Schools for Chefs, Pastry Chefs and Hospitality Pros in Indiana

Looking for a fast-track to a chef’s education? Need to change careers badly—finally follow your passion for cooking? Always dreamed of being your own restaurateur? Culinary arts schools and professional cooking and restaurant management programs are numerous in Indiana.

Major cities like Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, Gary and West Lafayette all have schools that provide some type of education that prepares you for the food service industry. Smaller communities usually are well-suited to community and technical colleges, both of which may deliver excellent culinary and professional kitchen career-focused programs.

Types of cooking schools you’ll find in Indiana:

• Four-year colleges and universities
• Specialty culinary arts schools
• Community colleges
• Technical colleges
• Junior colleges

Indiana Culinary Scene

Ambitious chefs in training will make the local food scene part of their regular educational diet. Guess what? You can learn so much about the market needs when you immerse yourself completely. Make regular forays into the Indianapolis or Fort Wayne restaurant scene, familiarize yourself with the “native” cuisine, popular dishes, most talked about new chefs and size up the professional needs of local restaurants, hotels, resorts and more.

Popular state food and industry festivals offer concentrations of “best of” restaurants, local chefs, arts and music, chef and recipe competitions and in many cases the opportunity to meet guest and celebrity chefs:

• Clabber Girl Brickyard BBQ Fest
• Pierogi Festival
• Vintage Indiana

Compete for a Food Service Industry Job in Indiana

The ultimate goal of cooking school is to graduate with such amazing skills and respectable education that you can step right into an entry- or mid-level job as cook, chef or mid-level manager in a restaurant. As a means to that end shop for culinary arts programs that offer the following career-focused opportunities:

• Cooking or hospitality internships, externships or apprenticeships
• On-site student-run restaurant
• State of the art training kitchens
• Experienced chef/faculty, possible guest chef/instructors
• Career placement and job assistance

Also consider membership in a state industry association such as:

• Restaurant and Hospitality Association of Indiana
• Indiana Restaurant Association
• Chefs of Northwest Indiana

Professional organizations like these usually offer discounted student memberships, discounted admission to national and regional conferences and educational events, scholarships, and fertile ground for forging valuable industry contacts for jobs and collaborative purposes.

Salaries across the state of Indiana for chefs differ dramatically based on a wide variety of factors including:

• Your level of education
• Your professional culinary experience
• Type of capacity in which you work: executive chef, sous chef, assistant chef, line cook, fry cook, restaurant manager, etc.
• Region in which you work

Expect higher salaries for professional chefs in major cities like Indianapolis, Gary and Terra Haute and especially among sous and executive chefs. Average salaries for executive chefs are between $50,000 to $55,000. Remember, some of the most acclaimed chefs started their careers chopping vegetables for minimum wage.

Indiana Top Cooking and Culinary Schools

International Culinary Schools at the Art Institutes of Indianapolis is one of 30 + popular campuses in the U.S. This very reputable school teaches you the fundamentals of the major international cuisines, including requisite classic French techniques. The alumni include some of the most famous chefs in the country. Degree programs include: Bachelors Culinary Management, Associates Culinary Arts, Baking and Pastry Certificate, and Culinary Arts Certificate.

The Chef’s Academy – Indianapolis is solely designed to train serious students and professionals in the skills and art of the professional chef. The school only offers full-time intensive programs. Degrees include Associates Culinary Arts, Associates Pastry Arts, and Bachelors Hospitality and Restaurant Management.

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

Ball State University – Muncie
Davenport College-South Bend-Mishawaka Granger
Indiana Business College - Indianapolis-Muncie-Terra Haute
Indiana State University - Terre Haute
Indiana University-Purdue University - Ft Wayne-Indianapolis
International Business College – Indianapolis
Ivy Tech State College - Ft Wayne-Indianapolis
Marian College – Indianapolis
Oakland City University - Oakland City
Purdue University – Hammond-West Lafayette-Westville
University of Indianapolis – Indianapolis
Vincennes University - Vincennes