This is a quick, painless and extremely short reference guide that should give every budding professional chef a primer of what they would be experiencing in the world of culinary arts. Where should you begin? Where should you enroll so that you can receive the best culinary arts training in the business? How do you become an apprentice in a well-known cooking program? Shortcuts perhaps? Do the cognoscenti of the professional chef world have any advice for rookies? What is a chef's average income and when will you stop inundating us with questions? (We will continue to update this section to provide additional information.)
Overview
Becoming a professional chef starts by spending four years at an accredited culinary art school. The best culinary schools are those that include the Le Cordon Bleu as an important part of their training.
The next step after culinary school for the career chef would be an apprenticeship with a head chef, done at the restaurant of their choice. They would usually do tasks like preparing vegetables or other support tasks to the head chefs - this may seem like drudgery but this is how everybody in this industry started! Many young and driven chefs want to eventually rise to the rank of sous-chef and work for the creme de la creme of the restaurant industry, so they acquire experience by working at different restaurants with different head chefs. After you have become a sous-chef, you would then want to specialize on something you enjoy doing in the kitchen. We must warn you though that only the strong survive - this is an extremely fast-paced, high-pressure environment, but if you weather the numerous storms, you may soon find yourself rising to the coveted position of head chef. On average, this could take as long as 10 years. As you may know by now, many head chefs have their own restaurants, and of course, handle the entire kitchen crew.
What Does Being a Chef Involve?
Chefs, in general, are like artists wherein gourmands are their connoisseurs and the oven their canvas, with a palette of seemingly everyday ingredients. They are very serious about their careers and many feel drawn to their profession. These people feel totally devoted to the job of being a chef. The apprenticeship is for most chefs rigorous and challenging. Don't get us started on the career itself. Most work about 50 hours a week, including nights and weekends.
The Boon
Fame and Fortune Artistic Expression The Joys Of Working With Food As Your Livelihood
What Do Professional Chefs Endure?
Stratified Training Courses Long hours Extremely Stressful Environment Physical and Emotional Burnout Due To Said Environment
What Traits Must a Professional Chef Possess?
Organization Go-getter Creative
Starting Out
A Professional Chef, as mentioned, must be certified by a professional culinary institute.
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