Many people I know are passionate about food, ingredients, want to learn more and try world cuisines but the same individuals don’t like to cook. So how does one turn their passion for food into a career without working in the kitchen? Today there are ample opportunities in the culinary industry; from running owning/operating a restaurant to teaching food history, being a food influencer to cookbook publishing — So, even if you don’t want to be a chef, this is a great time to enter the food world.
Want to make food the centre of your world, here are exciting career roles that are beyond the kitchen.
1. Culinary Trendologist
Culinary trendologists spend most of their time performing market research – reading blogs, watching shows, reading magazines, and, sampling new brands and of course, eating out a lot! They are the ones who decide what the new food craze will be; often brands and restaurants hire trendologists to structure their menu and which items to feature.
2. Forager
A professional forager is someone who wanders in the wild (fields and forests) in search of numerous varieties of edible mushrooms and other fresh ingredients. They also keep an eye out for any novel items and ingredients for clients especially the ones who want to showcase indigenous ingredients
3. Flavour Guru
A food taster is a professional whose main task is to taste food with the purpose of testing for that perfect flavour profile and of course safety. They sample and adjust flavours over and over until they are completely satisfied by taking a small bite and focusing on its key components. They usually avoid swallowing the food and use water to clean their palates between samples.
4. Gourmet Food Buyer/Distributor
In addition to travelling overseas for food conventions and attending local food festivals, a food buyer studies what comes off the shelf as much as what goes onto it. The job requires an evaluation of the product mix and what should be discontinued or added to the stock.
5. Culinary Historian
If digging deeper into the universe of culinary cultures intrigues you, if you google every ingredient to learn about its history and are passionate about understanding food in its historical and contemporary contexts, then this is your calling. Job opportunities include writing, teaching and research. Movie Producers and Television Producers hire Culinary Historians to make sure the food being served in their movies is accurate.
6. Restaurant Publicist
Have amazing social skills and love eating out? You might find your calling as a restaurant publicist. These über-communicators work with restaurants in order to keep them in the news and ensure the restaurants get footfall. Writing a press release, handling media events, social media presence, book a TV appearance for the chef, are just few of the job responsibilities.
7. Food Stylist
Food stylists are in-charge of the visual presentation of the cuisine, ingredients or brand in advertisements. A food stylist may even help chefs showcase their creations with the perfect plating techniques.