Also called: Historic Cook, Living History Foodways Specialist
Cooks period meals over open hearths at living history museums, using old recipes and tools while teaching visitors how people ate centuries ago.
At 9 a.m. in a reproduction 1700s kitchen, she builds a hearth fire and starts a pottage from a 1747 recipe. Dressed in period clothes, she bakes bread in a brick oven while answering questions from a school group. Later she researches an old cookbook in the archive.
Estimate; many jobs are seasonal or part-time.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 4 years after high school. Often a degree in history or museum studies; cooking skills learned on the job.
Ways in: 4-year college, On-the-job training. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: History, Museum Studies, Culinary Arts.
Growing about average. Small number of jobs at living history sites.
Low risk for 10 years. Live hearth cooking in costume and teaching visitors stays human; AI may help with historical research.
Classes: History, Culinary arts, Theater.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.