Montana Organic Food Movement Inspires Locals Culinary Arts

While dude ranches and Rocky Mountain oysters may come to mind when Montana enters the conversation, this large northern state boasts a surprisingly progressive culinary landscape. Building on its agricultural roots, Montana food manufacturers and restaurants are shifting their focus from traditional products and cuisine to food that's organic and, in many cases, purely local. In 2006, 12 Missoula-area organic farmers began to offer products that were not only organic, but officially stamped as "homegrown" by the USDA. This movement away from big business has spurred restaurant managers, head chefs, and many other culinary enthusiasts to "stay local" when it comes to stuffing faces and filling bellies.

Montana Culinary Schools Organic Focus

If the organic food movement has inspired your gastronomic gifts, culinary school can help turn your interests into bona fide, marketable job skills. Cooking classes offer the basics of the kitchen, followed by the essentials of menu creation, customer service, and presentation. More sophisticated courses introduce staff management and culinary business practices. And if you have a specific culinary niche, many chef training programs have courses that specialize in the unique--even organic and homegrown.

As with any career path, education and experience can help pave the way to professional success and healthy paychecks. Salary.com reports that executive chefs in the Missoula, MT area earn between $32,756 and $73,233 per year, depending on education and experience. Explore top culinary schools in your area, or online, to see if a career in cooking is right for you

Featured Schools

Le Cordon Bleu Schools of North America

Bring Your Fire to the Plate. Le Cordon Bleu. Learn the Way.

Campus Locations:

Orlando
Scottsdale

Programs:

Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Scottsdale - Certificate in Culinary Arts
Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Orlando - 12 Month Certificate in Culinary Arts