Culinary Arts-AA Degree
Woodland Community College · Woodland, CA
- Cost
- $4,060
- Length
- 144 weeks
- Working 6 months later
- Not reported
Program names and program descriptions appear here in English, because that is the only language the federal and state records publish them in. Occupation titles are translated where O*NET publishes a Spanish name. Everything else on this page is translated.
What happened to people who took this
- People enrolled
- 112
Small group — treat with caution
- Finished the program
- Not reported
- Working 6 months later
- 100%
- 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 Chico MSA (Butte County), it appears beneath the statewide one. Statewide stays the headline: people who train here do not necessarily work here.
Chefs and Head Cooks
Job ads may call this: Chef · Cook · Head Cook · Sous Chef
Some of what people in this job do. The Department rates how important each one is, and they appear in that order.
- Monitor sanitation practices to ensure that employees follow standards and regulations.
- Instruct cooks or other workers in the preparation, cooking, garnishing, or presentation of food.
- Supervise or coordinate activities of cooks or workers engaged in food preparation.
- Order or requisition food or other supplies needed to ensure efficient operation.
Show 4 more things this job involves
- Inspect supplies, equipment, or work areas to ensure conformance to established standards.
- Check the quantity and quality of received products.
- Check the quality of raw or cooked food products to ensure that standards are met.
- Estimate amounts and costs of required supplies, such as food and ingredients.
What this pays in Chico MSA (Butte County)
Each bar runs from the lowest-paid tenth to the highest-paid tenth. The darker middle is where half the people are, and the line is the median.
| Area | The lowest-paid tenth earn under | Half earn under | The highest-paid tenth earn over |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chico MSA (Butte County) | $36,051 | $57,408 | $83,657 |
| Across California | $38,327 | $66,134 | $104,450 |
The federal Bureau of Labor Statistics' 2026 figures for Chico MSA (Butte County) beside the same figures for the whole state. A region can sit well below or above the statewide spread, and the statewide number is the one most often quoted — so where they differ, the local row is the one that describes the work near this program.
- Typical pay in California
- $66,134per yearChico MSA: $62,343
- Projected openings
- 43,670Chico MSA: 120
- Projected change
- +11%
- Usually needs
- High school diploma or equivalent
Getting in
- Experience needed first
- 5 years or more in a related job
- Training after you are hired
- None
Most people hired for this job have already spent 5 years or more in a related one. Finishing this program may not be enough on its own. Ask the provider who hires their graduates, and what those people did before.
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.
First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers
Pay, hiring, and what people studied
Job ads may call this: Kitchen Manager · Cafeteria Manager · Dietary Supervisor · Kitchen Supervisor
- 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 4 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.
- Train workers in food preparation, and in service, sanitation, and safety procedures.
What this pays in Chico MSA (Butte County)
Each bar runs from the lowest-paid tenth to the highest-paid tenth. The darker middle is where half the people are, and the line is the median.
| Area | The lowest-paid tenth earn under | Half earn under | The highest-paid tenth earn over |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chico MSA (Butte County) | $40,706 | $47,063 | $71,783 |
| Across California | $39,608 | $48,170 | $77,084 |
The federal Bureau of Labor Statistics' 2026 figures for Chico MSA (Butte County) beside the same figures for the whole state. A region can sit well below or above the statewide spread, and the statewide number is the one most often quoted — so where they differ, the local row is the one that describes the work near this program.
- Typical pay in California
- $48,170per yearChico MSA: $46,578
- Projected openings
- 209,550Chico MSA: 990
- 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.
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.
Show 4 more things this job involves
- Ensure freshness of food and ingredients by checking for quality, keeping track of old and new items, and rotating stock.
- Coordinate and supervise work of kitchen staff.
- Bake, roast, broil, and steam meats, fish, vegetables, and other foods.
- Weigh, measure, and mix ingredients according to recipes or personal judgment, using various kitchen utensils and equipment.
What this pays in Chico MSA (Butte County)
Each bar runs from the lowest-paid tenth to the highest-paid tenth. The darker middle is where half the people are, and the line is the median.
| Area | The lowest-paid tenth earn under | Half earn under | The highest-paid tenth earn over |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chico MSA (Butte County) | $36,307 | $38,942 | $46,899 |
| Across California | $38,040 | $46,017 | $56,988 |
The federal Bureau of Labor Statistics' 2026 figures for Chico MSA (Butte County) beside the same figures for the whole state. A region can sit well below or above the statewide spread, and the statewide number is the one most often quoted — so where they differ, the local row is the one that describes the work near this program.
- Typical pay in California
- $46,017per yearChico MSA: $39,101
- Projected openings
- 271,050Chico MSA: 1,290
- 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.
Program details
This program provides in-person instruction only.
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.
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 (2026-09-18). 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.
Ask before you enroll, not after
The order the rules set out starts at the center rather than at the school. Before a center can find somebody eligible for training services it has to gather enough to decide, at a minimum through an interview, evaluation or assessment and career planning. Referring a person to the provider they have chosen and setting up the account both come after that, and both are the center's to do — the account is a payment agreement with the training provider, and it is the provider that is paid through it. So the call belongs before enrolling and before paying. Anyone who has already done either should still ask, and ask what it means for them.
The place to ask is an America's Job Center of California
Nations Finest OfficeAffiliate site
Phone: 530-809-2831
535 Wall StreetChico, CA 95928about 1.9 miles away
Hours: Monday -Friday 8:00am-5:00pm
Alliance for Workforce Development, Inc.Comprehensive center
Phone: 530-961-5125
500 Cohasset Road, Suite # 30Chico, CA 95926about 3.6 miles away
Hours: Monday - -Friday 8:000am - 5:00pm
Has a veterans' representative
Alliance for Workforce Development Inc.-OrovilleComprehensive center
Phone: 530-538-7301
78 Table Mountain BlvdButte Co. Dept. of Employment and Social ServicesOroville, CA 95965about 18.8 miles away
Hours: Monday - Friday 8:00am - 5:00pm
Has a veterans' representative
At a comprehensive center all the required partner programs can be reached; an affiliate site offers some of them. 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 →