18 Alternative Careers for Chefs (My Favorite is #11)

Most people are estimated to change jobs 12 times throughout their lifetime.

Whether you are a chef looking for a career change or planning on venturing into the food and hospitality industry but don’t want to be preparing meals for life, you will be more than happy to learn that there are many alternative career options for culinary experts.

Chefs can use their culinary arts degree and real-world experience to move on to better paying or more satisfying careers. Many of them are within or closely related to foodservice, ranging from cafeteria manager, food stylist, restaurant health inspector, specialty food buyer to kitchen designer.

No longer want to be a chef but don’t want to stray too far away from what you love either? Keep reading!

Below are some jobs available for chefs should they decide to have a change of heart career-wise. Some of them require no more than experience obtained in restaurant, hotel or casino kitchens, while others may necessitate a degree, diploma or certificate that can be earned by taking courses at an online university with a culinary arts department.

Let’s kick things off with a table demonstrating some of the best alternative careers for those in the culinary arts and the respective median hourly and annual salary of each one:

Before we proceed further, please keep in mind that all the salary-related figures in this article are from the latest data (as of this writing) from Salary.com, a compensation-related website that collects numbers via employer surveys.

Related Article: 20 Best Paying Culinary Jobs [Ranked by Pay]

Cafeteria Manager

• Median annual salary: $74,495
• Annual salary range: $54,454 to $104,299
• Median hourly salary: $36
• Hourly salary range: $26 to $50

Simply put, cafeteria managers oversee just about everything that has something to do with the day-to-day operations of the establishment, from ordering supplies, planning meals to providing satisfactory service. Good communication, problem-solving, leadership and organizational skills are essential traits for cafeteria managers to possess.

And because they are tasked with various managerial decision-making processes, having a bachelor’s degree is the minimum requirement for those who wish to become cafeteria managers.

Food Stylist

• Median annual salary: $68,940
• Annual salary range: $62,200 to $77,057
• Median hourly salary: $33
• Hourly salary range: $30 to $37

Just about anyone who is artistic and creative can try being a food stylist, who is someone who prepares food in a way that will make it look great for photographs or television. While not a necessity, having a culinary arts degree as well as an actual experience related to food, restaurant and hospitality is a huge plus.

The majority of chefs, photographers and editors needing food stylists prefer those with some sort of background in the culinary arts, which is why chefs and cooks with impressive job experience make for excellent candidates.

Culinary Nutritionist

• Median annual salary: $65,500
• Annual salary range: $54,228 to $77,727
• Median hourly salary: $31
• Hourly salary range: $26 to $37

Working in a restaurant specializing in healthy food? Got a culinary arts degree?

Then being a culinary nutritionist is one of the many alternative careers for you. As the job title suggests, you will be advising individuals or groups on how to maintain health-specific goals, such as keeping excess pounds or high glucose levels at bay, via a healthy diet plan.

One of the ways to have a career as a culinary nutritionist is earning the minimum requirement: an associate degree in culinary nutrition (or a closely related field) that many online and traditional culinary arts schools offer.

Dietitian

• Median annual salary: $65,418
• Annual salary range: $54,205 to $77,775
• Median hourly salary: $31
• Hourly salary range: $26 to $37

At first glance, it may seem that a culinary nutritionist and a dietitian have the same jobs. However, there is a main difference between these two, and it’s who they work with. Culinary nutritionists work with healthy people, while dietitians help manage existing health issues through proper nutrition.

However, keep in mind that, because dietitians are in the nutrition science field, being one will require you to have a bachelor’s degree in nutrition or a closely related field.

Culinary Teacher

• Median annual salary: $62,931
• Annual salary range: $54,727 to $74,221
• Median hourly salary: $30
• Hourly salary range: $54,727 to $74,221

Also sometimes referred to as chef educators, culinary teachers provide training to students who want to have careers in the culinary arts. You can see them teaching at vocational schools, community colleges and the culinary arts department of four-year institutions. Culinary teachers do both lectures and hands-on training.

Because the future of those who dream of becoming chefs lies in your hands, as a culinary teacher, you will need to have an associate or bachelor’s degree and at least seven years of experience in different kitchen settings.

