8 Culinary Internships for High School Students
If you’re a high school student looking for culinary internships, then this list is for you! We’ve compiled a list of 8 immersive and competitive culinary arts internship opportunities open to high school students.
Internships offer a host of benefits. They give you the chance to form professional connections and acquire mentors and references. They open the door to future opportunities by giving you a foundation in essential skills. And they provide you with the chance to apply classroom concepts to real-world projects.
High school is a great time to do a culinary arts internship, in particular. Culinary arts is a huge career field so mastering the basics early gives you a pretty big advantage on college applications. An internship will also help you narrow down your specific interest; like whether you want to focus on patisserie, becoming a chef, or work in nutrition. Having clearly defined interests and goals will help you choose a university or college that aligns with your dreams and will show admissions counselors that you are passionate and diligent.
Without further ado, let’s dive right in!
Foodwise is non-profit organization in the Bay Area dedicated to creating a sustainable, equitable food future. Their Foodwise Teen program consists of three culinary track internships for teens: the Seed program, Grow program, and Cultivate program. The Cultivate program is their internship equivalent and happens during the summer months. It connects teens to various job placements around the community and provides mentorship and career coaching.
The internship runs for six weeks and you can expect to prepare food, learn new cooking techniques, and practice plating and presenting food. You’ll get to learn about your local food community and you’ll get mentorship and coaching from industry experts. You’ll walk away from this internship with a solid foundation in culinary arts, references and potentially letters of recommendation, and a portfolio of dishes to share on your college applications.
Cost: None. This position is paid.
Location: San Francisco, CA
Application deadline: Applications open six weeks before the session start date.
Program dates: The program typically starts in mid to late June and runs through July.
Eligibility: you must be a student in grades 9-12 at one of these schools:
· John O’Connell High School
· The Academy – San Francisco @ McAteer
· Mission High School
Future Chefs is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping Boston youth enter promising culinary careers. They offer three programs: FC Prepares, FC Delivers, and FC Sustains. The first program is a short, introductory after-school program. You’ll learn essential home and commercial kitchen skills and get an eagle eye view of potential career paths in the culinary arts. You can expect to learn how to make a variety of dishes and practice the fundamentals of cooking and baking. If you complete 90% of the FC Prepares program, you become eligible for the second program, FC Delivers.
The second program is a 2-year paid internship coupled with mentorship and career counseling. One of the huge benefits of this program is guaranteed employment and job training for half of your high school career. That can mean potentially big savings for college, great references and letters of recommendation, and well-honed skills in your chosen field. You’ll work in a cohort to create culinary dishes and baking masterpieces. You’ll also have academic sessions on nutrition and wellness, and complete a career plan so you have a clear idea of how to reach your goals. If you successfully complete FC Delivers, you’ll be eligible for their post-high school program as well.
Cost: None. The first stage of the program is free and the second and third stage are paid.
Location: Boston, MA
Application deadline: Rolling acceptance
Program dates: Program dates:
· FC Prepare: this program runs on a 4-week cycle during the academic year.
· FC Delivers: 2-year program during you junior and senior year
· FC Sustains: 2-year program that begins immediately after graduation
Eligibility: must be a Boston resident high school student. The different programs also have different requirements:
· FC prepares: must be high school sophomore or junior.
· FC delivers: must be a high school junior or senior and you must have completed FC Prepares. You must also be eligible to work in the United States.
· FC sustains: must have graduated from high school and completed FC prepares and FC Delivers.
Walnut Hill College is one of the most prestigious culinary colleges in the United States. It offers a program called the Summer Institute, which is designed for highly motivated high school students who are looking for a competitive edge in their culinary training. This program has many of the same attributes as a traditional internship, which is why it’s included in this list. The Institute is open to high school juniors and lasts three days. You’ll explore career options within restaurants and the wider hospitality industry.
You’ll attend off campus events like field trips and networking opportunities. You can expect to take classes and cook as a chef-in-training, create world-class pastries, and attend lectures on culinary management. This program gives you the chance to connect with some of the best culinary faculty in the U.S., try out your baking and cooking skills with top-notch mentorship, and get a close look at the career options that are best for you.
Cost: $525
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Application deadline: Applications remain open until July 1st of each year, but it’s best to apply at least three months in advance to ensure a spot.
Program dates: The summer institute is typically offered twice during the month of July.
Eligibility: You must be a rising high school senior to participate in this program.
Greener Partners offers the Urban Farming Teen Internship in West Philadelphia. This Internship is made available through the Philadelphia Youth Network, a non-profit organization that has a variety of opportunities for teens in the Philadelphia area. The Urban Farming Teen Internship is a 4 to 6-week internship that takes place in July and August. You’ll receive training on urban farming, food sovereignty, sustainability, and cooking and nutrition. This comprehensive internship will help you understand the full food journey in an urban setting. You’ll see exactly where food comes from and learn to transform it into restaurant-quality meals. This program has a big emphasis on teamwork and problem solving, both essential skills in any culinary environment where you’ll be part of a kitchen crew.
Previous activities include practicing garden planning and maintenance, harvesting seasonal crops, and compositing. You’ll also study concepts of food justice and urban harvesting. You’ll attend lectures on food history to learn about culinary and cultural uses of plants. You’ll also go on field trips to explore career opportunities and network with local chefs and cooks.
You’ll gain a unique understanding of food from farm to table and build a solid foundation of recipes and techniques to prepare you for college or culinary school. You’ll also have the chance to build relationships with professionals in your community, setting you up for future career opportunities.
Cost: None. This internship is paid.
Location: Belmont neighborhood, West Philadelphia, PA
Application deadline: Applications open in the spring for the summer program.
