Culinary Essentials
Merced County Office of Education · Merced, CA
- Cost
- $0
- Length
- 18 weeks
- Working 6 months later
- 67%
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
- 16
Small group — treat with caution
- Finished the program
- 75%Based on 12 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
- 67%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
- $5,525A single quarter of earnings, roughly three months, not a yearly salary. Do not compare it directly with the yearly pay shown for the occupation.Typical California program: $10,900 of 1,339 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.
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 Merced MSA (Merced County), it appears beneath the statewide one. Statewide stays the headline: people who train here do not necessarily work here.
First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers
Job ads may call this: Kitchen Manager · Cafeteria Manager · Dietary Supervisor · Kitchen Supervisor
Some of what people in this job do. The Department rates how important each one is, and they appear in that order.
- Compile and balance cash receipts at the end of the day or shift.
- Forecast staff, equipment, and supply requirements, based on a master menu.
- Assess nutritional needs of patients, plan special menus, supervise the assembly of regular and special diet trays, and oversee the delivery of food trolleys to hospital patients.
- Perform personnel actions, such as hiring and firing staff, providing employee orientation and training, and conducting supervisory activities, such as creating work schedules or organizing employee time sheets.
Show 3 more things this job involves
- Record production, operational, and personnel data on specified forms.
- Resolve customer complaints regarding food service.
- Estimate ingredients and supplies required to prepare a recipe.
- Typical pay in California
- $48,170per yearMerced MSA: $46,567
- Projected openings
- 209,550Merced MSA: 1,060
- Projected change
- +10.2%
- Usually needs
- High school diploma or equivalent
Getting in
- Experience needed first
- Under 5 years in a related job
- Training after you are hired
- None
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.
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 — 36% of the people doing this work.
California says this job usually needs: High school diploma or equivalent. 11% of the people doing it went less far than that.
- No high school diploma
- 11%
- High school diploma
- 36%
- Started college, no degree
- 27%
- Two-year degree
- 10%
- Four-year degree
- 14%
- Master's degree
- 2%
- Doctorate or professional degree
- 0.5%
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, Institution and Cafeteria
Pay, hiring, and what people studied
Job ads may call this: Cook · Sous Chef · Dinner Cook · School Cook
- 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 yearMerced MSA: $45,169
- Projected openings
- 51,210Merced MSA: 240
- 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.
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%
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 yearMerced MSA: $38,813
- Projected openings
- 271,050Merced MSA: 960
- 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 program provides in-person instruction only.
A program that focuses on the general study of the cooking and related culinary arts and that may prepare individuals for a variety of jobs within the food service industry. Includes instruction in food preparation cooking techniques equipment operation and maintenance sanitation and safety communication skills applicable regulations and principles of food service management.
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
EDD Merced WSB / Merced County WorknetComprehensive center
Phone: 209-726-5407 EDD Merced WSB / 877-267-9675 Merced County Worknet
1205 West 18th StreetMerced, CA 95340about 5.3 miles away
Hours: Monday- Friday 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.; First Thursday of every month 8:00 am - 7:00 pm.
Has a veterans' representative
WorkNet Merced CountyComprehensive center
Phone: 209-724-2100/Merced EDD WSB -209-728-5407
445 I St. Bldg. ABldg. ALos Banos, CA 93635about 22.5 miles away
Hours: Monday - Friday 8:00am to 5:00pm
Has a veterans' representative
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 →