Schools for Budding Chefs in Massachusetts
Are you yearning to become a chef and looking for an excellent culinary school in Massachusetts? Use this guide to explore the facets of a cooking school education in this diverse region. Schools include four-year world-class universities as well as lesser known but solid technical and career schools that fast-track you to a professional kitchen job.
Boston is an epicenter for the Massachusetts culinary scene. Here many new chefs with big dreams migrate to test their mettle in some of the hottest kitchens in New England. Industry continues to escalate in the surrounding area and because this is the seat of American Democracy—home to Paul Revere, site of the Boston Tea Party—it thrives as a tourist destination. You may even try your hand at some traditional Colonial fare cooked hearthside like the cooks of Sturbridge Village.
Not too far from Boston are the verdant Green Mountains and open agricultural spaces interspersed with thriving secondary towns and cities, such as Worcester, Springfield and academic Amherst. Head to the coast-- Cape Cod, Nantucket, Martha’s Vineyard and Provincetown rule during the summer months.
Regional Massachusetts Food Scene
Chefs in this progressive region focus their culinary efforts on sustainability, including both bounty from the land as well as the ocean. Regional farmers markets are booming and ingredients are locally grown and bought, seafood is hauled in from fishing boats close-by. If you’re not sampling the local fare and checking out the best dishes from the most celebrated chefs then you’re missing out on a key part of your culinary education.
Add a few popular regional food festivals to your academic calendar.
Events like these offer rich concentrations of “best of” regional food, chefs, recipe and chef competitions, wine and food pairings, and the opportunity to possibly rub elbows with a guest celeb chef.
Getting a Chef’s Job in Massachusetts
How and where you finally land your first job out of cooking school may depend largely on exactly what school you choose to attend. Why? When you shop for culinary arts programs you should be checking out the curriculum and faculty, but you should also be highly aware of how connected the school is to the national, regional, and local food service industry. Your school IS your career launchpad and should be amply prepared to blast you off successfully. Make sure the cooking school you choose is equipped with these career-centric features:
- On-site student-run restaurant
- Internship, externship and/or apprenticeship opportunities
- Professional chef/instructors
- Ongoing career guidance
- Job placement
If you really would like to dial into the regional industry network, consider a membership in one of the professional organizations:
- Massachusetts Culinary Association
- Massachusetts Restaurant Association
- North Atlantic Region Research Chef’s Association
Use organizations like these to gain a toehold in the local food market, meet likeminded professionals, network and grow your career over the long-term.
Salaries for chefs are all over the board in Massachusetts and depend on a variety of factors: your level of education, your professional experience, the type of establishment (restaurant, hotel, institution), and even specific geographic area of the state. You can bet that salaries are higher in Boston, but jobs are also competitive. The salary of an executive chef is markedly different than that of an entry-level line cook. Expect the salary of a sous chef to range between $45,000 and $50,000 in Boston. You’ll need a few years high volume kitchen experience and be able to supervise others successfully to come close to earning that.
Top Culinary Arts Schools in MA
International Institute of Culinary Arts – Fall River welcomes students to engage in a return to traditional culinary values while you nurture your own creative vision. The school is housed in an old cathedral and you have the unique opportunity to work while you learn in a variety of school-owned restaurants. Programs: Culinary Arts Diploma, Certificate Culinary Arts, One-year Baking Program.
Massachusetts Cooking Schools
Bay State College – Boston
Becker College – Worcester
Berkshire Community College – Pittsfield
Blue Hills Regional Technical School – Canton
Boston University – Boston
Branford Hall Career Institute – Springfield
Bristol Community College - Fall River
Bunker Hill Community College – Boston
Cape Cod Community College - West Barnstable
Endicott College – Beverly
Fisher College - Boston
Framingham State College – Framingham
Holyoke Community College – Holyoke
Laboure College – Boston
Lasell College – Newton
Massachusetts Bay Community College - Wellesley Hills
Massasoit Community College – Brockton
Middlesex Community College – Bedford
Mount Ida College - Newton Centre
Newbury College - Brookline
Northern Essex Community College – Haverhill
North Shore Community College – Danvers
Quincy College – Quincy
Quinsigamond Community College – Worcester
Simmons College – Boston
University of Massachusetts – Amherst