Career as a cook/chef?

[stinkynuts]

Anyone work as a chef or cook?

I am interested in following this career path for several reasons:

-there will always be a demand for cooks
-it will develop practical skills that I can use everyday
-it is rewarding as you can improve and become better over time
-the pay is decent
-i am passionate about cooking


My questions are:

-What's the best way to get into the industry with zero experience?
-What are the good things and bad things about being a cook?
-Is there lots of stress?
-Do you need to go to culinary school, or is it a waste of time?
-Do you get tips?
-How often do you get to hook up with the waitresses?
-What's the difference between a chef and a cook? Is a chef more upscale?


Thanks in advance, as always.

 

[banal]

That was always my 2nd or 3rd career choice...still may go that direction someday. I know a few chefs very well...and here is what they say.

Stress...yes. Especially when you're working your way up to the top. Those reality cooking shows, while a bit over the top with the yelling, etc...aren't that far off a lot of high energy/pressure situations. But that is the draw. It is like a drug and those who like it...love it. Pardon the pun, but if you can't handle the heat...get out of the blah blah blah...

Good / bad is very subjective. Worst part is tough to have a life since you're working evenings and weekends. Really consider that first and foremost. That won't change unless you sell your soul and work at Cora's breakfast and lunch. Good is that it is the complete opposite of a 9-5 office job that many truly despise. There is a lot of bull s&@# that comes along with the top position too...hiring, firing, working with suppliers, etc. You need a good biz sense to be a good chef, above and beyond the cooking skills. Money isn't very good until you really establish yourself. Consider that as a hobbyist.

Yes to culinary school...unless you are very lucky to get a break at a fine spot and somehow work your way up. I'm a very good cook...but without training I'm far behind those who do it for a living. If you are content working at the Keg or Jack Astors, then you could probably skip school.

Usually kitchen staff share in tip pools - but not a major bonus. I'm not even sure if the actual head chef gets into those...think it is more of a lower staff thing.

Yes....there is a lot of messing around ... because it is tough to have a life in that business.

Good luck!

 

[stinkynuts]

That was always my 2nd or 3rd career choice...still may go that direction someday. I know a few chefs very well...and here is what they say.

Stress...yes. Especially when you're working your way up to the top. Those reality cooking shows, while a bit over the top with the yelling, etc...aren't that far off a lot of high energy/pressure situations. But that is the draw. It is like a drug and those who like it...love it. Pardon the pun, but if you can't handle the heat...get out of the blah blah blah...

Good / bad is very subjective. Worst part is tough to have a life since you're working evenings and weekends. Really consider that first and foremost. That won't change unless you sell your soul and work at Cora's breakfast and lunch. Good is that it is the complete opposite of a 9-5 office job that many truly despise. There is a lot of bull s&@# that comes along with the top position too...hiring, firing, working with suppliers, etc. You need a good biz sense to be a good chef, above and beyond the cooking skills. Money isn't very good until you really establish yourself. Consider that as a hobbyist.

Yes to culinary school...unless you are very lucky to get a break at a fine spot and somehow work your way up. I'm a very good cook...but without training I'm far behind those who do it for a living. If you are content working at the Keg or Jack Astors, then you could probably skip school.

Usually kitchen staff share in tip pools - but not a major bonus. I'm not even sure if the actual head chef gets into those...think it is more of a lower staff thing.

Yes....there is a lot of messing around ... because it is tough to have a life in that business.

Good luck!

Lots of good info, thanks!

I'm surprised about culinary school. Lots of people say that experience is more important.

The reality TV shows are what really got me into cooking. Especially Gordon Ramsay. I love all his shows: Kitchen Nightmares, Hotel Hell, Master Chef, and Hell's Kitchen. I love his passion and devotion to the arts.

I've come a long way since I first started cooking in college. I've added a large set of skills and knowledge and everyone says my food is great. Truth is half the stuff I cook for the first time is garbage, and I learn from the experience.

 

[wazup]

Hot, greasy, shitty pay and hours, sign me up. I gotta ask, what did you do in 2012 to net 140k, and now want to be a cook, a gigolo.