Program dates: The program begins in July and lasts 4-6 weeks depending.
Eligibility: You must be a high school student, ages 14-12, who lives or attends school in West Philadelphia.
The LA Cocina Culinary Youth Training Program is hosted by LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes, a non-profit organization in Los Angeles, California. This program provides job-ready skills for young people looking to enter the restaurant and hospitality industry. You’ll attend hands-on cooking classes to learn the basics of kitchen safety and recipe execution. You’ll also receive assistance with crafting a killer culinary resume and printed course materials to take with you to future schooling and jobs. You’ll attend multiple networking events where you can meet chefs, restaurateurs, and culinary schools’ admissions officers. You’ll be able to ask questions and make important connections that can open doors to future opportunities. Finally, you’ll receive ample professional development resources, like recipe books.
Cost: None.
Location: Los Angeles, California
Application deadline: Applications for the 2024 academic year haven’t opened yet, so keep an eye on the website for updates.
Program dates: This program runs in 10-week cycles during the school year or for a 5-week accelerated cycle during the summer.
Eligibility: You must be between 16-24 years of age.
The prestigious Culinary Arts and Cooking Camp by CampusNYC has many of the same aspects of a traditional internship and also the benefits of a rigorous and competitive academic experience. During this program, you’ll create your own recipes, replicate tried and true recipes from some of the top chefs in your area, and then visit and sample food from local, top tier restaurants. You can expect to tour different culinary regions in your city like Chinatown in New York, or Little Italy and Soho.
You’ll choose between two concentrations: Savory or Pastry and then spend your time at camp specializing in that field. You’ll learn from top chefs, giving you the chance to build relationships with industry leaders. You’ll also work with professional-level equipment and learn how to expertly plate your food. You’ll leave this camp with a mastery of foundational culinary skills, invaluable professional connections, and specialized knowledge in your chosen concentration. You’ll also leave with professional development resources, like a 300-page recipe book, to help you continue your growth and skill development.
Cost:
· 1-week residential program: $4,495
· 1-week day student program: $2695
Location: Multiple locations are available:
· New York City
· Austin, TX
· Los Angeles, CA
· Washington, DC
· Seattle, WA
Application deadline: Applications remain open until the program is full. This program frequently sells out, so it’s wise to apply in the spring.
Program dates: Camp lasts 1 week, and 7 sessions are offered throughout the summer.
Eligibility: The camp is for people ages 12-17.
The Culinary-Focused and Customer Service Internship is hosted by the Stephen Taber, a schooner that runs off the coast of Maine during the summer. You can apply through the Maine Tourism Association website, which has other listings as well. During this rigorous internship, you’ll cook, bake, and prepare meals for passengers and crew. You’ll get to cook on a wood-burning stove and over a campfire, unique experiences that will help you understand temperature and a wide range of techniques that many cooks, chefs, and bakers never learn.
You’ll learn to write menus and how to maintain a professional kitchen in terms of cleanliness and preparedness for meals. There is a huge teamwork component to this internship, since you’ll be on the boat with your crew members and galley crew for 10-14 days. The teamwork and collaboration skills you learn here will be a huge advantage in future culinary jobs. You’ll gain real-world experience, mastery of kitchen maintenance, and unique cooking and baking skills by the end of this internship. You’ll also get to sail around the coast of Maine during the most beautiful time of the year and make friendships that could last a lifetime.
Cost: None. This position is paid. A bunk and all meals are also provided.
Location: Rockland, Maine
Application deadline: This position remains open until filled.
Program dates: Opportunities are available May-October.
Eligibility: You must:
· Be eligible to work in the United States
· Have completed at least one year of a high school culinary program, and
· Be at least 17 years of age at the start of your internship
The Cornucopia Project, a non-profit organization dedicated to healthy people, a healthy planet, and a sustainable future, offers a wide variety of internships through their Culinary Internships program. These internships are designed for high school students and are updated on a continuous basis. You can apply for any of their offered internships through the Cornucopia Project website.
Some of the opportunities include internships at bakeries where you learn the ins and outs of café and bakery production. You’ll learn how to craft soups and even assist with decorating wedding cakes. You could also intern at a creamery where you learn about cheese making, handling sales, and master making yogurt. You can also pursue an internship in a more traditional restaurant setting and learn from-scratch cooking, plating, and presentation. The chefs and professionals that partner with the Cornucopia Project are top notch and include graduates from institutes like Loyola University and the Culinary Institute of America.
You’ll get to choose the internship that sparks your passion and some internships come with a job offer at the end. You’ll get focused mentorship and support from the bakers and chefs at your placement, and you’ll get to refine skills well beyond the basics. You’ll finish your internship with dozens of hours of experience and a large portfolio of dishes to include in your college applications.
Cost: None.
Location: Internships typically take place in Peterborough, NH
Application deadline: Internships remain open until they are filled, and the Cornucopia Project is constantly adding new internships to their listings.
Program dates: Most internships last a semester or a full academic year.
Eligibility: Requirements vary by internship, but you must be eligible to work in the United States and you must be an enrolled high school student.
If you’re looking to gain research experience alongside your internship, consider applying to Horizon’s Research Seminars and Labs!
This is a selective virtual research program that lets you engage in advanced research and develop a research paper on a subject of your choosing. Horizon has worked with 1000+ high school students so far and offers 600+ research specializations for you to choose from.
You can find the application link here
Elise is a writer for Lumiere and a graduate of the University of Montana School of Law. She began writing for Lumiere in 2024 in order to help connect high school students to research opportunities. She is passionate about agency, advocacy, and linguistics. Outside of academics, she enjoys hiking, swimming, and drinking copious amounts of coffee.
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