I led an anti-hunger non-profit (City Harvest in NYC) for 11 years, and got to know a lot about the food industry. So when Jennie Bharaj proposed writing about careers in the food industry, I said “yes!” One of the links is for ex-pat chef jobs in India, as a reminder that food careers exist all over the globe. So if you love food, think about making a career of it.
Food sparks immense passion in many people. If you are one of those people who have food on their mind all the time, you have many career prospects available to you. Convert your passion into a career by picking a job in the food industry or related streams. The industry has always been full of flavour and booming with job opportunities. Depending on your interests, skillset and educational background, there is a wide range of food related job opportunities. No matter what point you are at in your current career, you can always make the switch. This way you get the opportunity to do something that you actually love as a full-time job.
Top 5 Options for a Career in the Food Industry
Chef
This one’s a no brainer for foodies everywhere. You complete your hotel management degree and bag the chef job of your dreams, cooking. The food you cook becomes the star of the night for your guests at the restaurant. It is a rewarding job and a fulfilling career as you get to see people enjoying food cooked by you and appreciating your work on a regular basis. You will have to work for many years as a chef and eventually become an executive chef. Once you’ve reached this position, you can curate the menu, train staff and make sure everything is cooked to perfection.
Baker
If your dreams are filled with the visuals and aroma of baked goods, it is a strong signal from the universe for you to become a baker. You can start off by getting trained during an apprenticeship in an established bakery under a tenured baker. This way you get to learn the ins and outs of baking and the baking industry. You can later work at other cake artisan shops or pastry shops or even start your own bakery. It is a fulfilling career again because nobody ever left a bakery sad.
Food Writer
If you have a flair for writing, you can mix it up with your love for food. There are many avenues that you can take up as a food writer like restaurant reviews, food travelogues, chef profiles, food trends, new cuisine explorations and more. You can do featuring writing about food for magazines, newspapers, blogs etc. You can either write for an established blog with a working business model or you can write your own blog. Your own blog can derive its revenues from ad sales or google ad sense. Whichever way you choose to pursue this career, you are always going to be tasting food and enriching your own food experience on a day to day basis.
Food Photographer
Do you have your own unique perspective from behind the camera? Why not add food to the frame and build a fulfilling career in food photography! It is one of the most rewarding careers as you get to capture beautifully laid out food in its best form. Food photographers work with food stylists to make the food look as appealing as possible on screen to have a salivating effect on viewers. You may even get to taste exquisite food after every shoot. The perks of the job are delicious for sure. You can find many food photography opportunities in advertising, magazines, blogs, newspapers and many more.
Culinary Travel Guide
Are you fascinated by different culinary cultures around the world? Do you have a passion for story telling? You can take up a career as a culinary travel guide. Take tourists on an interesting culinary journey through a historic city or country. Tell the story of the food and make them experience the nuances of the local food culture. Tourists pay a lot of money for experiences which make them taste delicious food as well as enrich their trip with stories about local cuisines. Nobody wants to miss going on a food walk in Madrid while tasting the best local Tapas at different bars and listening to their origin story.
Now that you’ve got your options laid out, you can slice and dice your options and cook up a career to have a happy life like a belly full of food.
Author Bio – Jennie is a technology blogger and has written many articles on various latest technology trends. She is works is a freelancer and manages Business Development at online training company.