Food Scientist

• Median annual salary: $62,790
• Annual salary range: $49,990 to $78,112
• Median hourly salary: $30
• Hourly salary range: $24 to $38

Food scientists are often employed by universities, governmental agencies and food processing industries. What they do is identify nutrients in food, research ways on how to make processed food products safe and healthy, and look for new sources of food using chemistry, microbiology and even engineering skills.

In order to become qualified as a food scientist, you will have to earn an undergraduate degree in a field that’s related to nutrition, chemistry or chemical engineering.

Food Sales Representative

• Median annual salary: $62,170
• Annual salary range: $56,115 to $69,065
• Median hourly salary: $30
• Hourly salary range: $27 to $33

Got excellent communication skills on top of your culinary expertise?

Then it’s not unlikely for you to become a prolific food sales representative. Working as such, you will be responsible for finding new clients and maintaining relationships with current ones on behalf of your employer, usually a vendor, supplier or food manufacturer.

Fortunately, in most instances, having a high school diploma is enough to become eligible to work as a food sales representative. Having experience in foodservice, especially in the sales aspect, is a huge plus.

Wine Steward

• Median annual salary: $60,370
• Annual salary range: $33,719 to $87,021
• Median hourly salary: $29
• Hourly salary range: $16 to $42

As a wine steward, you will still have to work in a restaurant, hotel, casino or any other establishment that serves fine food. However, you will be spending most of your time not in the kitchen but in another area: the wine cellar.

Being able to plan, coordinate and communicate very well is important for wine stewards. That’s because they will work with managers and vendors when procuring wine. They will also work with chefs when food matching. Wine stewards talk with the customers, too, providing them with suggestions and serving them wine.

Food Safety Specialist

• Median annual salary: $56,401
• Annual salary range: $48,731 to $65,352
• Median hourly salary: $27
• Hourly salary range: $23 to $31

There are many names by which food safety specialists are called. Some of them include food inspectors, food safety managers and food science technicians.

No matter the name, one thing remains true, and it’s none other than the fact that they help save the public from catching foodborne illnesses.

A bachelor’s degree in biology, chemistry, food science, nutrition or a related field is a minimum requirement. However, in some instances, having experience in the industry is a more important qualification.

Special Events Manager

• Median annual salary: $56,031
• Annual salary range: $46,753 to $67,306
• Median hourly salary: $27
• Hourly salary range: $22 to $32

Simply put, special events managers are responsible for planning and organizing all kinds of important events. They range anywhere from birthday parties, weddings, family reunions, proms, retirement parties to corporate affairs. Basically, they are tasked with making sure that the event will be a success.

And speaking of which, there is one component to a successful and memorable event that culinary arts experts working as special events managers will surely excel in: the food catering part. It’s no secret that having a phenomenal buffet or banquet table is crucial to a successful event.

Food Writer/Blogger

• Median annual salary: $54,304
• Annual salary range: $46,149 to $64,556
• Median hourly salary: $26
• Hourly salary range: $22 to $31

Food writers, as the job title pretty much sums up, are people who write about food and drink. They cover various aspects, from food preparation, beverage selection to meal consumption.

Some food writers focus on reviewing recipes or restaurants, while others specialize in interviewing chefs and other personalities in the food and hospitality industry. Then there are also food writers that talk about food-related events, such as restaurant openings or product launchings.

Restaurant Health Inspector

• Median annual salary: $53,725
• Annual salary range: $28,068 to $79,386
• Median hourly salary: $26
• Hourly salary range: $13 to $38

Restaurant health inspectors go from one restaurant or food production establishment to the other in order to make sure that the ingredients used and food preparation processes are able to meet all sanitation and safety rules.

But before you attempt to apply as a restaurant health inspector, make sure that you will be able to meet the minimum requirements. Most of the time, a bachelor’s degree in health science, public health, environmental health or a closely related field is the minimum requirement. In some cases, a graduate degree is a must.

Restaurant Publicist

• Median annual salary: $48,951
• Annual salary range: $39,844 to $66,113
• Median hourly salary: $24
• Hourly salary range: $19 to $32

Being in the world of culinary arts, there is no doubt that you love food. And if you are also a nice, friendly and charismatic individual with above-average social and communication skills, then you might want to consider becoming a restaurant publicist if you want to leave being a chef behind.

