Culinary Schools in Florida

Florida is one of the most densely populated states in the country, with over 19.5 million residents. The state reaches its peak during summer, when vacationers crowd the state’s largest cities of Jacksonville, Miami, and Tampa. Tourist season presents lots of opportunities for new chefs to prove their skills.

Residents and visitors alike have a wide range of restaurants and cuisines to choose from while dining in Florida. Some of Florida’s busiest restaurants are Baoli Miami, the Bazaar, and STK Miami. If you plan on working in Florida, it’s important to be innovative and unique with your cooking. Residents enjoy frequent menu changes, and preferences vary with every new wave of tourists.

School Information: 

With 53 culinary schools, it is clear that Florida takes cooking very seriously. The average cost of tuition in Florida is $7,179, and the average scholarship award is $1,540. Overall, you can complete a one or two-year program with very little student debt.

One of the first steps to succeeding in culinary school is figuring out what type of degree you want. Since there are so many schools in Florida, you have many options. The shortest is a culinary certificate, which you can generally complete in one year or less. The next step up is an Associate’s degree, which is a bit more comprehensive and requires two years of full-time study. The longest undergraduate option is a Bachelor’s degree, which requires four years of full-time study. Two schools in Florida also offer Master’s degrees.

Culinary Schools in Florida

Total Schools:53
Undergraduate Programs:53
Graduate Programs:2
Average Acceptance Rate:70%
Average Tuition Cost:$7,179
Average Loan Amount:$5,727
Average Scholarship Award:$1,540
Average Classroom Size:18 Students

All Florida culinary programs cover the same group of topics: how to quickly and accurately prepare different type of food, how to consistently meet state health standards, and how to work efficiently in any type of kitchen.

This starts with basic cooking skills, like prepping food for dinner service, prioritizing and carrying out kitchen tasks, and following the rules of your executive chef. You will continue to build on these core skills throughout the course of your program, while also learning more advanced cooking skills.

Employment Information: 

While there are generally lots of career opportunities in Florida, the job openings available to you depend on where you live and if you are willing to relocate. You may work for a catering company or as a private chef, both of which require working erratic hours. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that fully 46% of chefs work in restaurant settings. You may work as a line chef for an established restaurant or, if you have business skills, you may choose to open your own restaurant.

In Florida, some of the largest culinary employers include Gate Gourmet, Del Frisco’s Grille, and BBRG.

Florida offers lots of flexibility to its cooks and chefs by not requiring them to become licensed or certified. However, many employers require you to complete their specific food safety training to maintain safety standards in the kitchen.

American Culinary Federation certification is an optional certification you can pursue to demonstrate your abilities to potential employers.

When you start out as a chef, you typically start as a line chef. Your salary potential tends to increase as you move through the ranks of line chef, sous chef, and executive chef. Even within each rank, there are great variances in salary. The average salary for a cook in Florida is $22,600 per year, while the average salary for a chef is $46,700 per year (O*Net, 2012).

In general, the job outlook for cooks and chefs in Florida is significantly brighter than national averages. O*Net predicts that the demand for chefs in Florida will increase by 8% between 2010 and 2020, significantly more than the national average. The demand for cooks is expected to grow by 24% in the same time frame (O*Net, 2010).

