B.A. in Culinary Management: Don't Just Cook, Lead
Kendall's B.A. in Culinary Management combines world-class culinary training with business education in finance, marketing, and management, plus three career concentrations to focus your path. For the chef who wants to build something.
- ACF Accredited
- 45 Hours of Business Coursework
- 3 Career Concentrations
- James Beard and Michelin Alumni
Request More Information
Program at a Glance
What You'll Learn
- Cook at an advanced professional level
- Manage finance, operations, and marketing for food businesses
- Launch and run your own culinary concept
- Develop new food products and concepts
- Connect culinary arts to nutrition and wellness
- Build an industry network in Chicago's food scene
Full Course List
Next start: September 21, 2026 — seats filling fast.
Admissions Requirements
- High school diploma or GED
- Online application at nl.edu (no application fee)
- An advisor reviews concentrations, financial aid, and a campus tour
- AAS graduates can transfer credits into the bachelor's
- In-person at Kendall's Chicago campus
A business core in finance, management, and marketing turns culinary skill into the ability to run and build food businesses.
Entrepreneurship, Innovation, or Wellness, focus your degree on the food career you actually want.
Graduates include James Beard Award-winning Iron Chef Jose Garces, proof of where this program leads.
Where Will Your Degree Take You?
Culinary Management graduates move beyond the line into leadership and ownership, executive chef, corporate chef, food and beverage director, research chef, food product developer, and restaurant owner. Alumni include James Beard Award-winning Iron Chef Jose Garces.
Food service managers earn a median salary of $65,310 with 6 percent growth and about 42,000 openings a year (BLS, May 2024), and 92 percent of Kendall graduates are employed after graduation. The business core opens ownership and corporate paths that a cooking-only credential does not.
How to Apply in 3 Simple Steps
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Request Information
Submit the form above. A Kendall College advisor will reach out within one business day about the program and its three concentrations.
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Connect With an Advisor
Your advisor walks you through the application, financial aid, concentration selection, and the AAS-to-BA transfer pathway.
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Apply and Start Classes
Submit your application at nl.edu with no application fee. Next start: September 21, 2026. Your advisor guides you from enrollment to orientation.
Take the First Step
No commitment required. A Kendall College advisor will reach out within one business day to help you choose a concentration and map your culinary business career.
Take the First Step- ACF Accredited
- 45 Hours of Business Coursework
- 3 Career Concentrations
- James Beard and Michelin Alumni
*Salary and growth: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Food Service Managers (SOC 11-9051) and Chefs and Head Cooks (SOC 35-1011), May 2024.
**Concentrations, accreditation, and alumni: Kendall College of National Louis University program materials; American Culinary Federation (ACF) accreditation.