Some restaurant owners and managers may prefer applicants with an undergraduate degree in business, journalism, English or communications. However, being in the culinary arts for years is sometimes more than enough, especially for applicants who used to work as executive or sous chefs who also usually serve as first-line managers.

Specialty Food Buyer

• Median annual salary: $47,439
• Annual salary range: $29,704 to $72,820
• Median hourly salary: $23
• Hourly salary range: $14 to $35

Where there’s a need for food establishments, organizations, groups or individuals to select and procure specialty foods, the help of specialty food buyers is needed. Besides shopping for food products, they are also responsible for maintaining inventory and managing the allocated budget for food.

Being a chef immediately gives you an edge if you are planning on becoming a specialty food buyer. It’s also a good idea to possess traits such as the ability to source new products, maintain partnerships with the suppliers, and observational skills necessary for being able to look at trends and determine the ones that apply to the clients.

Kitchen Designer

• Median annual salary: $45,791
• Annual salary range: $27,673 to $54,239
• Median hourly salary: $22
• Hourly salary range: $13 to $26

What sets kitchen designers apart from interior decorators is that they create blueprints that will not only make kitchens beautiful and functional but also specifically designed based on their intended usage.

While they can design home kitchens, too, kitchen designers are usually more in demand when it comes to the creation of kitchens for restaurants, hotels and various commercial and even private establishments.

A two- or four-year degree in interior design or any other closely related field can help make an aspiring kitchen designer more marketable.

Personal Shopper

• Median annual salary: $43,885
• Annual salary range: $39,182 to $49,272
• Median hourly salary: $21
• Hourly salary range: $19 to $24

Knowing that they are also sometimes referred to as personal grocery shoppers makes the primary duties and responsibilities of personal shoppers so much clearer. Needless to say, they are tasked with doing grocery shopping for their clients as well as delivering them. They are then reimbursed and paid a service fee.

Most personal shoppers work for wealthy people or individuals who are too busy to hit the grocery stores. Many of them also work for senior citizens and homebound people due to physical disabilities or health concerns. But because just about anyone could be a personal shopper, some culinary arts experts may be overqualified for the job.

Hospitality Manager

• Median annual salary: $39,700
• Annual salary range: $22,506 to $56,703
• Median hourly salary: $19
• Hourly salary range: $11 to $27

Willing to remain working in a restaurant although no longer responsible for developing menu items and preparing food? Then you might want to consider becoming a hospitality manager. Aside from restaurants, hospitality managers also work in hotels, casinos and many other commercial establishments where customer satisfaction matters.

As a hospitality manager, you can expect to be busy on a day-to-day basis. That’s because your various roles include everything from supervising staff members, checking proper maintenance of facilities and equipment to supervising the upkeep of administrative and financial records.

Bartender

• Median annual salary: $22,721
• Annual salary range: $17,132 to $30,918
• Median hourly salary: $11
• Hourly salary range: $8 to $15

Last but not least, you might want to give being a bartender a go. We all know what bartenders do — they prepare and serve all sorts of alcoholic drinks from behind a bar. In some instances, they also whip up non-alcoholic drinks.

However, you may feel that your culinary arts degree and work experience make you overqualified for the post.

What’s really nice about being a bartender is that you can work in establishments other than a bar or a club. Some of the options include taverns, restaurants, hotels and casinos. In some instances, you may also travel to provide your bartending skills at various venues and events.

Just Before You Take on a Different Career

Refrain from assuming that just because you are a chef currently or planning on becoming one in the near future doesn’t mean that you will be preparing, cooking, plating and serving delicious food for the rest of your life.

Above, we talked about an assortment of alternative careers available for chefs.

Some of them may pay more alright but can be more exhausting. For instance, a culinary teacher’s median annual salary may be higher than that of a sous pastry chef alright — $62,931 vs. $56,400 — but you may find that it can be very grueling to teach students with different personalities and learning abilities and check and grade exams.

On the other hand, some of them may pay less but can be more forgiving, thus allowing you to enjoy less stress and spend more time with your family and friends as well as pursuits and passions.

Before you tender your resignation, make sure that you already have a clear idea of what new career you would like to take on. And, more importantly, see to it you are qualified for it because of either your real-world experience or culinary arts degree or both to make your career change go as smoothly as possible. Good luck!