A shortage of culinary professionals is forcing casino operators to hunt harder for qualified candidates, which is great news for culinary college students and graduates.

Great food and drink are essential to the success of any casino; their quality can make or break a property. But preparing and serving great food requires experience and training, the kind of training students at culinary colleges receive. Right now, talented culinary college grads are in demand in Atlantic City.

The Staffing Dilemma

Many of the biggest casino operators in Atlantic City are in desperate need of qualified culinary talent. In fact, with 30 high-end restaurants scheduled to open this year alone, finding enough top-quality chefs to fill these openings is a major challenge. While the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics notes that employment for chefs is expected to grow between 9 and 17 percent through 2014, the immediate need in Atlantic City is even greater. For example, the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa launched a massive effort in February to fill 1,500 jobs--60 percent of which are food and beverage related. And there are others, including Harrah's, Trump, and the Tropicana, to name a few.

Culinary College Recruiting

Knowing how important top-quality dining is, casino operators are recruiting culinary college graduates heavily to work at their properties. More importantly, high starting pay makes this a great place to begin your career right after graduation. While this may not be true for every property, at some facilities an assistant chef coming out of a two-year program can make between $30,000 and $35,000, with cooks making slightly less.

If you're looking to make a career in the culinary arts, then it's time to consider attending culinary college. And who knows, the next recruit could be you!

Sources

About the Author
AJ Fanter is a former casino marketing executive. She is presently a freelance casino direct mail writer based in Reno, Nevada.

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