Learn what an Illinois culinary school has to offer.
Culinary School Geography Articles | Find Culinary Schools
Regional Culinary Career Articles
Is a Culinary School in Illinois for You?
When you decide to attend culinary school in Illinois, opportunities abound—especially in Chicago. The city is the cultural hub of the Midwest, and with recent U.S. Census Bureau data putting the population around 9.6 million, the Windy City is the third largest city in the U.S. and the 26th largest metropolitan area in the world.
Students attending Chicago culinary schools find themselves in the center of the Midwest's cosmopolitan food scene, with opportunities comparable to big coastal cities such as New York and Los Angeles. Star chefs Charlie Trotter and Rick Bayless make their restaurant homes here, as well as the original Morton's The Steakhouse, now a national restaurant chain powerhouse.
American Comfort Food at its Finest
There are two foods that characterize Chicago cuisine, which students attending Chicago culinary schools are sure to encounter. The locals take these dishes extremely seriously: pizza and hot dogs. While their origins might be rooted in Europe, both of these have been adopted as American comfort food favorites, and Chicagoans have developed their own "Chicago-style" pizzas. Perhaps the most famous is "Deep Dish" style, which is a thick-crusted pizza filled with meats and cheese, topped with uncooked tomato sauce and baked in a deep round pan. First invented at Pizzeria Uno in Chicago in the 1940s, it is eaten with a knife and fork and will satisfy the most voracious appetites!
A classic Chicago hot dog can be purchased from one of the many hot dog stands around the city. Using locally produced meat, often from the Vienna Beef Company or Bobak Sausage Company, Chicago hot dogs are traditionally topped with chopped onions, relish, mustard, pickle spears, tomato wedges and celery salt—with an optional topping of small, green peppers called "sport" peppers.
Culinary Careers in Illinois
Aspiring chefs who attend culinary schools in Chicago and other cities in Illinois can expect to see a 9.3 percent increase in jobs by 2019. That's a total of 47,500 new restaurant and foodservice jobs in the next 10 years. Illinois chefs are well-paid and have numerous opportunities.
Here's a look at how much Illinois chefs make each year:
| Title | Salary |
| Corporate Chef | $93,000 |
| Executive Pastry Chef | $68,000 |
| Chef Kitchen Manager | $58,000 |
| Executive Chef | $55,000 |
| Chef | $54,000 |
| Chef De Cuisine | $50,000 |
| Executive Sous Chef | $49,000 |
| Chef Manager | $46,000 |
| Pastry Chef | $44,000 |
| Sous Chef | $43,000 |
Attending Chicago Culinary Schools
In affiliation with the prestigious Le Cordon Bleu of Paris, a world-renowned culinary institute, students at The Cooking & Hospitality Institute of Chicago are trained in accordance with the Le Cordon Bleu culinary program and receive the coveted Le Cordon Bleu Diplôme upon graduation. The Institute is the only culinary school in Illinois (and one of only a handful in the Midwest) that is certified in the Le Cordon Bleu style of classical European food training.
At The International Culinary School at The Illinois Institute of Art - Chicago, students are given practical, hands-on instruction in all aspects of culinary arts and hospitality management. Aspiring chefs hone their skills at the Backstage Bistro Restaurant, where students are given the chance to show off their talents to the public. As part of one of the largest culinary academies in North America, The International Culinary School at the Illinois Institute of Art offers students a chance to receive a global education close to home.
Getting Started at a Culinary School in Illinois
Whether sampling a mix of exquisite cuisines or learning how to make them in the kitchen, students in Chicago culinary schools never stop experiencing great American cuisine. Browse All Culinary Schools' listings to find the culinary school in Chicago or Illinois that fits your needs, and embark on your exciting new career as a chef!
Culinary School Geography Articles | Find Culinary Schools
