Culinary Arts

Associate in Applied Science (A.A.S.)

The joy of food is all around us in the Finger Lakes. If you want to turn your passion for fine dining into a career, you'll love our hands-on Culinary Arts degree program. Gain real-world experience in restaurant management, catering, and hospitality.

Career Outlook: Food and Hospitality

The food and hospitality sector is the second largest industry in the Finger Lakes. Your culinary training will lead to careers at food venues such as restaurants, hotels, casinos, banquet halls, catering companies, and more. You can even open your own business. Food service careers are growing as the hospitality industry expands regionally and nationally.

A.A.S. Program Overview

In our A.A.S. degree program, you'll take a core set of Culinary Arts classes to gain a strong foundation in this growing field. Courses in hospitality, nutrition, and communications provide a well-rounded education that complements your Culinary Arts training. SUNY General Education requirements give you the opportunity to continue your studies at a four-year school.

Personalize your education with electives like Regional American Cuisine, International Cuisine, and Baking and Pastry. Many Culinary Arts courses meet twice weekly, allowing you to work while completing the program.

Hands-on Culinary Arts Training

Culinary Arts Events and Competitions

Prepare multi-course meals for real customers. The Culinary Arts program hosts Dinner at Julia annually. This fine dining and wine event features an innovative menu designed and prepared by our Culinary Arts students. You'll also be able to take part in service learning projects and competitions, such as those sponsored by the New York Beef Council.

Learn from Local Culinary Arts Experts

Gain over 600 hours of real-world training through our professional work experience program. During this time, you'll learn from regional experts. Our work experience program is more flexible than traditional internships, so you can pursue opportunities that match your career goals.

A.A.S. Program Outcomes

Program Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the A.A.S. Culinary Arts program, students will be able to:

• Consistently model standards of culinary professionalism.
• Apply universal quality standards for raw ingredients as well as finished products.
• Prescribe appropriate principles of cooking and preparation of food products.
• Demonstrate ancillary skills, including cost control, food service sanitation, and front of the house service according to accepted industry best practices.
• Transition from working as an individual to working as a contributing member of a vibrant, functional team.

Culinary Arts Careers

Your FLCC Culinary Arts education prepares you for careers in food and hospitality. Work as a chef, caterer, food and beverage manager, and more. Some graduates have even opened their own businesses. Others started careers at:

Seamless Transfer Opportunities

Interested in continuing your education? Our Culinary Arts associate degree program makes this transition easy. A collaboration with SUNY Delhi helps you earn full college credit for the courses you take at FLCC so you can transfer in as a junior on track for a four-year education. SUNY Delhi has a 100% online program, which makes it possible to complete a bachelor's degree without leaving the region.

FLCC Culinary Arts students have pursued four-year programs in Hotel and Resort Management, Tourism Management, and Hospitality at the following colleges:

• SUNY Cobleskill
• SUNY Delhi
• SUNY Morrisville

Low-Cost Tuition and Scholarship Opportunities

Earn a quality education at an affordable rate. With our low cost-per-credit and general scholarship opportunities, you can maximize your potential with minimal debt. 80% of students are awarded scholarships or financial aid that help with the cost of college.

The Faculty

Our Culinary Arts faculty brings a variety of real-world experiences in the restaurant industry to the classroom. From working as chefs to managing restaurants to teaching public classes at New York Kitchen, our faculty know what it's like to work in food service and hospitality. They are eager to share their knowledge with you.

Culinary Arts Faculty