Do you have an interest in the culinary arts? If so, you might be interested in reading an article that was recently published in the New York Times. According to this article, many people who pursue careers in the culinary arts ultimately find themselves spending less time in the kitchen and more time in the boardroom.

“As you move up, you do less cooking,” said Frederic Mayo, who is a clinical professor of hospitality and tourism management at New York University’s School of Continuing and Professional Studies, in the New York Times article. “You need more skills than cooking skills – more accounting, more marketing, more management.”

Many people pursuing a career in culinary arts are also finding that it is no longer enough to simply earn a degree in cooking. Rather, many are heading back to school in order to earn bachelor’s degrees in hospitality management. This way, they can learn more about the management of food and beverages as well as gaining a greater understanding of the financial aspects that are involved with running a business.

In order to better prepare future chefs for running a successful business while still putting their culinary skills to work, some schools are offering new and more innovative programs of study. The Culinary Institute of America and Cornell’s School of Hotel Administration, for example, have come together to form a joint program for juniors attending Cornell. With this program, juniors can transfer from Cornell – where no cooking takes place – to the Culinary Institute of America. Here, they can pursue a degree in hospitality management.

“You can go into hospitality management without culinary training,” says Peter Rainsford, who is the vice president for academic affairs at the Culinary Institute of America, in the New York Times article. “But the Cornellians who go into hospitality are relying on someone else for the culinary expertise. The pure culinarian who understands the food and flavor profiles and food preparation can partner with someone with the business skills.”

With this new dual program, Rainsford says students can enjoy “the best of both worlds.” So, if you are interested in becoming a chef with your own business, pursuing one of these dual programs may be just the answer you are looking for.