Culinary Arts

Two female students prepare pies in the QHS Culinary kitchen.

Culinary Arts

The Culinary Arts program at Quincy High emphasizes the safe preparation and service of a diverse range of healthy foods, integrating classic techniques with restaurant-standard methodologies.

Students engage in a variety of projects, including menu development, job scheduling, catering, function management, inventory control, teamwork building, and cash management. The curriculum covers cooking, baking, restaurant service, and management, fostering both practical and transferable workplace skills.

Hands-On Experience: One distinctive feature of our program is the opportunity for students to work three days a week in our full-service, in-house restaurant, the Presidents Cafe, which is open to the public. This hands-on experience, combined with classroom instruction, provides students with a competitive edge when entering the workforce or applying to college and culinary training programs.

Visit the Presidents Cafe website »

Post-Graduate Opportunities

Upon completion of the Culinary Arts program, graduates are well-prepared for a variety of rewarding careers in the culinary industry. Potential roles include food prep workers, servers, managers, chefs, research chefs, and bakers. The program also opens doors to "front-of-the-house" careers, such as servers, hosts, or managers.

Careers

Entry-level positions such as food prep workers, line cooks, and servers generally require a high school diploma and on-the-job experience. More advanced roles like chefs, pastry chefs, managers, and food scientists typically demand a 2- or 4-year certificate or college degree. On-the-job training and mentoring from experienced chefs are common in the industry.

With additional training, students may opt to pursue work as restaurant managers, restaurant owners, executive chefs, food scientists, food critics, research chefs, or sommeliers. Additional opportunities include hospitality careers, such as hotel management or entertainment management; healthcare food services; corporate food services; health and wellness careers; or restaurant design and planning.

About 65% of chefs and food prep employees work in restaurants. About 15% work in schools, hospitals, and nursing homes. The remaining 20% are employed at grocery stores, hotels, and convenience stores.

Average Salary

In Massachusetts, the average salary for chefs is $69,450, while restaurant and institutional cooks earn $50,160. Food prep employees earn approximately $27,000, with some positions including tips as part of the paycheck. Chefs at high-end restaurants may earn substantially more.

Industry/Career Outlook

The culinary industry is poised for growth, with an expected job growth rate of 25% over the next 10 years. As dining customers increasingly demand high-quality, healthy, made-from-scratch meals, experienced chefs will find employment opportunities in a variety of less traditional settings. However, competition at top restaurants is keen, and the field may present long hours and challenging working conditions, contributing to high turnover as workers exit the field or retire.

Two students work to prepare a pasta dish in the QHS Culinary kitchen.Equipment/Software Training

Students work in our state-of-the-art kitchen at Quincy High. Equipment includes Hobart mixers, convection ovens, tilt-skillets, grills, broilers, steamers, commercial dish machines, and point-of-sale (POS) systems.

Certifications/Licenses

Students may graduate from our program with the following certifications:

  • National Restaurant Association ServSafe Certification

  • ProStart

  • Certificate of Occupational Proficiency – Culinary Arts

Articulation Agreements

Students may earn college credits and/or scholarships via local colleges:

New England Culinary Institute

  • $2,000 Scholarship

Massasoit Community College

  • CULA 140 Culinary Concepts – 3 credits

Lincoln Culinary Institute

  • CUL140S Introduction to Culinary Arts

Culinary Institute of America

  • Pre-enrollment requirement fulfilled

  • Application fee waived

  • Eligible for $5,000 CIA Merit Scholarship

  • Certificate of Completions of ServeSafe earns course credit.

Recommended Course of Study

Grade 9

  • English

  • Foreign Language

  • Mathematics

  • Science

  • Social Studies

  • Physical Education

  • Pathways

  • 1 Elective Course

Grade 10

  • English

  • Foreign Language

  • Mathematics

  • Science

  • Social Studies

  • Physical Education

  • Culinary Arts 1

  • 1 Elective Course

Grade 11

  • English

  • Mathematics

  • Science

  • Social Studies

  • Physical Education

  • Culinary Arts 2

Grade 12

  • English

  • Social Studies

  • Physical Education

  • Culinary Arts 3

  • 2 Elective Courses