Study to Become a Chef in Arizona

Let the desert influence your cooking as it has for generations of chefs before you in Arizona. Whether you know it or not, Arizona is a huge destination for visitors and for transplants. Diverse and upscale cities like Scottsdale, Flagstaff, and Sedona drive demand for hot chefs and inventive restaurants and local eateries.

Progressive chefs in Arizona have grown committed to natural and regionally produced ingredients and their dishes reflect the bounty of the land. When you go to cooking school in Arizona make sure you map out time to include a sampling of the local cuisine as a required part of your education. After all you could find yourself as a very busy chef-intern in a popular local kitchen, working under the watchful eye of a widely talked about chef.

Options for Chef Jobs in Arizona

Arizona has desert and mountains and is home to a wide array of attractions ripe for hiring well-trained chefs:

• Ski resorts
• Spas
• Casinos
• Hotels
• Caterers
• Private chefs

But when it comes time to find a real chef job use your schools’ resources: job placement, resume and interviewing assistance and always opt for an internship or apprenticeship when offered as part of a culinary arts program. Opps like these give you access to local restaurants, chefs, chef/owners and jobs you might not have had open to you previously. In many businesses, food service included, an internship can be a one-way ticket to an immediate job.

Popular Arizona Cooking Schools

Arizona Culinary Institute - Scottsdale can give you top-notch culinary or pastry arts training and THEN put you into a very good job in an area restaurant. Get your chef on in four distinct training kitchens outfitted with state-of-the-art equipment. Test your skills in the student-run Du Jour restaurant. This is a 9-month diploma program.

Scottsdale Culinary Academy – Le Cordon Bleu is affiliated with the original academy of the same name in France. You are steeped in classic French culinary technique and some traditional American methods. Grads from these programs are highly respected. Major in these study tracks: Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Arts, Le Cordon Bleu Patisserie and Baking, Le Cordon Bleu Hospitality and Restaurant Management, and Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Management. Bachelors, Associates and Certificates available.

International Culinary Schools at the Art Institutes of Phoenix is one of the most popular programs in the U.S. With over 30 locations, the AI turns loose hundreds of highly trained chefs annually. The Phoenix campus offers a Bachelors degree in Culinary Management; and Associates degrees in Culinary Arts or Baking and Pastry Arts.

International Culinary Schools at the Art Institutes of Tucson is one of two AI culinary programs in AZ. Emphasis is on international cuisine beginning with classic/traditional French, the foundation for many of the Western cuisines. Programs of study include: Bachelors Culinary Arts, Associates Baking and Pastry, Associates Culinary Arts.

Arizona State Colleges, Community and Technical Colleges Offering Culinary, Restaurant Management, and/or Hospitality Degrees

Arizona Western College – Yuma
Chaparral Career College – Tucson
Central Arizona College – Coolidge
Coconino County Community College – Flagstaff
Northern Arizona University, School of Hotel and Restaurant Management – Flagstaff
Pima College Center for Training and Development - Tucson
Scottsdale Community College - Scottsdale