Culinary Schools in Florida
(Lake Worth,FL)
• Culinary Arts
• Suburban Campus Setting
(Miami,FL)
• Baking and Pastry Arts
• Culinary Arts and Chef Training
• Culinary Arts
• $17,604 Tuition Cost
• $1,319 Scholarship and Financial Aid Awards
• Urban Campus Setting
(Coconut Creek,FL)
• Culinary Arts and Chef Training
• $1,566 Scholarship and Financial Aid Awards
• Suburban Campus Setting
(Fort Lauderdale,FL)
• Culinary Arts
• $1,810 Tuition Cost
• $1,573 Scholarship and Financial Aid Awards
• Suburban Campus Setting
(Port Charlotte,FL)
• Culinary Arts and Chef Training
• $2,773 Tuition Cost
• $980 Scholarship and Financial Aid Awards
• Suburban Campus Setting
(Marianna,FL)
• Culinary Arts
• $2,365 Tuition Cost
• $4,333 Scholarship and Financial Aid Awards
• Suburban Campus Setting
(Tampa,FL)
• Culinary Arts and Chef Training
• $2,804 Tuition Cost
• $922 Scholarship and Financial Aid Awards
• Urban Campus Setting
(Daytona Beach,FL)
• Culinary Arts and Chef Training
• Culinary Arts
• $3,134 Tuition Cost
• $2,108 Scholarship and Financial Aid Awards
• Urban Campus Setting
(Cocoa,FL)
• Culinary Arts and Chef Training
• $1,892 Tuition Cost
• $2,463 Scholarship and Financial Aid Awards
• Suburban Campus Setting
(Saint Augustine,FL)
• Culinary Arts and Chef Training
• Suburban Campus Setting
(Palm Coast,FL)
• Culinary Arts and Chef Training
• $700 Scholarship and Financial Aid Awards
• Suburban Campus Setting
(Jacksonville,FL)
• Culinary Arts and Chef Training
• Culinary Arts
• $2,076 Tuition Cost
• $1,594 Scholarship and Financial Aid Awards
• Urban Campus Setting
(Orlando,FL)
• Baking and Pastry Arts
• Culinary Arts
• $928 Scholarship and Financial Aid Awards
• Suburban Campus Setting
(Fort Myers,FL)
• Culinary Arts and Chef Training
• $945 Scholarship and Financial Aid Awards
• Urban Campus Setting
(Pensacola,FL)
• Culinary Arts and Chef Training
• $276 Scholarship and Financial Aid Awards
• Suburban Campus Setting
(Panama City,FL)
• Culinary Arts
• $2,042 Tuition Cost
• $4,871 Scholarship and Financial Aid Awards
• Urban Campus Setting
(Tampa,FL)
• Culinary Arts and Chef Training
• Culinary Arts
• $1,931 Tuition Cost
• $2,120 Scholarship and Financial Aid Awards
• Urban Campus Setting
(Immokalee,FL)
• Culinary Arts and Chef Training
• $530 Scholarship and Financial Aid Awards
• Suburban Campus Setting
(North Miami,FL)
• Baking and Pastry Arts
• Culinary Arts and Chef Training
• Culinary Arts
• $26,112 Tuition Cost
• $10,782 Scholarship and Financial Aid Awards
• Suburban Campus Setting
(Fort Lauderdale,FL)
• Culinary Arts and Chef Training
• $14,784 Tuition Cost
• $2,018 Scholarship and Financial Aid Awards
• Urban Campus Setting
(Eustis,FL)
• Culinary Arts and Chef Training
• $398 Scholarship and Financial Aid Awards
• Suburban Campus Setting
(Miramar,FL)
• Baking and Pastry Arts
• Culinary Arts and Chef Training
• $12,912 Tuition Cost
• $2,473 Scholarship and Financial Aid Awards
• Suburban Campus Setting
(Orlando,FL)
• Baking and Pastry Arts
• Culinary Arts and Chef Training
• Culinary Arts
• $12,912 Tuition Cost
• $1,500 Scholarship and Financial Aid Awards
• Suburban Campus Setting
(Cape Coral,FL)
• Culinary Arts and Chef Training
• $1,345 Scholarship and Financial Aid Awards
• Urban Campus Setting
(West Palm Beach,FL)
• Culinary Arts and Chef Training
• Culinary Arts
• $13,500 Tuition Cost
• $3,425 Scholarship and Financial Aid Awards
