The rise of TV celebrity chefs has given the impression that the life of a chef is super-glamourous. However, if you don’t like slaving away in a hot kitchen for hours on end, dealing with choosy customers, errant staff or difficult restaurant managers, being a chef is probably not for you. Having a passion for food, cooking and people is a prerequisite for being a career chef. Some business acumen will also stand you in good stead if you want to pursue a career in cuisine.
The first step is to research hotel schools and chef schools in your area. Find out about their entrance requirements, tuition fees and enrollment dates. Ensure that the school you choose is accredited and credible, and that it offers tuition in both the practical and theoretical aspects of cooking.
Once you’ve obtained your chef’s qualification, you need to do a chef apprenticeship at a restaurant or hotel. Some chef schools will place you in an apprenticeship at a suitable establishment as part of their course. If they don’t, though, you will need to find an apprenticeship position yourself. Send out a decent cover letter, along with your curriculum vitae, setting out the focus of your studies and career aspirations, to as many suitable options as you can find.
Obtaining formal qualifications and fulfilling an apprenticeship is just the beginning. While would-be chefs all dream of being the next Gordon Ramsay, becoming a top chef is a long, hard slog. Typically, chefs start at the bottom and spend several years slowly rising up the ranks. The ‘food chain’ looks something like this:
- Commis (assistants) help station chefs with any particular duties assigned to them
- The Chef de Partie (station cook) – is in charge of a particular area of the kitchen
- The Sous Chef (‘Under Chef’) is the assistant to the Head chef, effectively the second-in-command of a kitchen. As well as providing the finishing touches to a dish, with garnishes and decorations, the Sous Chef also assists the Head Chef with every aspect of managing people and production.
- The Chef de Cuisine (Head Chef) oversees the kitchen in its entirety, managing production, staff and, sometimes, customers, too.
- The Executive Chef – is in charge of the kitchen in its entirety, from menu planning; ordering; budgeting and financial management; managing human resources and other business-related activities.
While everyone aspires to being a Head Chef or an Executive Chef, these two positions aren’t the only options. After qualifying as a chef and gaining valuable work experience, you may find that you want to specialize in a particular area of cuisine. There are various specialty chefs, including:
- Garde Manger Chef – specializes in cold food preparations, like salads; vinaigrettes; dressings; relishes; patés; hors d’hoevres and canapés
- Saucier – specializes in sauces, scratch stocks and accompaniments
- Patissier (Pastry Chef) – specializes in pastries, breads and confections
- Canapés Chef – specializes in canapés and light snacks
- Entremetier – specializes in cooking and presenting vegetables; pasta; rice and egg dishes.
- Sushi Chef – specializes in preparing sushi.
Training as a chef could open up a world of opportunities – good, qualified chefs are in demand around the globe in hotels, restaurants, lodges, cruise ships and the like, and top chefs can command top salaries.
To get started on your career as a chef, get in touch with these chef schools.