 

[explorerzip]

You have to separate being a cook / chef from running a restaurant business. They are different things and demand vastly different skill sets. As a cook, you're an employee who has clear duties to follow. Chefs tend to have greater responsibilities like meal planning, purchasing raw materials, managing junior chefs, etc. and working with the restaurant owner who controls the finances and ultimately hires and fires everyone. I think the British version of Kitchen Nightmares gives you a fairly realistic look at how running a restaurant might be. The American versions just play up the drama too much.

IMO, you usually find a chef at a higher end establishment especially where you need people of different skill sets to come together to build dishes. So you'd have people specializing in different areas like seafood, meats, pastry, etc. You're not likely to find such separation of duties at a chain restaurant because they are designed to serve food quickly.

 

[explorerzip]

Lots of good info, thanks!

I'm surprised about culinary school. Lots of people say that experience is more important.

The reality TV shows are what really got me into cooking. Especially Gordon Ramsay. I love all his shows: Kitchen Nightmares, Hotel Hell, Master Chef, and Hell's Kitchen. I love his passion and devotion to the arts.

I've come a long way since I first started cooking in college. I've added a large set of skills and knowledge and everyone says my food is great. Truth is half the stuff I cook for the first time is garbage, and I learn from the experience.

You may want to look through job ads and see what restaurants, hotels, even cruise ships are looking for. Maybe education is not so important to them. You'll obviously need to demonstrate your abilities somehow in lieu of culinary education. IMO, cooking "great food" is not enough. In the restaurant business, you have to be very consistent in the preparation and finished product. You can't be screwing things up even if it's just one time when you're in the restaurant business.

 

[Misty4me]

You might want to change your name from stinkynuts to yummy balls .....Ha ! Sorry couldn't resist ...
Misty

 

[stinkynuts]

You may want to look through job ads and see what restaurants, hotels, even cruise ships are looking for. Maybe education is not so important to them. You'll obviously need to demonstrate your abilities somehow in lieu of culinary education. IMO, cooking "great food" is not enough. In the restaurant business, you have to be very consistent in the preparation and finished product. You can't be screwing things up even if it's just one time when you're in the restaurant business.

Good point.

If I were a pro chef, I would have to master each dish first before I started working. I would say consistency is a big issue for me. Sometimes I will cook a dish I've cooked many times before, but ruin it by adding too much salt or overcooking the meat, etc. If that happened at a restaurant, I'm sure the customer would send it back. And if that happened too many times, I guess I'd be fired. That's stressful...

Thanks for differentiating between a cook and chef. Very interesting. I definitely don't think I want all the responsibilities and pressure of being a chef.

 

[trm]

Read Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain. It will give you a good description of working in a high end restaurant. I found it interesting that he compared being a chef to working on an assembly line. The customers want the same dish prepared the same way, not much room for creativity in the kitchen.

 

[Butler1000]

Read Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain. It will give you a good description of working in a high end restaurant. I found it interesting that he compared being a chef to working on an assembly line. The customers want the same dish prepared the same way, not much room for creativity in the kitchen.

The McDonald's way. People want to know ahead of time what they are getting. And owners want to know what something will cost to make and serve, every time.

The industry operates on a 3-6% profit margin on the gross. So ensuring exact portioning and labor costs, as well as fixed costs is very important.

Most kitchen managers in chains aren't chefs, they are supervisors of this and rquired to hit specific numbers. In singles they are under the owners scrutiny to do the same and develop menus, specials, and still be flexible to accommodate specialty orders.

It's a tough job, there is a reason a lot of chefs yell a lot. Add in 100 degree heat, little vacation, erratic staff and it takes someone who really wants it.

My recommendation is go work at a place like Boston Pizza or the like. Start at the bottom. And take a good look around. See if this is what you want.

 

[Yoga Face]

I met someone with a degree as a chief from George Brown working for minimum age flipping hamburgers

 

[doggystyle99]

Anyone work as a chef or cook?

