4 answers
karthik
Student
Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
1
Question
4 answers
Jim Derby
General Manager
25
Answers
Hughesville, Pennsylvania
Updated
Jim’s Answer
I have thirty years in restaurant management, ten as a chef. First of all, it's not an easy job. It requires a lot of hard work and ethic. That said, combining formal education with practical experience is your best bet. That combination with typically get you better jobs and better pay. Start working in food service as soon as you can. Be prepared to learn and do everything. Don't be afraid to get dirty. I've seen some people with just degrees and no experience. They don't get it. They assume because they have the education they're above certain things. The restaurant business doesn't work that way. Typically, there is always a period of earning respect and working your way up. Start now. Learn and do everything you can. Pursue education and prepare yourself to show the world how awesome you are!
Doc Frick
Career Coach and Mentor
1348
Answers
California, CA
Updated
Doc’s Answer
Karthik the path to becoming a head chef often involves working your way through various positions in a kitchen, Many aspiring chefs will start their careers as prep cooks, entry-level chefs who perform routine cooking tasks, such as chopping vegetables, as well as non-cooking tasks such as washing dishes and taking out the garbage. Many chefs enter the field through work experience and on-the-job training, while others study the culinary arts at culinary schools, community colleges and universities. Both paths may require that you hone your skills as you move up through entry-level positions in kitchens. After honing your skills in the kitchen or receiving formal training from another chef or culinary school, you may move up to a line cook, position. As a line cook, you'll prepare specific dishes or components of a dish, such as manning the grill, preparing fish or baking pastries used in the kitchen. Larger kitchens may also employ a sous chef, the executive chef's second in command. A sous chef has a wide breadth of knowledge about the inner workings of the kitchen, must delegate duties within the kitchen and may fill in for the executive chef when needed.
• SOUS CHEF – The sous chef is the right hand of the executive chef, and there can be more than one. These professionals do a lot more of the micromanaging in the kitchen, seeing to the details of each dish and working in the trenches to make sure everything is properly prepared.
• PASTRY CHEF – In most cases, becoming a pastry chef requires a different type of culinary training, usually at a baking school or in a baking program rather than a straightforward culinary school. The bulk of this work is centered around pastries, breads, and desserts, and depending on where you work, you could become the equivalent of an executive chef.
• STATION CHEF – The station chef is usually in charge of just one part of the kitchen: for example, the soups, the salads, or the grill. They work under the sous chef or executive chef to make sure all food prepared and put out of their station is of the highest level for quality and appearance.
• PANTRY CHEF – The pantry chef is in charge of all cold items, from salad and hors d’oevres to cold sauces and dressings. One big aspect of this job is making the food appear presentable.
• LINE COOK – The line cook is typically an entry-level position in which you work alongside the rest of the kitchen doing what needs to be done. You may cut vegetables one day and plate dishes on another. It is a fast-paced position with plenty of room for upward mobility.
All chefs need a high degree of training and professional experience before they are able to manage and maintain their own kitchen operation. Although many chefs have completed four-year university degrees, training can be completed at technical schools, culinary arts schools or community colleges. Training to become a chef is usually provided at trade or vocational schools, colleges, or culinary institutes. Some culinary arts programs have the advantage of also teaching the business and management skills useful for executive chef or restaurant owner positions. Courses to become a chef may take include nutrition, culinary techniques, butchery, pastry preparation, and regional or specialty cuisine topics. Undergraduate certificate and degree programs are the most common for this field. While in school, prospective chefs take courses in nutrition, food storage, portion control, inventory and purchasing. They also learn how to handle and maintain kitchen equipment, proper knife technique and banquet service. Although formal programs are a great source of training, much of a chef's education comes from on-the-job training and apprenticeships. It is through their professional experience that chefs develop their keen sense of taste and smell, cultivate their creativity and develop their own systems of organization and cleanliness.
Hope this was helpful Karthik
• SOUS CHEF – The sous chef is the right hand of the executive chef, and there can be more than one. These professionals do a lot more of the micromanaging in the kitchen, seeing to the details of each dish and working in the trenches to make sure everything is properly prepared.
• PASTRY CHEF – In most cases, becoming a pastry chef requires a different type of culinary training, usually at a baking school or in a baking program rather than a straightforward culinary school. The bulk of this work is centered around pastries, breads, and desserts, and depending on where you work, you could become the equivalent of an executive chef.
• STATION CHEF – The station chef is usually in charge of just one part of the kitchen: for example, the soups, the salads, or the grill. They work under the sous chef or executive chef to make sure all food prepared and put out of their station is of the highest level for quality and appearance.
• PANTRY CHEF – The pantry chef is in charge of all cold items, from salad and hors d’oevres to cold sauces and dressings. One big aspect of this job is making the food appear presentable.
