Online - Culinary Arts & Food Operations Associate Degree

The online Culinary Arts & Food Operations associate degree program has been expertly designed by our team of chefs and educators to equip students with the foundational culinary arts skills and experience needed for a variety of food service roles. Online instructors use a proactive assessment model to provide individualized feedback on students' work through the program, meaning students get assessed on their learning path several times a week. A typical week includes cooking a variety of dishes and cuisines, assigned readings, instructional videos, individual or group projects and chef-led classes, which you can view live or on-demand.

Our carefully designed labs allow you to apply techniques covered in readings, videos and chef-led classes. You’ll be using recipes designed to develop your palate and reinforce the techniques that are at the core of cuisine.

Some of the things we’ll teach in our online culinary classes include how to:

• Properly use a knife to slice, dice and fabricate like a professional.
• Turn stocks, vegetables and flavorings into soups and sauces.
• Utilize essential skills such as grilling, sautéing, roasting and braising to prepare dishes from around the world.
• Create breads, cakes and pies that make meals truly memorable.

ICE’s Restaurant & Culinary Management portion of the program is offered completely online. These classes offer practical training in hospitality management, restaurant operations and entrepreneurship. Our experienced instructors will teach you how to develop profitable concepts, write a business plan and market your venture to a target audience. You'll get a sense of how to troubleshoot restaurant and bar management issues concerning operations and staffing, analyze changing trends and make fiscal modifications to keep a business profitable. You'll train to make strategic business decisions with case studies, role-playing and group projects; have a chance to gain valuable professional insights from prominent guest lecturers; and study menu design, social media marketing and kitchen and interior design.

Students take general education courses that are relevant to the restaurant industry and to culinary careers, such as the history and culture of food, social psychology, business communication, leadership, change management and more. You'll study subjects as they apply to the business of food service, including interpersonal communication, time management, problem-solving, critical thinking; team building and leadership; written and verbal communication strategies as they relate to recipe writing, reviewing, food blogging and culinary demonstrations; and nutrition in terms of dietary preferences and the relationship between diet, health and disease.

After you have completed your online associate degree courses, our Career Services team will help match you with a restaurant or food-related business to gain real-world experience. Students may have the opportunity to work under a restaurant manager, executive chef, head chef or sous chef. You'll get a hands-on chance to put your culinary skills to the test, make connections in the industry and gain business knowledge you can use to launch your culinary career.

Experts from all over the nation visit ICE's campuses in New York City and Los Angeles (in person and virtually) to lead professional development classes, demonstrations, lectures and events. These events are available to students and alumni for no additional charge. Culinary Arts & Food Operations online students can take advantage of these exclusive opportunities when they are available, to watch, interact with and ask questions of successful epicureans from various areas of the industry.

Upon successful completion of the online culinary school program, you’ll receive an Associate of Occupational Studies degree in Culinary Arts & Food Operations with the option to join our commencement ceremony in Los Angeles. You’ll also benefit from the ongoing support of our Career Services department, which has helped thousands of graduates secure jobs in the restaurant and hospitality industry.