I am interested in following this career path for several reasons:

-there will always be a demand for cooks
-it will develop practical skills that I can use everyday
-it is rewarding as you can improve and become better over time
-the pay is decent
-i am passionate about cooking


My questions are:

-What's the best way to get into the industry with zero experience?
-What are the good things and bad things about being a cook?
-Is there lots of stress?
-Do you need to go to culinary school, or is it a waste of time?
-Do you get tips?
-How often do you get to hook up with the waitresses?
-What's the difference between a chef and a cook? Is a chef more upscale?


Thanks in advance, as always.

Here are your answers:

- there will always be a demand for cooks
Yes

-it will develop practical skills that I can use everyday
Yes cooking skills

-it is rewarding as you can improve and become better over time
Yes but only to those who are open to learning and growing, there are many cooks and chefs that do not change the way they do things due to their own stubbornness and pride

-the pay is decent
No it's not, starting pay for cooks are very low

-i am passionate about cooking
There is a difference between being a cook and a chef, if you are passionate that is just a small part of the equation but it's a good start

My questions are:

-What's the best way to get into the industry with zero experience?
With zero experience you need to go to culinary school, or have a few million dollars laying around so you can invest in opening your own restaurant. But if you have never been in the service or food industry before I would never recommend this to anyone as it is very overwhelming and could be an extremely expensive lesson.

-What are the good things and bad things about being a cook?
Bad things:
very long hours, always working in a very hot environment, could become monotonous fast to those who are in it for the wrong reasons or don't have the passion for it, success rate is very low (just ask the many restauranteurs that fail and the many that are struggling to pay their employees or their leases).

Good things:
recognition of future financial potential if done properly are very high

-Is there lots of stress?
Yes lots of stress, but anything worth doing or succeeding in is stressful. In other words if you are looking to become successful fast and make a lot of money with little effort in no time this is the wrong industry

-Do you need to go to culinary school, or is it a waste of time?
Yes culinary school is important

-Do you get tips?
Yes sometimes you get tips on how your cooking could be better, other kinds of tips are very rare

-How often do you get to hook up with the waitresses?
Already going down the wrong path before you get in to the industry.

-What's the difference between a chef and a cook? Is a chef more upscale?
If you can't answer this question yourself you need to ask if this is the right path or career for you.

Just a general assessment based on the questions you asked:

If you are serious about this industry try inquiring more knowledge about it, based on the questions asked above it is clear you have little to no knowledge of the industry. If by some miracle you do get into the industry do not ever try hooking up with the waitresses or hostesses (already going in to the industry with the wrong train of thought) because it is going to lead to the downfall of your career (many have tried this path before and they usually fail miserably, with very few succeeding)
Also assess and be very honest to yourself about your cooking abilities, do not get opinions from your family or friends but of people who are not close to you (co workers, neighbours), many wannabee chefs and cooks get rude awakenings when they realise that people do not like their cooking, but yet they were always complimented by family.

 

[doggystyle99]

I met someone with a degree as a chief from George Brown working for minimum age flipping hamburgers

Yes that's usually because he was probably not a good chef, or a very stubborn person towards change as a chef.
The successful chefs are always changing their own menus and learning about new ways of putting certain types of food together.

 

[Samantha Jones]

even if you don't do it for work you can still use the skills you learn

 

[MissCroft]

The successful chefs are always changing their menus and learning about new ways of putting certain types of food together.

This. A creative chef should be able to find work but you have to convince employers that you're good. Not always easy and not every employer is going to be happy with you trying to change the menu.

Culinary school helps but is not a guarantee. I say find some work in a kitchen (even if it's just prep work) and then try to prove yourself and work your way up.

 

[doggystyle99]

Hot, greasy, shitty pay and hours, sign me up. I gotta ask, what did you do in 2012 to net 140k, and now want to be a cook, a gigolo.

ROTFLMFAO
From net 140k to 35k a year salary gross as a cook or a chef if he can get a job with no experience while wanting to hook up with the waitresses.
Some TERB'ites are in a delusional world.

