A culinary career can be as rewarding as it can be strenuous. For the future chef with an unrelenting drive for their calling, it’s a lifestyle that will also be extremely fulfilling. 

Consider a culinary career if you exhibit the five characteristics below. 

1. Your Passion Is Food

You can’t just like to cook — you have to passionately love the art of creating meals. It can’t be something you feel you should like; it has to be something you must do. When your passion is food and you’ll be in the kitchen whether or not you choose a culinary career, why not make it more than a hobby?

2. You Love to Work Hard

A culinary career is not for the faint of heart. You’re on your feet for hours every day. You have limited vacation time. You’re up early and you’re up late. 

Even when you feel physically and mentally weak, you press on. You love what you do, but you also love the unrelenting work that goes with it. If this is how you feel about pursuing a culinary career, you’ll succeed. 

3. You’re Committed to Learning

If there is one fact an experienced chef knows, it’s that the learning process never ends. You will always discover a new ingredient or a new technique. Then it’s time to perfect it. To become better, and you have to be humble enough to admit you can.

4. You Have Motivation

You’ve never needed someone to stand by and tell you what to do next. You take the initiative. You don’t just notice what needs to be done, you do it. That shows motivation, and it’s a quality you’ll need if you’re going to build a culinary career.

5. You Thrive Under Pressure

When there’s a challenge, you don’t just meet it, you welcome it. In culinary school and in a commercial kitchen, you’ll be tested and criticized, but these obstacles are merely stepping stones in your mind. For the candidate who thrives under pressure, culinary training is an entryway into a career that is built for them. 

Additional qualities can help you in your future role as a chef, such as time management and creativity, but at this point, you probably know deep down what you want: a culinary career. If this list speaks to you and your goals, there is no better launch pad than Park City Culinary Institute. Train with the best and learn from them, and soon, you’ll join their ranks. Find out what it takes to sign up — contact us today. 

As a chef, you have a lengthy daily to-do list. One of those essential tasks is crafting menu-defining dishes that set your table apart. For inspiration and a fresh perspective, check out this list of seven big food trends for 2018. 

Regardless of whether you’d like to incorporate the latest fads or strike out on your own, knowing what is gaining traction in the restaurant industry can help influence your creativity. 

Avocados … on Toast 

After a controversy about the expense of avocado toast and its supposed outrageous price was all over the news, it became a legend on breakfast menus everywhere. Avocado toast is now “a thing,” and avocados, in general, are a major ingredient. 

Vegetables as Carbohydrate Substitutes

Vegetables are no longer just vegetables. Today, they’re pizza crusts and pasta, with carbs replaced by nutrient-rich foods, just prepared differently than they normally would be. Use veggies in place of your typical carb-focused fare, and you’ll likely see a spike in the dish’s popularity. 

Plant-Based Menu Options

Speaking of veggies … they’re now the focus of every course. More and more diners are going vegan, and that means restaurant menus have to adapt. Do you have plant-based diet-friendly options for your guests? From the traditional veggie burger to more adventurous vegan fare like curried coconut quinoa, a blank canvas of plant-based creativity awaits the vegan-friendly chef. 

Small Plate Concepts

Small plates are growing in popularity and are influencing many restaurants to alter their offerings. No longer is the three-course meal the standard. Now, it starts with an appetizer, then shared small plates, then ends with premier cocktails. The small plate concept is a mindset you should embrace. 

Doughnuts with Non-Traditional Filling

Specialized doughnuts are all the rage, and any trend relating to an item as wonderful as a doughnut likely isn’t going to pass anytime soon. The kicker is the doughnuts don’t have to be powdered or filled with jelly. What about a peanut butter and jelly doughnut? Cereal-themed donuts? Tea, sesame or sweet corn? The unique flavors never end. 

Thai-Rolled Ice Cream

It used to be bubble tea, but the latest Asian dessert making headlines is Thai-rolled ice cream. The ice cream isn’t scooped — it’s poured as a liquid and manipulated with paddles as it freezes and gets rolled up. Then it’s placed in a cup and topped with all the traditional ice cream add-ons. 

