CULN: Culinary Arts Certificate of Achievement
Diablo Valley College · Pleasant Hill, CA
- Cost
- $3,908
- Length
- 48 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
No outcomes reported for this program
About a third of California programs report nothing. That is a fact about the program's reporting, not evidence that it works or does not.
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 Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD (Alameda and Contra Costa Counties), 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 Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD (Alameda and Contra Costa Counties)
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD (Alameda and Contra Costa Counties) | $37,322 | $69,732 | $117,502 |
| Across California | $38,327 | $66,134 | $104,450 |
The federal Bureau of Labor Statistics' 2026 figures for Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD (Alameda and Contra Costa Counties) 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 yearOakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD: $73,470
- Projected openings
- 43,670Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD: 2,580
- 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 Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD (Alameda and Contra Costa Counties)
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD (Alameda and Contra Costa Counties) | $45,840 | $52,583 | $82,539 |
| Across California | $39,608 | $48,170 | $77,084 |
The federal Bureau of Labor Statistics' 2026 figures for Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD (Alameda and Contra Costa Counties) 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 yearOakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD: $50,598
- Projected openings
- 209,550Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD: 11,080
- 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, 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.
Show 4 more things this job involves
- Apportion and serve food to facility residents, employees, or patrons.
- Clean and inspect galley equipment, kitchen appliances, and work areas to ensure cleanliness and functional operation.
- Clean, cut, and cook meat, fish, or poultry.
- Monitor use of government food commodities to ensure that proper procedures are followed.
What this pays in Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD (Alameda and Contra Costa Counties)
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD (Alameda and Contra Costa Counties) | $43,994 | $49,776 | $64,626 |
| Across California | $38,522 | $47,565 | $61,140 |
The federal Bureau of Labor Statistics' 2026 figures for Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD (Alameda and Contra Costa Counties) 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
- $47,565per yearOakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD: $48,914
- Projected openings
- 51,210Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD: 3,080
- 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.
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 (2026-09-18). 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
Concord America`s Job Center of California / East Bay WorksComprehensive center
Phone: 925-671-4500
4071 Port Chicago HighwaySuite 250Concord, CA 94520about 5.1 miles away
Hours: M-F 8:30 am-5:00 pm
Has a veterans' representative
East Oakland Neighborhood Career CenterAffiliate site
Phone: 510-568-8349
7200 Bancroft AvenueSuite 140Oakland, CA 94605about 13.9 miles away
Hours: Monday - Thursday 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m., Friday 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
The Unity Council Career & Resource CenterAffiliate site
Phone: 510-535-6101
1900 Fruitvale AvenueOakland, CA 94601about 14.2 miles away
Hours: Monday - Friday 9:00am-5:00pm
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 →