• Urban Campus Setting
(Miami,FL)
• Culinary Arts and Chef Training
• $371 Scholarship and Financial Aid Awards
• Urban Campus Setting
(Tallahassee,FL)
• Culinary Arts and Chef Training
• $503 Scholarship and Financial Aid Awards
• Urban Campus Setting
(Naples,FL)
• Culinary Arts and Chef Training
• $458 Scholarship and Financial Aid Awards
• Suburban Campus Setting
(Bradenton,FL)
• Culinary Arts and Chef Training
• $825 Scholarship and Financial Aid Awards
• Suburban Campus Setting
(New Port Richey,FL)
• Culinary Arts and Chef Training
• $479 Scholarship and Financial Aid Awards
• Suburban Campus Setting
(Ocala,FL)
• Culinary Arts and Chef Training
• $419 Scholarship and Financial Aid Awards
• Urban Campus Setting
(Miami,FL)
• Culinary Arts
• $2,483 Tuition Cost
• $1,697 Scholarship and Financial Aid Awards
• Urban Campus Setting
(Miami Lakes,FL)
• Culinary Arts and Chef Training
• $661 Scholarship and Financial Aid Awards
• Suburban Campus Setting
(Orlando,FL)
• Culinary Arts and Chef Training
• $1,400 Scholarship and Financial Aid Awards
• Suburban Campus Setting
(Orlando,FL)
• Culinary Arts
• Suburban Campus Setting
(Orlando,FL)
• Culinary Arts and Chef Training
• Urban Campus Setting
(Pensacola,FL)
• Culinary Arts and Chef Training
• Culinary Arts
• $2,051 Tuition Cost
• $1,724 Scholarship and Financial Aid Awards
• Urban Campus Setting
(Clearwater,FL)
• Culinary Arts and Chef Training
• Suburban Campus Setting
(Saint Petersburg,FL)
• Culinary Arts and Chef Training
• Urban Campus Setting
(Milton,FL)
• Culinary Arts and Chef Training
• $2,502 Tuition Cost
• $986 Scholarship and Financial Aid Awards
• Rural Campus Setting
(Miami,FL)
• Culinary Arts and Chef Training
• $250 Scholarship and Financial Aid Awards
• Suburban Campus Setting
(Sarasota,FL)
• Culinary Arts and Chef Training
• $1,251 Scholarship and Financial Aid Awards
• Suburban Campus Setting
(Hollywood,FL)
• Culinary Arts and Chef Training
• $1,193 Scholarship and Financial Aid Awards
• Suburban Campus Setting
(Avon Park,FL)
• Culinary Arts and Chef Training
• $3,135 Tuition Cost
• $594 Scholarship and Financial Aid Awards
• Rural Campus Setting
(Kissimmee,FL)
• Culinary Arts and Chef Training
• $852 Scholarship and Financial Aid Awards
• Suburban Campus Setting
(Fort Lauderdale,FL)
• Baking and Pastry Arts
• Culinary Arts and Chef Training
• Culinary Arts
• $17,604 Tuition Cost
• $1,321 Scholarship and Financial Aid Awards
• Urban Campus Setting
(Lakeland,FL)
• Culinary Arts and Chef Training
• $2,752 Tuition Cost
• $832 Scholarship and Financial Aid Awards
• Rural Campus Setting
(Orlando,FL)
• Baking and Pastry Arts
• Culinary Arts and Chef Training
• Culinary Arts
• $1,888 Tuition Cost
• $1,879 Scholarship and Financial Aid Awards
• Urban Campus Setting
(Jacksonville,FL)
• Culinary Arts
• $4,406 Tuition Cost
• $874 Scholarship and Financial Aid Awards
• Urban Campus Setting
(Chipley,FL)
• Culinary Arts and Chef Training
• $653 Scholarship and Financial Aid Awards
• Suburban Campus Setting
(Winter Garden,FL)
• Culinary Arts and Chef Training
• $1,909 Scholarship and Financial Aid Awards
• Suburban Campus Setting
(Davie,FL)
• Baking and Pastry Arts
• Culinary Arts and Chef Training
• $1,557 Scholarship and Financial Aid Awards
• Suburban Campus Setting
(Inverness,FL)
• Culinary Arts and Chef Training
• $511 Scholarship and Financial Aid Awards
• Suburban Campus Setting