Culinary Arts- Professional: AA Degree

Cost: $4,362
Length: 68 weeks
Working 6 months later: 98%

Program names, program descriptions and occupation titles appear here in English, because that is the only language the federal and state records publish them in. Everything else on this page is translated.

What happened to people who took this

People enrolled: 660

Finished the program: 17%Based on 360 peopleTypical California program: 85% of 1,951 reportingThat median pools every California program that reported this measure, whatever its length, credential, or field, and leaves out the ones that reported nothing. It is a reference point, not a rating of this program.
Working 6 months later: 98%Typical California program: 69% of 1,690 reportingThat median pools every California program that reported this measure, whatever its length, credential, or field, and leaves out the ones that reported nothing. It is a reference point, not a rating of this program.
Earnings in one quarter after: Not reported

The jobs this trains for

This describes the jobs people do, not the classes this program teaches. It comes from the U.S. Department of Labor, which asks people already doing the work. The Department publishes it in English only, so the job names and the sentences below stay in English on this page.

Trains for more than one job. The outlook shown is the weakest of them.

Where California publishes a separate figure for Napa MSA (Napa County), it appears beneath the statewide one. Statewide stays the headline: people who train here do not necessarily work here.

Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria

Job ads may call this: Cook · Sous Chef · Dinner Cook · School Cook

Some of what people in this job do. The Department rates how important each one is, and they appear in that order.

Monitor and record food temperatures to ensure food safety.
Cook foodstuffs according to menus, special dietary or nutritional restrictions, or numbers of portions to be served.
Rotate and store food supplies.
Wash pots, pans, dishes, utensils, or other cooking equipment.

Typical pay in California: $47,565per yearNapa MSA: $49,272
Projected openings: 51,210Napa MSA: 150
Projected change: +9.9%
Usually needs: No formal educational credential

Getting in

Experience needed first: None
Training after you are hired: Under a month

No earlier job experience is expected, and new hires are not put through a long training period. For work like this, a program is usually the way in.

These are the federal government's answers for the occupation, not rules this provider sets. California publishes the same two answers for every one of these jobs.

What people in this job actually studied

Most common: High school diploma — 42% of the people doing this work.

No high school diploma: 27%
High school diploma: 42%
Started college, no degree: 18%
Two-year degree: 6%
Four-year degree: 6%
Master's degree: 0.9%
Doctorate or professional degree: 0.3%

This counts people already doing this job, across the whole United States. Every other figure on this page is California's, and the federal government publishes no state version of this one. It is what people happen to have, not a rule about who gets hired. A small row does not mean you would be turned away, and a large one is not a promise of a job.

Cooks, Restaurant

Pay, hiring, and what people studied

Job ads may call this: Cook · Saucier · Fry Cook · Line Cook

Ensure food is stored and cooked at correct temperature by regulating temperature of ovens, broilers, grills, and roasters.
Inspect and clean food preparation areas, such as equipment, work surfaces, and serving areas, to ensure safe and sanitary food-handling practices.
Portion, arrange, and garnish food, and serve food to waiters or patrons.
Season and cook food according to recipes or personal judgment and experience.
Ensure freshness of food and ingredients by checking for quality, keeping track of old and new items, and rotating stock.

Typical pay in California: $46,017per yearNapa MSA: $47,585
Projected openings: 271,050Napa MSA: 2,530
Projected change: +18.5%
Usually needs: No formal educational credential

Getting in

Experience needed first: Under 5 years in a related job
Training after you are hired: 1 to 12 months

Employers usually expect some time in a related job as well as the training. Ask the provider what their graduates did before they were hired.

What people in this job actually studied

Most common: High school diploma — 42% of the people doing this work.

No high school diploma: 27%
High school diploma: 42%
Started college, no degree: 18%
Two-year degree: 6%
Four-year degree: 6%
Master's degree: 0.9%
Doctorate or professional degree: 0.3%

Program details

This is a hybrid or blended program providing both in-person and online instruction.

A program that prepares individuals to provide professional chef and related cooking services in restaurants and other commercial food establishments. Includes instruction in recipe and menu planning preparing and cooking of foods supervising and training kitchen assistants the management of food supplies and kitchen resources aesthetics of food presentation and familiarity or mastery of a wide variety of cuisines and culinary techniques.

Provider's website →

Someone else may be able to pay for this

This program was on California's Eligible Training Provider List when the state last reported it to the U.S. Department of Labor (2026-08-04). Programs on that list can be paid for through an Individual Training Account. Listings are renewed periodically and can lapse, so a program listed when the state last reported may not be listed today. Ask before you rely on it.

The place to ask is an America's Job Center of California

A comprehensive center is where all the required partner programs can be reached; an affiliate site offers some of them. California's Employment Development Department directs people to CareerOneStop's finder to locate one. Contacting a center before traveling is worth it — the state notes that its own staff are not physically present at every location.

The rule: 20 CFR 678.305 — What is a comprehensive one-stop center? · 20 CFR 678.310 — What is an affiliated site? · California EDD — Office Locator

YoloWorks! Career Center- WoodlandComprehensive center
Phone: 530-661-2641
25 North Cottonwood StreetGonzalez BuildingWoodland, CA 95695about 21.4 miles away
Hours: Monday - Friday 8:00am-4:00pm
CareerPoint NapaComprehensive center
Phone: 707-253-4134
2751 Napa Valley Corporate DriveBldg A. Suite 106Napa, CA 94559about 21.8 miles away
Hours: Monday - Friday 8:30am-4:30pm
America`s Job Center of California - FairfieldAffiliate site
Phone: 707-863-3500
500 Chadbourne RoadSuite AFairfield, CA 94534about 22 miles away
Hours: Monday - Friday, 8:00am to 5:00pm

Distances are straight-line, so the drive is longer. Call before you travel: opening hours here are as the federal directory published them, and the state notes its own staff are not present at every location.

Find a center anywhere in California, and check what is on the list today:
CareerOneStop — American Job Center Finder (U.S. DOL) · California EDD — Office Locator · California EDD — Eligible Training Provider List

How this gets paid for, and what to ask →

Whether a person can have a program paid for is decided by their local workforce development board and the America's Job Center staff who interview them — not by this site, and not by the training provider. California has 45 local workforce development areas and each sets its own policies, so the answer can differ between two people in neighboring counties. Nothing here is a promise of funding or a determination of eligibility.

The rules cited here, and the state and federal sites linked to, are published in English.

How this site gets its figures, and what they do not tell you →