Get Your Culinary Arts Degree in Maine

Options for culinary arts and hospitality schools in Maine are more numerous than you think. Most schools are located in the southern half of the state from Portland to Bangor and points south. This is beautiful New England coastal country. If you’ve never had a real Maine lobster, here’s your chance to tie on a bib and tear into that tender meat.

Culinary Scene in Maine

Seafood is on the menu and when it’s not it’s certainly close-by. Lobster and clams are chief seafood ingredients, but any fresh and native fish, seafood, fruit and produce are fair game for Maine’s top chefs. In fact, over the years a number of Maine’s coastal chefs have been named to the prestigious James Beard’s “Best Of” list.

For consistently fabulous and innovative fare check out the Portland culinary scene where Andover College and Southern Maine Technical College both offer Hospitality Management degrees. But the Maine coastline is dotted with stellar restaurant standouts as well.

You’ll not find any of the big culinary arts campuses in Maine, but you may choose from a few diverse world-class university programs and well-respected technical school fast-tracks. While you’re making it a point to sample the area fare and acquaint yourself with the most talked about chefs, add a few popular regional food and wine festivals to your academic calendar:

• Yarmouth Clam Festival
• Maine Lobster Festival
• Annual Chili Fest
• Harvest on the Harbor Food and Wine Festival

Events like these celebrate the native food culture and showcase local culinary talent, amateur and professional.

Getting a Chef’s Job in Maine

Maine is a tourist destination particularly in the summer and fall when the food service industry thrives. But winter can be harsh and some of the tiny fishing towns tucked along the coast maintain seasonal operating hours. If you’re set on a chef’s job in Maine once out of school explore the more plentiful opportunities in one of the larger cities: Bangor, Augusta and Portland.

Also, for an insider’s view of the regional food industry consider a membership in a professional association such as the Maine Restaurant Association. Here is where you’ll find large and likeminded groups of industry professionals – from restaurateur to line cook – able to learn, network and collaborate as one united force. Annual conferences, regular educational events and even student scholarships may all be valuable academic fodder.

Maine Cooking Schools

Andover College – Portland
Beal College – Bangor
Central Maine Technical College – Auburn
Eastern Maine Technical College – Bangor
Husson College – Bangor
Southern Maine Technical College - South Portland
Thomas College – Waterville
University of Maine - Augusta – Orono
Washington County Technical College – Calais
York County Technical College – Wells