The tourism sector in Costa Rica represents between 6 and 7% of GDP and 25% to 30% of this contribution comes from food and food related services. The professionalization of the chefs is essential for the maintenance and stability of this contribution. The study identifies the perception of culinary arts students in relation with the skills required to be a successful chef. A census of the 184 students was conducted at culinary arts school of a private university. The survey demonstrated a robust construct validity with an alpha value of 0.88.The results of the study indicate the need to combine the technica and managerial skills in the curriculum of the students as they clearly perceive these combination as a future need. The factor analysis identified two factors: a first factor, associated with general management skills and a second factor with skills, values, attitudes and personal characteristics. The results suggest the need for transisciplinary cooperation between technical and managerial training students to chefs, something that is already accepted in some of the largest U.S. schools and Europe.
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