How Do You Become a Fine Dining Chef?

Gordon Ramsay just might be the most famous chef in the world. He's the star of hit television shows like Hell's Kitchen and MasterChef. He's written more cookbooks than most people own. He owns 35 restaurants around the world, according to his website. He also never went to culinary school. Which makes him the exception to the rule.

His biography is an anomaly in the world of fine dining. Ramsay earned a degree in hotel management at Oxfordshire Technical College, but decided that running hotels wasn't for him. So he worked his way into some of the most revered kitchens in London, and developed his skills under the tutelage of some of the most famous chefs in the world. Not everyone is so lucky.

Most who become fine dining chefs can't just walk in off the streets and start learning from the best in the business. Most take a different path -- one that includes formal training in the culinary arts.

If you're considering a career as a fine dining chef, you have two options. You can follow in the footsteps of Ramsay and try to work your way up in the industry through on-the-job training. Or you can take the path forged by most fine dining chefs -- the one that includes a formal education in the culinary arts.

Here's a look at five benefits of a formal education in culinary arts:

1. It takes skills to succeed

If you want to be a fine dining chef, you're going to need some serious culinary skills -- and they go way beyond just knowing how to cook. You're going to have to be an expert in everything from baking to consistency to knife control to pastry to presentation.

Sure, you can land a job on the line at a fine dining establishment and slowing slog your way through the process of developing your culinary skills. But it's a lot easier, faster, and less-nerve-racking to learn through a formal education program.

2. You'll need to learn the language

Cooking in a high-end kitchen isn't anything like whipping up your specialty at home. It's a fast-paced, high-pressure environment in which people speak a language all of their own.

Sure, you probably know what a la carte means. Are you familiar with a garde manger, flambé, jus lie, and rondeau?

If not, you're going to want to be. Learning a new language on the job is a lot more difficult than having an instructor walk (and talk) you through the process.

3. It's all about the ingredients

Fine dining would not exist if not for excellent ingredients. And as a fine dining chef, it will be your job to identify, procure, and prepare ingredients that tickle the taste buds. It's a process with a steep learning curve.

You're going to have to know your meat, vegetables, fruits, and spices. You're going to need to know where to get them at prices that won't break the bank. And you're going to need to know the science behind how each ingredient works with the others to create amazing flavors. It takes a lot of practice.

Unfortunately, you probably won't have a lot of opportunities to learn the process if you're working an on-the-job-training program. But you most likely will if you study the culinary arts.

4. Don't forget the front of the house

There's more to being a fine dining chef than simply hanging out in the kitchen. You're also going to need to know how the front of the house works.

This means understanding customer service, how to hire and train staff, how to promote your restaurant, and especially the finances.

A good culinary arts program provides an introduction to all of these areas (and more) so that when you get your first job, you'll be ready to hit the ground running--both in the back and front of the house.

5. There's no substitute for real-world experience

Gordon Ramsay was right about one thing: Real-world experience is important -- especially when combined with a solid foundation of skills and knowledge on which to build.

A culinary arts program should allow you to put your newfound knowledge to work in the real world through externships. Which could set you up for success in the real world.

Ready to get started?

Are you interested in the culinary world? If you want to earn an Associate of Applied Science in Culinary Arts, ECPI University's Culinary Institute of Virginia offers this program at an accelerated pace. For more information, connect with a friendly admissions advisor today.

It could be the Best Decision You Ever Make!

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