Culinary Arts (CULA): Home

Need help with finding sources, searching databases, formatting citations, or deciding on a paper topic? The NCC Librarians are here for you.

Both the Mack Library (Bethlehem) and ESSA Library (Pocono) are open if you'd like to visit in person, or you can chat online with a Librarian no matter where you are! Go to the Library's home page and click on the orange "Ask the Librarian" tab to start chatting. 

To find out when we're open, take a look at the Library's hours.

For more ways to reach us, and answers to our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), click here. You can also send an e-mail question to askthelibrarian@northampton.edu, or set up a private appointment with a Librarian by using the "Book A Librarian" request form.

We look forward to hearing from you!

Program: Culinary Arts

Area of Study: Business & Professional Services

For more information about the degree options in this program, click here.

To find your Academic Advisor, click here or call the Advising office near you:

• Bethlehem: 484-275-0787 
• Pocono: 570-369-1871

This Research Guide will direct you to specialized Library resources for studying Culinary Arts, including books, journals, online subscription databases, streaming videos, and websites.

Culinary Arts graduates are trained for careers involving professional food preparation, including chef, line chef, banquet chef, executive chef, baker, pastry chef, and caterer. While students are being trained in all formal classical methods of cooking, they experience nearly 1,000 hours of hands-on practical application.

Good news!

Both NCC Libraries are open, but you can still borrow books and other materials remotely by using our Library to Go service. You can choose quick pickup on campus, or free delivery to your home.

Use the same form to request:

• Access to materials that your instructor has put on electronic reserve in Blackboard;
• Scanned pages from reference books like encyclopedias;
• Scanned articles from print journals in the Library's Periodicals Tower.

The latest issue of Catersource magazine is available now, and has lots of useful articles for catering and events planning professionals. Take a look!

• State of the Industry: Survey data & top trends from 2024
• Food Trends to Sink Your Teeth Into for 2025
• Any Way You Slice It: Pizza is a crowd-pleaser
• A.I.-Driven Marketing for Event Pros
• How COVID-19 Changed Corporate Delivery Catering
• The "Maine" Event: Blue Elephant's lobster bake
• The Perfect Ending: Bringing digestifs into your beverage program
• The Final Farewell: Funeral catering

The NCC Libraries now offer students, faculty, and staff access to the IBISWorld Industry Research database! IBISWorld provides an extensive collection of reports, with insights, comprehensive data, and in-depth analysis for thousands of global industries. Here are just a few of the features: 

• A broad overview of each targeted industry
• Product and market segmentation
• Cost structure benchmarks
• Competitive dynamics
• Supply chain map
• Outlook on the regulatory environment
• Macroeconomic drivers
• Five-year forecasts
• SWOT analyses
• Global, national, and state-level data
• Downloadable reports in PDF, Word, and Excel format
• Graphs, charts, and maps that can be used in presentations.

Click here to try the new IBISWorld Industry Research database now!

This Research Guide was updated on June 9, 2025 by Anne Bittner.