House-Made Condiments

Wasabi mayo? Cracked pepper cream cheese spread? Sweet and spicy vinegar sauce? House-made condiments will set your establishment apart. After all, it’s the only place your diners can go to get your unique dips and spreads. 

At Park City Culinary Institute, we don’t just follow food trends, we live them. Explore your creativity with cooking classes or enroll in our culinary program. Live your dream — taste your handiwork. Call today to learn more.

Are you dreaming of opening a new restaurant? One of the first questions you’ll mull over is what to put on your menu. Configuring the direction of the menu sets the tone for the entire establishment, so it’s a key step in the initial planning stages of following your dream. 

The tips below can help chefs decide on their staple menu selections so guests will want to come back for another meal.

Cross-Utilize for Menu Variety 

One of the biggest limitations to any menu is the size of the restaurant kitchen. It’s a challenge to incorporate a range of flavors and cuisines when you only have a few workstations. 

However, a varied menu at your new restaurant, even if the kitchen is small, is a good goal to aim for. The top way to achieve this is by cross-utilizing ingredients. 

When you learn how to create a lot with just a little, your job is less complicated but your guests are still satisfied with the number of options. And you get to unleash your creativity nightly instead of limiting your work to only a few dishes.

Pay Attention to the Logistics

When it comes to presenting your new restaurant menu to the world, use legible fonts. And don’t drone on in the item description — just tell the diner what to expect and which ingredients are used. 

Remember, your restaurant menu is your opportunity to present your craft to your customer — it needs to make a great impression. Consider how the design will look under your restaurant’s lighting and make sure it’s easily readable for people with weak eyesight. 

Know Your Profit Margin — Price Everything Right

Your menu prices until will be somewhat arbitrary until you hammer out the hard costs of each dish. But it’s not just a matter of tracking the actual ingredient prices — you need to calculate your operational costs too. Once you have these figures on paper, you can better estimate how much you need to charge per dish to make a profit, and you’ll know exactly what your profit margin is per menu item. 

Going forward, you’ll be able to track the top-performing dishes and make gross and net revenue projections based on what’s selling. Then you can better design your menu to highlight the dishes that are both popular and more profitable. Menu creation is an ongoing process, not a task you’ll complete just once. Set aside time to optimize your menu periodically.

Perfect Your Talents

The next stage of your career begins at Park City Culinary Institute. We have a wholehearted focus on building our students’ expertise in all areas, so you can benefit from the experience of our many talented professionals in the field. Contact us today to learn more about how to get started. 

Culinary careers don’t all look the same. It’s a common misconception that a culinary arts education only provides one career path — chef. In reality, culinary training offers you a world of opportunities. Below are six potential paths you can take. 

Chef 

Culinary training helps create knowledgeable, skilled chefs. But you don’t have to be a typical chef in a kitchen restaurant. You could be a personal chef for a high-income earner who doesn’t have time to cook at home. You could be a research chef for a food chain or manufacturing company. These chefs develop ideas based on consumer testing or they work to change a recipe to make it appeal to a wider audience. 

Nutritional Consultant

Culinary school gives you a clear picture into the science behind what we eat and how we prepare food, and this gives you insight into the health benefits and drawbacks of specific diet choices. Using this training, you can leverage your experience into a career as a nutritional consultant, designing diets for clients who struggle with obesity or illness, or simply want to eat better. 

Catering Company Owner

Start your own catering company and capitalize on a lucrative area of the market! Catering is an in-demand service all year. You can run a business and put your creative recipe-building skills to work.You’ll create menus and meet new people. You get a taste of business and you get to spend time in the kitchen.

Bakery Owner

Opening a bakery is another fulfilling option when you’re analyzing culinary careers. It’s specifically attractive to chefs who have trained in the pastry department. Is there anything better than making desserts that make your customers smile?

Restaurant Manager or Owner

A restaurant manager who knows exactly what a chef does is a much better manager. You can excel in this role since you know what goes into the decision-making process. Open your own restaurant or start in a management position to gain more experience first. Either way, it offers an opportunity for growth. 

