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Kickstart your career in hospitality.
Take culinary college-level courses while in high school and receive double credit, and instant enrollment into the Monterey Peninsula College Culinary program. MPC currently offers dual enrollment classes at Carmel High School, Pacific Grove High School and Rancho Cielo - with more local schools to follow.
The National Restaurant Association Education Foundation’s ProStart Program is active at Pacific Grove High School. The nationally recognized career and technical program builds practical skills in culinary arts and restaurant management to over 130,000 students nationwide. Many other local high schools also include culinary programs in their annual curriculum, including Gonzalez, North Monterey County, North Salinas, Marina, Salinas, Everett Alvarez , Soledad and Seaside High Schools.
Channel your culinary skills at Monterey Peninsula College’s annual high school culinary cook-off, open to all local high school students. Local students compete each spring in categories such as “Best Use of Seasonal Ingredients” and “Creative Plating.” Email Molly Jensen at mjansen@mpc.edu for more information on how to get involved.
Our Scholarships page has numerous resources to help you obtain the financial assistance you might need to realize your dream.
The Monterey County Workforce Development Board's tools for building a resume that is sure to land your dream job.
The Monterey County Workforce Development Board holds periodic job fairs to connect employers with prospects.
MCHA recognizes one local student annually with a scholarship opportunity to study Hospitality and Tourism. Since 1995, MCHA has given more than $65,000 in scholarships to recipients attending classes at California State University, Monterey Bay (CSUMB), Monterey Peninsula College (MPC), Le Cordon Bleu, the University of California, Davis, University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), New York University and others. The MCHA Scholarship is administered by the National Restaurant Association Education Foundation (NRAEF), and by applying below, students have the opportunity to be awarded any of the numerous NRAEF scholarships.
In addition to the MCHA Scholarship, the following hospitality and tourism designated scholarships were founded by Monterey County hospitality industry leaders over the years, and several give priority to Monterey County residents:
Ted J. Balestreri & Bert P. Cutino Scholarship, Carol Chorbajian Scholarship Fund, David Armanasco Scholarship, Cal Stamenov Scholarship, Scott Vandenberg Scholarship, Diane Mandeville Scholarship, Mike Zimmerman Scholarship, Rob Weakley Scholarship, Glenn and Sue Hammer Scholarship, Dr. Richard Peterson Scholarship Fund. These scholarships are available through the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF).
