Tips To A Variety Of Rewarding Careers As A Working Chef –
For anyone considering a career as a Chef it is extremely helpful to consider some very typical approaches to the hospitality industry from the onset. There is a diverse variety of rewarding careers as a working Chef all offering something unique which may suit your particular personality like a hand in a glove but -- it will be completely necessary to receive some valuable tips that will greatly assist you in finding your own rewarding career as a working Chef.
As a practiced working Chef with over 12 years hands-on experience within the busy hospitality industry, I was often surprised to find a great diversity of approaches by my colleagues. Many felt their career was in fact purely a fiscal calling -- to impress the paying customer by creating tasty and eye-popping culinary masterpieces to broaden their following, status, employment options and the width of their wallets. For others their motivation was a practical one -- geared to appeasing the manager or owner of the business by executing menu choices expediently.
Many working Chefs approach their careers as the pursuit and development of cataloging a pantry of great tasting meals sometimes as a specialty cook such as a Chocolatier or as a Pastry Cook. For others it is an art form – culinary creativity is approached as you might undertake sculpture or painting. Others hope to eternalize their craft in photo form, as if for journals, cookbooks or top-shelf gastronomic magazines.
Sad to say, but a minority of working Chefs would approach cooking the way the French do – as an act of love. Other chefs would try to develop themselves first academically – achieving a first-class rudimentary knowledge of food science, diet and nutrition in the culinary arts. What will motivate you and which approach will you decide to take?
There is a myriad variety of specialty venues available to you such as franchise restaurants, fast food chains, top 5-star restaurants, bakeries, factory kiosks, corporate dining location, wedding reception venues, sporting and entertainment venues, inner-city cafes, corporations, hospitals, nursing homes, universities, childhood centres, cafeterias, colleges, cruise ships, ministries, event companies, hotels, bistro’s, pubs, many holiday destinations and even catering companies.
Tip: note that if the chef is working in a franchise restaurant or food chain, kiosk, cafeteria, daycare, nursing home or hospital, the chef may be called upon to prepare large quantities of meals from limited menu options. If your heart is to develop a large spectrum of dishes, you may be better placed in a venue such as a restaurant, bistro or in corporate dining.
Tip: you may wish to consider starting your career as a Line Cook. A Line Cook may for example simply prepare a short menu of entrees. Many find their calling right here. By working as a Line Cook, the chef can gain practical cooking experience within the culture of a kitchen while determining which area of the culinary domain they want. Each station has the title of the chef. Grill cook, fry cook, or vegetable cook.
Posted Feb 4, 2009 by admin