Careers in Culinary
Culinary and hospitality careers involve much more than cooking:
- Food Service Management
- Dietitian
- Food Science
- Food safety policy
- Food Manufacturing
- Agriculture
- Entrepreneur
- Research and Development
- Test Kitchen Chef
- Corporate Hospitality
Culinary experts may even serve in financing and human services departments, run public
soup kitchens, or perform government work creating food-related policies. Culinary
graduates can also expand into food photography, public cooking demonstrations, or
work at lecturing in universities. Other opportunities include menu design, culinary
establishment consulting, food writing and even working in test kitchens.
Explore Program Outcome information for the Culinary Arts Degree program.
OCC Culinary Alumni Spotlight: Brandon Youhanna
Michigan is home to a diverse mix of eclectic cuisine. Many award-winning chefs received
their training at the Culinary Studies Institute at Oakland Community College.
OCC competition teams are nationally recognized with alumni and students winning prestigious
awards for technical skills and industry achievement.
Culinary competition opportunities are available for all students in the program.
OCC’s Ice Carving team has been National Ice Carving Champions for 11 of the past
14 seasons. For the past 10 years, OCC ice carvers have had more than 50 first-place
finishes in ice carving competitions and gone on to win the National Ice Carving Championships
in Frankenmuth.
Chef Doug: Culinary Champion, Educator, and Leader
Chef Doug is a multi-award-winning chef and educator, with Culinary Institute of America
honors, World Culinary Olympics medals, and Food Network championships. He's a long-time
instructor at Oakland Community College and currently serves as department chair and
executive chef at Orchard Lake Country Club.
Culinary Orientation
Students who want to take the next step in exploring their culinary career, should
attend one of the in-person or virtual orientation sessions below.
Students are required to attend an informal orientation to learn about the program
requirements and scheduling prior to taking CUL-1011. The session lasts for approximately
one hour. CUL-1010 may be taken before the orientation.
Visit our Culinary Photo Gallery on Flickr
Photo Gallery
5:00PM Virtual Event
Orientation sessions are mandatory for all students applying to the Culinary Program. Each session...
11:00AM Royal Oak - E Building
Orientation sessions are mandatory for all students applying to the Culinary Program. Each session...
5:00PM Virtual Event
Orientation sessions are mandatory for all students applying to the Culinary Program. Each session...
Start Your Someday Today!
Fill out our inquiry form to register for a Culinary Orientation Session. For general
questions call (248) 522-3700.
Prepare to Transfer – Even if You Are Not Planning to Today!
By planning early and working with an OCC Counselor throughout your OCC experience you will be able to maximize your OCC applicable credits
upon transfer. If you are pursuing an associate in applied science you may be able
to satisfy the Michigan Transfer Agreement by taking as few as four additional courses, saving you time, money and aggravation!
Regardless of your program of study, OCC has many Transfer Credit Agreements with colleges and universities to assist with navigating your way to a bachelor’s
degree. Visit the College Transfer Success Guide webpage for additional information and resources.
