Why Did You Become a Chef: Culinary Greats Talk About their Inspiration!
Today, most good restaurants look to hire graduates from culinary school since they’ve learned the basics have honed their cooing skills and understand what it's like to work in the high- pressure restaurant industry. They also often can sip over some of the most mundane jobs like washing dishes and being a busboy.
People perceive chefs as living a life of glamour, but many have started out at the bottom and worked their way up before making a mark in the culinary industry. Some top chefs shared their first kitchen jobs:
After getting kicked out of high school and dropping out as a sophomore, top chef Bobby Flay’s first job was as a busboy, after two weeks he was moved into the kitchen as a salad chef.
Thomas Keller, chef and owner of The French Laundry, started out washing dishes at a Maryland restaurant called Bay & Surf. Because he was only in 6th grade, he was too young to be on the payroll but made a few bucks here and there.
New Orleans-based Emeril Lagasse got a job in a bakery washing pots and pans for a dollar an hour. He moved up to a delivery boy and eventually learned how to bake from the bakers there.
Turn your Passion for Cooking into a Career
Many of those that are passionate about cooking are happy to use their skills for their family or to entertain friends, those that want to make a career out of cooking should consider culinary school. As a student, you should learn classical cooking techniques that are the foundation of a skilled chef. The key techniques that you will learn include:
- Setting up mise en place and kitchen organization
- Cooking principals
- Baking fundamentals
- Breaking down and portioning out meat, seafood and poultry
- Nutrition and healthy cooking
Those taking advanced courses include:
- Plating and presentation
- Unique ingredients and use in different cuisines
- Culinary artistry
- Advanced techniques in pastry arts
- Menu development
- Recipe creation
Those looking for management opportunities pursue additional courses in:
- Kitchen safety and sanitation
- Purchasing expertise
- Food/kitchen supervision
- Dining room management
- Front and back-end supervision
Do You Need to Go to Culinary School if you Already Know How to Cook?
You may already be a great cook, the envy of all your friends, but are you ready for a restaurant job? More and more restaurants are looking for cooks that have received proper culinary training and hands-on experience working in a kitchen. This ensures restaurant managers that you not only have the proper skills, but you are familiar with working the front and back of the restaurant, can develop portion controls so the restaurant is profitable and can work with others and eventually elevate their status in the restaurant.
Stay Motivated
Culinary school isn’t always easy and often it can be difficult to stay motivated. Sometimes a little inspiration can go a long way…especially when it comes from culinary visionaries.
- "Don't try to be the next Rachael Ray or Bobby Flay, we already have those people. We want someone who is going to make their own mark on Food Network." - Bobby Flay
- "Working in a restaurant means being part of a family, albeit usually a slightly dysfunctional one. Nothing is accomplished independently." - Joe Bastianich
- "If you don't follow your dream, who will?" - Emeril Lagasse
- "I believe that there is always something new to learn, in fact, that is one of the three reasons that I chose to become a chef, that my education is never over." - Anne Burrell
Very wise words from some of today’s top chefs.
Begin Your Culinary Career with a Great Course of Study
Are you interested in becoming a chef? If you want to earn an Associate of Applied Science in Culinary Arts, consider ECPI University's Culinary Institute of Virginia. For more information about this exciting opportunity, connect with a knowledgeable admissions counselor today.
It could be the Best Decision You Ever Make!
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Gainful Employment Information – Culinary Arts - Associate’s
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