Around the world, professional cooks are often regarded as skillful specialists whose creativity and deftness mirror the qualities of an artist. Some chefs approach their dishes with the zeal and discipline that indicate their dedication to a time-honored tradition. Others hold their tongs like an electric guitar and seek to stand alone in the spotlight.

It took years for cooking instructor Andrea Scala to decide on a career in the culinary arts. The teacher first developed her taste for the job during her 10-year stint as a cardiology physician's assistant tasked with teaching patients the fine points of healthly cooking, the Del Mar Times reports.

However, the very month she received her culinary degree Scala appeared on the Food Network program, Grill It! With Bobby Flay.

"I want people to see that cooking is fun and that it's not that hard to make something that tastes good and is healthy," Scala told the news provider.

Though it took some time to settle on a culinary degree, Scala recalls helping her Italian grandmother prepare pancakes and pasta from the age of seven. She now teaches private cooking lessons and caters small parties.

Research by the Bureau of Labor Statistics suggests that the culinary industry will experience one of the largest increases in new jobs in the decade leading to 2016, predicting about 351,000 new jobs over that span.