Why Do You Want to Be a Chef? How to Ace Your Culinary School Interview

If you love food and enjoy cooking, you may be thinking about a career as a chef. One of the best ways to acquire the skills you'll need to be successful is to attend culinary school. For many culinary schools, you'll have to go through an interview as part of the application process.

While it is virtually impossible to predict exactly what your interviewer will ask you, it is still important to be as prepared as possible. Here are a few of the most common interview questions and how to formulate your responses.

Why Do You Want to Be a Chef?

This question is designed to get a feel for your career goals and who you are as a person. Maybe you wish to study to become a chef in order to take over a family business, or perhaps you just have a passion for food and hope to take your knowledge to the next level. Think about the reasons that are driving you to pursue an education in the culinary arts.

What Inspires You in the Kitchen?

Inspiration can come from just about anywhere, so think about what inspires you. It could be the home-cooked meals that your parents used to make when you were a child, or it could be the delicious cuisine at your favorite restaurant. There are no right or wrong answers to this question, so be honest about what gets you excited about food. The interviewer will be looking to see your passion.

What Is Your Signature Dish?

Every chef needs to have a signature dish. Basically, your signature dish should represent who you are as a person and as a chef. Think about your heritage and background to come up with ideas, but don't forget to incorporate your present situation as well. Whatever dish you choose, put your own unique spin on it. To answer this question, be prepared to explain how your dish is representative of your personality and style

What Are You Most Excited to Learn?

In culinary school, you will get a broad education in the world of food. However, there will always be certain topics that you enjoy more than others, and there is nothing wrong with that. Think about which topics you are most interested in and why. Depending on the culinary school you choose, you may have the opportunity to specialize in a particular area, so now is the perfect time to think about which area that might be.

What Chef Do You Look Up To?

As an aspiring chef, you have probably done a fair bit of research on other successful chefs. Think about which ones are most inspiring to you, whether because of their style of cuisine, preferred ingredients or overall business sense.

While you don't want to copy another chef exactly, taking a few pages from the playbook of a chef you admire can help you to progress towards your culinary goals. Finally, this question shows the interviewer that you truly are interested in your chosen career path and have taken the time to learn about the key players in the industry.

Do You Have a Particular Style of Cuisine that You Prefer?

Some people love Mexican cuisine but hate Chinese food, and vice versa. Think about your personal taste and preferences, as well as why you prefer some cuisine styles to others. Maybe it is the unique seasonings and spices from a particular region that attract you or unusual cooking techniques.

 It could be the cultural associations of the food that makes it interesting to you. Whatever your reason, try to articulate what it is so that your interviewer can understand your culinary style.

Interview Tips

Your interviewer may ask some, all or none of the questions listed here, or they might ask some variation of these common questions. In practicing your responses to the questions above, you'll get a better sense of who you hope to be as a chef and of the talking points you wish to convey to the person interviewing you. Feel free to tweak and modify your answers to fit the specific questions asked.

Even though the restaurant industry tends to be more casual than others, you should still dress up a bit for your interview. You want your interviewer to see you as a professional. Make sure that your outfit is business appropriate and well put together.

Are you excited about a career as a chef? If you want to get there by earning an Associate of Applied Science in Culinary Arts, ECPI University’s Culinary Institute of Virginia offers this degree program at an accelerated course of study. For more information on this exciting degree program, connect with a friendly admissions advisor today.

It could be the Best Decision You Ever Make!

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