more to the culinary arts than just becoming a chef, and you can explore alternative hospitality careers beyond the kitchen. At Le Cordon Bleu we have a long history of excellent relationships with the industry: Businesses and recruitment agencies regularly attend our quarterly career fairs and recruit amongst our alumni.
Find out more about careers and employment opportunities for Le Cordon Bleu graduates.
