Want to follow your passion? Top 7 jobs for food lovers

Are you a food enthusiast who would love a career that revolves around your passion? It might be creating scrumptious food, tasting delicious dishes, or sharing your expertise with others.

If you’re a foodie who needs a little career inspiration, here are seven top jobs for people like you.

Food writer

If you want to help other people by sharing food and restaurant reviews, recipes, or other culinary adventures, a food writer could be your ideal job. But what is a food writer? It’s a role that covers a wide variety of writing opportunities. It might be:

• running a food blog
• writing about the food industry for businesses and publications
• writing cookery books
• reviewing food and restaurants

There are no set qualifications to be a food writer, but it’s useful to have a passion for food. A background in the food industry is helpful, as is experience of writing for a living. A food writer may run their own business or be employed.

There’s no set salary range, but an in-house copywriter creating content about food might earn between £24,000 and £36,000 in the UK, and $56,000 to $85,000 in the US.

Food stylist

A food stylist makes food look irresistible for magazine articles, advertisements, or design pieces. They arrange food to create visually appealing displays. Food styling is an art that combines aesthetics with culinary knowledge. Many food stylists will also photograph their creations. They may be self-employed or work for food-related businesses.

There are no set qualifications to become a food stylist but an eye for detail, design skills, and knowledge about the foods you’re arranging can all be useful.

A food stylist can earn anywhere from £25,000 to £42,000 in the UK, and between $41,000 and $69,000 in the US.

Nutritionist

A nutritionist specialises in the study of nutrition and its impact on health. They provide evidence-based information and guidance for both individuals and groups to improve their overall health. They help people to understand the importance of balanced nutrition and healthy eating habits.

Most nutritionists have a graduate degree and possibly a master’s degree in nutrition. These courses cover food science, human physiology, and dietary principles.

Nutritionists in the UK can earn between £15,000 and £55,000, depending on whether they work in the private or public sector. In the US, a nutritionist can earn between $50,000 and $80,000.

If nutritionist is your perfect job, you might also like to read our Scientific Career guide.

Chef

When you think of the term ‘chef’, you probably imagine a chef in a restaurant. However, chefs can be found working in a variety of settings, including as a personal chef for private individuals. A chef is a professional cook who has achieved a level of seniority. Beyond cooking food, they may also design menus, create new recipes, oversee the cooking of other staff, manage kitchen staff, and work closely with restaurant owners.

Generally, there are three qualification routes into a career as a chef:

• college courses in hospitality, catering, and professional cookery
• university degrees in subjects like culinary arts, professional cookery, bakery and patisserie technology, or food and nutrition
• apprenticeships, including Production Chef or Commis Chef (level 2), Chef de Partie (level 3), and Senior Culinary Chef (level 4)

However, it is possible to sidestep the above qualification routes. You could begin as a kitchen assistant or trainee commis chef and work your way up to a chef role.

There is a wide range of chef roles and corresponding salaries. In the UK, a chef could earn between £20,000 and £80,000. In the US, the salary range is $38,000 to $80,000.

Food tours and events

If you love sharing culinary experiences, you might consider becoming a food tour guide. You’ll lead food enthusiasts through local food scenes, sharing stories and flavours along the way. Or you could arrange foodie events, like cooking masterclasses or tasting sessions.
There are no set qualifications to do either of these jobs, but the following could be useful:

• an enthusiasm for food, entertaining, local culture, and storytelling
• in-depth knowledge of the local food scene and settings
• great communication skills
• background in event management or hospitality

Due to the wide variety of food tours and events, some temporary like pop-up events while others may be ongoing throughout the year, there’s no definite salary range for this job.

Food educator

If you enjoy teaching, becoming a food educator may be the perfect job. You can teach cookery, nutrition, and other food related topics to children or adults. That might be in school, college, or university. It could be night-classes or online lessons. Or it could be events planned by restaurants.

The qualifications needed to be a food educator depend on what you’re teaching and in what context. A school, college, or university cookery teacher would generally need a degree or equivalent. However, a chef holding cookery classes as part of a pop-up event might not.

The salary for a food educator depends on whether you’re working in education or for a private business. For instance, the salary for a school cookery teacher in the UK ranges from £26,000 to £48,000. In the US, the salary range is $38,000 to $58,000.

Baker

Bakers create all kinds of baked goodies, like bread, cakes, pastries, pies, cookies, and eclairs. They might work in a commercial bakery, in a specialist or artisan bakery, as a pastry chef for a restaurant, or as a self-employed cake creator.

You don’t necessarily need any qualifications to become a baker, although training in the culinary arts is always useful. Training on the job is often available through an apprenticeship or by starting work as an assistant baker.

Baker salaries vary depending on the level of experience and setting, but an average salary range in the UK is £22,000 to £35,000. In the US, the average salary range is $33,000 to $44,000.

Wrapping it up

Whatever aspect of the foodie world you’re passionate about, there’s at least one perfect job for you. Whether you choose to work as a pastry chef, food tour guide, or restaurant reviewer, there are plenty of employment opportunities out there. Start your search with us today.