Why people to be a chef?

Answer 1

Name= Ritik jha I didn't make the decision to become a chef. It just kind of happened. I've worked in restaurants all my life and its what I do. I never made a conscious decision to choose this as my career.

I got my culinary degree after I had been in the industry for awhile. I remember that there was a similar question on my culinary school application. I answered it by saying that I wanted to advance my career by getting a culinary education so that I could increase my earning power.

My education has helped me tremendously. Its opened more doors for me. Some places won't hire someone as a chef unless they have a culinary degree.

My goal in this field is to keep trying to attain better paying jobs and to find more challenging jobs. There are many, many different food service venues where chefs work besides restaurants. Hospitals, grocery stores, schools, prisons, resorts, hotels, cruise ships, etc. all hire chefs. Some of these jobs are really easy and provide job security. Some are more challenging. I like challenging jobs because I learn more.

But, I have to warn you about this industry if you are getting into it just because you have a passion for cooking. You have to have a lot more skills than just cooking skills to run a restaurant. Chefs are managers; they run the business. You have to have people skills... you'll be writing schedules, ordering food and supplies, counting inventory, doing food costing, menu costing, labor costing, beverage costing..... you'll be hiring, training, supervising and terminating employees. I know a lot of chefs who never get to cook because all their time is spent in the office doing paper work.

A lot of people in this industry hate their jobs. I personally suggest that you work in this industry before you go to culinary school. That way, you'll find out if you enjoy this type of work before you waste a bunch of money on a culinary education.

Cooking in a restaurant is nothing like cooking for your family at home. You'll be working in a hot, fast-paced kitchen. Its not that unusually to cook 800 -1000 dinners during a Friday night shift. A lot of people can't handle the pressure. There really isn't too much creativity either. Menus often times don't change that much and being a line cook is like working on a factory assembly line; they produce as much food as possible, in a set time limit, using set recipes and methods that are decided upon by management. Line cooks are not allowed to be creative or to try different things. So there really isn't too much "passion" involved with restaurant cooking.

However, as a chef and manager, you will often be able to write, design and create menus. I suggest not working for chain restaurants because you won't be able to do this.

This industry is also like lots of other industries: you'll have to work your way up. It takes at least, at the very minimum, 5 years of line cooking experience and culinary degree to land a job as a chef. Line cooks don't make much more than minimum wage

You'll also be working nights, holidays and weekends. Chefs typically work 50 -- 80 hours per week. You'll be working on your feet all day long. Its difficult to find time to take breaks. Cuts and burns are common place. If you want to eventually have a family, good luck trying to find time to spend with them. I've known several chefs who have gotten divorced because of this.

For me, its much more than a passion for good cooking. Its a passion for the industry as a whole. I love the chaos and the fast pace of a busy kitchen and I love the challenges of running a restaurant. This is hard work, so you have to love hard work if you want this as a career.Though I am not officially a chef, I am a gluten free cook and share my recipes on my blog with a large following on Facebook and have a BlogTalk Radio show online about cooking and health.

What drives me is the creativity. There is nothing like creating a new recipe that turns out great! It puts a smile on my face and in my heart, builds self-esteem and brightens other people's days when they taste it.

To me, a real chef is creative, not just following a recipe. They like to experiment with flavors and textures. They like mixing up a bit, as in "fusion cuisine" (mixing cultural ingredients in recipes). A good example of this would be Mexican Pizza or Chinese filled enchiladas with a sweet and sour sauce (just thinking off the top of my head).

I do what I do because I love it. The gluten free thing is more about helping others and eating healthier.

I interviewed Robert Landolphi, a top-notched chef and gluten free cookbook author on my radio show recently. He graduated from Johnson & Wales University with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Culinary Arts and Food Service Management. He also completed a Certified Culinary Arts Instructor program at Central Connecticut State University. Perhaps you can listen to the beginning of the show at least to here is

Good luck!