• LINE COOK – The line cook is typically an entry-level position in which you work alongside the rest of the kitchen doing what needs to be done. You may cut vegetables one day and plate dishes on another. It is a fast-paced position with plenty of room for upward mobility.
All chefs need a high degree of training and professional experience before they are able to manage and maintain their own kitchen operation. Although many chefs have completed four-year university degrees, training can be completed at technical schools, culinary arts schools or community colleges. Training to become a chef is usually provided at trade or vocational schools, colleges, or culinary institutes. Some culinary arts programs have the advantage of also teaching the business and management skills useful for executive chef or restaurant owner positions. Courses to become a chef may take include nutrition, culinary techniques, butchery, pastry preparation, and regional or specialty cuisine topics. Undergraduate certificate and degree programs are the most common for this field. While in school, prospective chefs take courses in nutrition, food storage, portion control, inventory and purchasing. They also learn how to handle and maintain kitchen equipment, proper knife technique and banquet service. Although formal programs are a great source of training, much of a chef's education comes from on-the-job training and apprenticeships. It is through their professional experience that chefs develop their keen sense of taste and smell, cultivate their creativity and develop their own systems of organization and cleanliness.
Hope this was helpful Karthik
Thank You Terence. Helping others achieve their dreams gets us closer to achieving yours.
Doc Frick
Desiree Giler Mann
Attorney
166
Answers
New York, New York
Updated
Desiree’s Answer
Many professional chefs learn from other chefs, starting at the bottom of a kitchen and working their way up.
Others take a more formal education, typically through a Culinary Degree offered by a Culinary School or Culinary Institute.
The path may be different in different countries. You can try to read the biographies or autobiographies of famous chefs from different cultures. You can research chefs with biographies, see https://www.whatshouldireadnext.com/blog/the-best-chef-biographies-for-food-lovers-to-read.
Also, you can ask the chef at your fave restaurant! During dining hours may be too hectic, but contact them off hours and ask if you can have a short career chat.
Research on-line culinary degrees (for example, https://www.culinaryschools.org/culinary-degree-types/ )
Research local schools/universties/institutes that offer culinary degrees (start here but do your own research too https://thetoptenchefs.com/todays-top-10-culinary-institutes-in-india/
read the biographies or autobiographies of famous chefs
Talk to chefs you admire about their career path.
Others take a more formal education, typically through a Culinary Degree offered by a Culinary School or Culinary Institute.
The path may be different in different countries. You can try to read the biographies or autobiographies of famous chefs from different cultures. You can research chefs with biographies, see https://www.whatshouldireadnext.com/blog/the-best-chef-biographies-for-food-lovers-to-read.
Also, you can ask the chef at your fave restaurant! During dining hours may be too hectic, but contact them off hours and ask if you can have a short career chat.
Desiree recommends the following next steps:
Melody Tharpe
Education - Teacher
139
Answers
Indianapolis, Indiana
Updated
Melody’s Answer
Hello Karthik ,
Becoming a chef can be an exciting and challenging endeavor. Usually the word "chef" is used for people who go to culinary school to master/perfect their skills. It happens be given to people who have worked in the food industry a while. They usually do start working at the lower jobs and tasks of food service. As they build their skills, they apply for more challenging positions. I hope you have a real desire to go into this area of work. It is challenging and creative. I am not from India, but I looked into the food industry in your stated country.
Here is an article: https://mumbaigloss.in/5-good-looking-chefs-in-the-indian-food-industry/
5 handsome & successful chef's in the Indian food industry ...mumbaigloss.in › 5-good-looking-chefs-in-the-indian-f...
Outside the "handsome/cute", these young chefs tried different ways to enter the food industry. There is a show in your country, Masterchef Kitchen Ke Superstars. This may give you some ideas about your own future in culinary arts. The most important thing will be your desire to do the job.
I hope this helps and best of luck to you.
Becoming a chef can be an exciting and challenging endeavor. Usually the word "chef" is used for people who go to culinary school to master/perfect their skills. It happens be given to people who have worked in the food industry a while. They usually do start working at the lower jobs and tasks of food service. As they build their skills, they apply for more challenging positions. I hope you have a real desire to go into this area of work. It is challenging and creative. I am not from India, but I looked into the food industry in your stated country.
Here is an article: https://mumbaigloss.in/5-good-looking-chefs-in-the-indian-food-industry/
5 handsome & successful chef's in the Indian food industry ...mumbaigloss.in › 5-good-looking-chefs-in-the-indian-f...
Outside the "handsome/cute", these young chefs tried different ways to enter the food industry. There is a show in your country, Masterchef Kitchen Ke Superstars. This may give you some ideas about your own future in culinary arts. The most important thing will be your desire to do the job.
I hope this helps and best of luck to you.
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