Culinary kitchen Diploma Programs

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Food Scientist

Food scientists work in the food processing industry. Educated in nutrition, biology, and chemistry, food scientists use their knowledge to improve methods of processing, canning, freezing, storing, packaging, and distributing food. Most food scientists work in the research and development departments... see more of food processing companies. Some work in processing plants as quality control inspectors or production supervisors. Some teach in colleges or work for the government as food graders and inspectors. Others work in sales or advertising. Food scientists are also called food technologists. Scientists who specialize in the technology of the dairy industry are called dairy technologists. Food scientists who work in research and development study the chemical changes that take place in stored or processed foods. For example, canning or cooking food can lower the vitamin and protein content. Food scientists try to find ways to process food so that fewer nutrients are lost. They study the effects of food additives. They are also concerned with producing enough food to feed the growing world population. Some food scientists are trying to find new sources of protein. The development of meat substitutes made from soybeans and other vegetation is one example of new solutions to the problem of food shortages. Although food scientists are mainly concerned with nutrition, they also pay attention to the flavor, appearance, and texture of processed foods.

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Pastry Chef

A pastry chef applies culinary skills to the creation and decoration of desserts for restaurants, hotels, and special events. According to Roland Mesnier, the White House Executive Pastry Chef, a pastry chef should love baking everything from simple cookies to elaborate cakes. Baking and pastry arts... see more rely on chemistry, and a pastry chef often begins the exacting prep work well in advance of the actual baking. Because pastry chefs work with perishable ingredients such as eggs, cream, and butter, knowledge of food safety and sanitation is crucial to the job. Industrial bakeries make large quantities of baked goods for supermarkets and other retail outlets. In large industrial bakeries, bakers specialize in one aspect of the process. All-around bakers supervise and coordinate the workers while helpers perform unskilled jobs. Much of the work at the industrial level is done in an assembly-line fashion: for example, mixers weigh the ingredients and put them into blending machines; divider machine operators control the machines that shape dough into small balls; and dough molders operate machines that shape the balls into loaves. In some bakeries bench hands do the work of both divider machine operators and dough molders. Bench hands knead the dough by hand and form it into fancy shapes such as braided bread rings. Oven tenders bake the goods, carefully watching time and temperature. Bakeries that make cakes and pastries may also employ icing mixers and icers