Food Writer 

If you love reliving your unforgettable culinary experiences, why not share them with the world? A food writer gets to seek out noteworthy experiences, and write about them. Visit restaurants, meet with Chefs, try out new recipes, or travel to taste new cuisines. Then share your experiences with a growing audience of followers.

A range of culinary careers is available for you to find your passion, and your journey starts here at PCCI. Explore our skill certification options and see why so many students rave about Park City Culinary Institute.

The investment necessary to open a restaurant is often an afterthought, while the logistics take center stage. In the daydreaming phase, you focus on the location, your menu selections and your vision — you can’t wait to get started! But at some point, you must consider the money needed to make this a reality.

How much does it cost to open a restaurant? 

What You Need to Know 

To start this new venture, you will need a fair amount of capital. According to a survey of over 700 restaurant owners, the average cost to open a restaurant is $275,000, and that’s not counting the cost of the building.

Whether you will finance this yourself or find investors to help is just one of the decisions you will face in the early stages. 

Advice from the Other Side: Don’t Overspend! 

When you decide to open a restaurant, you are making one of the biggest investments in both your career and your life. But so many restaurateurs say they wish they could go back and make better spending decisions than the ones they made at the beginning of their journey. 

Two expenses you may not realize you need to budget for before you start the process are: 

• Music licensing fees: You need to pay to play music in your restaurant or you could face hefty fines.
• Utility deposits: You may need a sum of money up front to set up utility accounts. 

There are also some areas where you may be able to cut costs in the early stages.

• Commercial kitchen equipment: Look for used equipment that still functions well, but doesn’t come at the high sticker price of a new model.
• Marketing expenses: Before you hire an expensive agency to handle your marketing, try to leverage free ways to get your message out. Use social media and local networking to drive foot traffic!

Always Count the Cost 

While location and restaurant market will greatly determine the costs for your new eatery, one of the biggest mistakes new restauranteurs make is neglecting to fully understand the upfront investment. At Park City Culinary Institute, you’ll get the basics you need to realize your dreams of running a kitchen. 

Entrepreneurs come to Park City Culinary Institute because its fast, intense program helps them hit the ground running. Whether you want to open a restaurant, bakery, catering company or other business, learning the science behind what you’re cooking is going to help you create the results you want.

You can’t talk about corned beef without talking about brining. Brining is a huge opportunity to add an intense amount of flavor and influence the texture to get your desired texture for corned beef. You can do all sorts of things with your brine from sweet to spicy to extra savory. I will talk about my personal recipe for corned beef and why I like to add what I do.

First off a little science behind brine. When brining, essentially what you are doing is causing the protein strands in the meat to unwind. And as they unwind they end up getting tangled with other strands allowing it to hold water. So in theory, if you flavor the water that you allowing that meet to hold then that flavor will be throughout the meat as compared to just seasoning the outside of the meat.

So in my recipe, I like to balance all sorts of flavors creating a much more approachable and rounded flavor. First I add the traditional ingredients for corned beef such as bay leaves, mustard seeds, black peppercorns and potassium nitrate, which is a chemical used to achieve the desired texture and color of the beef you want. Without the potassium nitrate, your beef will turn grayish brown. But that is where my recipe starts to stray directly away from tradition.

I add a good amount of brown sugar and honey. I add a little more sugar than usual because it enables me to get a good sear on the meat if I so desire. The sugar will also help round out the spices I add as well, dumbing down the spicy elements of the brine.

I personally love the addition of baking spices to my corned beef. You don’t really end up tasting them individually but it helps bulk up the savory aspect and compliments the sweetness of the meat. So in order to achieve that I will add cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, star anise, and allspice berries. All of these spices play off each other so well especially when I add a little bit of espresso powder to my brine as well. This will really add a robust element to your corned beef and set it apart from boring old corned beef most people are used to.

For my spice element, I rely heavily on the use of red chili flake. I don’t want my corned beef to be considered spicy so I use something that is rather mild on the Scoville scale to just get a hint of heat to round out the flavor.

Finally, I add in just a hint of fresh ginger slices, only about 3 or 4 ¼“ slices. Then I will add my juniper berries, and a small handful of fresh herbs, mostly thyme but just a sprig or two of rosemary. The herbs will really bring an earthy element to the corned beef.

I throw all of this into a pot with some water and a good amount of salt. Bring it up to a boil to dissolve the salt and sugar I added. Then I will cool it with some ice and then brine my brisket for about 8-10 days allowing that brine to really penetrate the meat and inject as much flavor as we can. Then once its time to cook it, wash off the brine and simmer for about 2.5-3 hours. You can have a cup or two of cabbage ready for this but I promise you will just want to keep eating the beef and forget about the cabbage.

– Chef Jess Everson

Chef Jess teaches the Cuisine Certificate Course at the Park City Culinary Institute and has a special place in his heart for brining technique, brined shitake mushrooms, and brined corn beef.

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Learn more about culinary school.

This is great for leftovers or if you’re just not into the traditional thing.

Serves 6

Prep time 35 minutes

Cook time 2 hours

Pickling Recipe:

1/2 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup white or baker’s sugar
1/2 package matchstick carrots
1/4 cup white (daikon) radish, julienned 
1/4 cup thinly sliced sweet onion

Place vinegar, water, and sugar into a saucepan over medium heat.  Bring to a boil and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Boil for about a minute or so and remove from heat and add the veggies. Place uncovered in the fridge until cooled. 

Corned Beef Recipe:

1 pound corned beef, cooked and sliced thin
1 cup cabbage, thinly sliced
Rice paper wraps

Dip each rice paper in a bowl of hot tub temperature water until softened, about 20 seconds. Lay the rice paper on a cutting board. Place a small amount of cabbage on the rice paper, making sure to put it on the closest third of the paper from where you are standing, just like rolling sushi.  Place the shaved beef and pickled veggies on top of that.  Fold the ends over the filling then fold both sides over to enclose the filling just like a burrito. Fold over and pull back on the wrap to get all of the air out.  Slice on a bias and serve.

-Chef Evan Francois

While his passion still remains in French cuisine, Chef Evan Francois loves cooking all types of cuisine — from the spice of India to the tang of the Greek seaside to different takes on an American tradition like corned beef.

Curious about culinary school?

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If you think that the only way to be successful at ribs is to be a level 72 pitmaster, think again.  Delicious oven-baked ribs can be achieved by anyone. It will require a little planning and patience to achieve this perfection.  The good news about this oven ribs is almost all of the work is done sitting back and waiting. So if your idea of cooking includes a good movie and a beer then you are in luck.

The first thing we do in preparing the ribs is to remove the membrane.  Removing the membrane will keep our ribs from being tough, to get those fall off the bone ribs this is a key part of that success.  To remove it, use a knife to gently slide under the membrane then using your fingers to pull the membrane away from the bones. If slippery or difficult to remove, use a kitchen towel to take hold of it and pull. 

By the way, you might actually find that the butcher or shop you bought your ribs from has already removed the membrane. Less work for you! If you prefer your ribs to have a little bite/chewiness then you might prefer the membrane left on. It’s all up to you!

The next step is covering your ribs in salt and pepper and whatever spices you like. You don’t want to put any sauce on at this time as we will save that for the end.  After applying your favorite spices cover the ribs in aluminum foil. Remember low and slow is the key to rib success so set your oven to 275 degrees Fahrenheit and bake for 3-4 hours until tender.  If you like wet ribs finish them off by slathering sauce on them and broiling until sauce begins to caramelize. Ribs in the oven are just that easy.   

Kansas City Rub

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup paprika

1 tablespoon black pepper

1 tablespoon/15 mL salt

1 tablespoon/15 mL chili powder

1 tablespoon/15 mL garlic powder

1 tablespoon/15 mL onion powder

1 teaspoon/5 mL cayenne

Sweet and Spicy Barbecue Sauce

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/4 cup finely diced onion

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 cup ketchup

1 tablespoon hot chili sauce (suggestion Sriracha)

2 tablespoons light brown sugar

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

Salt and ground pepper, to taste

After 20 years in the United States Army and retiring as a Sergeant First Class, Sterling West pursued his second career and graduated from the Park City Culinary Institute with a Cuisine Certificate. He now leads operations at the school.

Curious about culinary school? 

Call (801) 416-0817

Curious about culinary school?
Call (801) 416-0817

Is it because I love the science behind it? Is it because I love to eat it? Or maybe it’s the terroir’s effect on cheese. Terroir is the French term for earth or soil and in regards to cheese, it’s referencing the environment around the milk-producing animal – the grazing grass, the soil composition, and even the humidity in the air – that will affect the final cheese results.  Or because there are nearly 1000 different kinds of cheese (with undeniably countless variations of each of those cheeses)? OR… maybe it’s all those reasons. I will be sharing all about cheese regularly on Park City Culinary Insitute’s blog.

To the untrained palate, a cheese can be just a cheese. But let’s take a step back before we just throw that chunk of cheese in our mouths. When I begin a cheese tasting my mind is always brought back to the 2007 Disney classic Ratatouille when Remy is teaching his brother Emile how to taste cheese and Emile just tosses the whole chunk of cheese in his mouth compared to when Remy tastes it and the ensemble of flavors he is experiencing and the love affair with food that he has, but I digress. What I am trying to say is don’t be an “Emile”. Now, onto the cheese.

First, let’s talk about what makes up our taste palate because to understand tasting the cheese we first need to understand what taste is. The five primary flavors detected by our taste buds are salty, sour, bitter, sweet, and umami, which is a savory or meaty flavor. They are self-explanatory by themselves but talking about them all in harmony is a tad more difficult. A good cheese, like a well-composed dish, should have a balance of flavors. Imbalance and over-salting are the most common defects in less than ideal cheeses.  

Some if not most of these flavors will develop naturally within a cheese.  Salt will be added to cheese to enhance most of the natural flavors in the cheese. Sweet and sour are flavors in the cheese that most of the time begin to develop before the ripening stage even begins. The lactose within the milk is, after all, sugar and the lactic acid created in the beginning stages of the cheese-making process will help develop that sour flavor. Some cheeses will have a slight natural bitterness to them but like spicy hot, bitterness should be a part of the symphony, not the conductor. Umami is a bit of a tricky subject sometimes. Umami can be defined as mouthfeel; it has a separate chemical effect similar to salt that enables it to have the ability to either enhance or suppress other flavors.

Now that we have a basic understanding of the primary flavors, we can talk about tasting the cheese. Here are some simple steps to follow when trying to assess a cheese.

First, it would be to look at it, after all, we eat with our eyes before anything else. Looking at the cheese will give you a lot of great hints as to what is to come. You should be looking at the colors and textures as well as the rind and if possible, the interior of the cheese. For example, on Muffato, a natural blue vein cheese will be wrapped in herbs that naturally grow around the region it is produced so you will know you might pick up some herbaceous notes when tasting. Or may see an imprint of a basket in a brown rind and can probably expect a manchego.

Next would be to feel the cheese. The springiness, the resistance, the natural break or crumble to the cheese. This will help give you a clue as to if the cheese is in good condition or if it has been poorly stored.

We are getting closer; now we smell the cheese. This part can be fun yet deceiving sometimes. Cheese may have a real stinky rind yet be mellow and buttery on the palate. Or it could smell rather mild and end up being a stronger cheese. You should also make sure your hands are clean and free of any strong odors such as perfume or lotion.

Now we finally taste. Before you indulge, be sure to have a clean palate, then take a swig of water or eat a small piece of white bread or baguette. Take your time when you put the cheese in your mouth. A small bite at first ensures the cheese touches every part of your mouth as taste buds in different parts of your mouth register different flavors. Note all the flavors and try to determine if the cheese has a balanced flavor, think about the texture and mouthfeel. A good cheese’s flavor won’t diminish as soon as you swallow it, it should linger and leave a pleasant lasting impression.

I hope this crash course helps next time you are at a cocktail party and can educate a couple of people on how to properly taste and assess cheese. Happy eating!

– Chef Jess

Chef Jess Everson teaches the Professional Certificate in the Culinary Arts and the Cuisine Certificate at the Park City Culinary Institute. Chef Jess enjoys sharing his passion and knowledge of food with other people.

Want to learn more about cheese and culinary school?
Call (801) 416-0817