 

[onceaday]

Throughout my (too long) University career I worked in many high-end restos both in the front and back of the house. Chefs/cooks work twice as hard for half the money as servers get. This is why they (chefs) often get a serious hate on for front house staff. That said, once you find out what Chef likes to drink and provide the requisite bottle weekly things get a heck of a lot easier. And don't ever make the mistake of dissing the poor bastard on dishwashing service or you will find a Wusthof stuck right up your ass courtesy of Chef. Back of the house? Crap hours, high stress, thankless, lousy pay. Many pretty solid Chef's I worked with burnt out in their 40's.

Look into a diploma in long term care or property management. Thank me later.

 

[Big Sleazy]

I know someone that has achieved the highest level in terms of being a Chef in Canada. He is a " Chef de Cuisine ". Which means he can travel anywhere in the World and get a job as a Chef. Working daily in a kitchen is a lot of work. But if you love what you do it's worth it. The pay is only good if you go into the restaurant business as the owner or partner. There you can make a lot of money. But the hours are long and there is no guarantee. On the other hand the baby boomers aren't getting any younger. And they have a lot of money to spend. So these higher end elderly care homes are now opening up opportunties for Chef's who don't want the long hours but want to make a decent wage.

 

[Ceiling Cat]

The trend now is Restaurants that serve sous vide prepared dishes. ( ala smoked meat pouch ) This is where food is pre prepared and sealed into a sous vide bag. The restaurant post prepares the food after it is cooked and removed from the bag.
Not gourmet level food, but the food is prepared well and not over cooked. Red Lobster had the same concept except their savings came from frozen pre prepared dishes.

 

[stinkynuts]

Here are your answers:

- there will always be a demand for cooks
Yes

-it will develop practical skills that I can use everyday
Yes cooking skills

-it is rewarding as you can improve and become better over time
Yes but only to those who are open to learning and growing, there are many cooks and chefs that do not change the way they do things due to their own stubbornness and pride

-the pay is decent
No it's not, starting pay for cooks are very low

-i am passionate about cooking
There is a difference between being a cook and a chef, if you are passionate that is just a small part of the equation but it's a good start

My questions are:

-What's the best way to get into the industry with zero experience?
With zero experience you need to go to culinary school, or have a few million dollars laying around so you can invest in opening your own restaurant. But if you have never been in the service or food industry before I would never recommend this to anyone as it is very overwhelming and could be an extremely expensive lesson.

-What are the good things and bad things about being a cook?
Bad things:
very long hours, always working in a very hot environment, could become monotonous fast to those who are in it for the wrong reasons or don't have the passion for it, success rate is very low (just ask the many restauranteurs that fail and the many that are struggling to pay their employees or their leases).

Good things:
recognition of future financial potential if done properly are very high

-Is there lots of stress?
Yes lots of stress, but anything worth doing or succeeding in is stressful. In other words if you are looking to become successful fast and make a lot of money with little effort in no time this is the wrong industry

-Do you need to go to culinary school, or is it a waste of time?
Yes culinary school is important

-Do you get tips?
Yes sometimes you get tips on how your cooking could be better, other kinds of tips are very rare

-How often do you get to hook up with the waitresses?
Already going down the wrong path before you get in to the industry.

-What's the difference between a chef and a cook? Is a chef more upscale?
If you can't answer this question yourself you need to ask if this is the right path or career for you.

Just a general assessment based on the questions you asked:

If you are serious about this industry try inquiring more knowledge about it, based on the questions asked above it is clear you have little to no knowledge of the industry. If by some miracle you do get into the industry do not ever try hooking up with the waitresses or hostesses (already going in to the industry with the wrong train of thought) because it is going to lead to the downfall of your career (many have tried this path before and they usually fail miserably, with very few succeeding)
Also assess and be very honest to yourself about your cooking abilities, do not get opinions from your family or friends but of people who are not close to you (co workers, neighbours), many wannabee chefs and cooks get rude awakenings when they realise that people do not like their cooking, but yet they were always complimented by family.

Wow, thanks for the detailed info. It seems like a very accurate and honest assessment.

I think the bottom line is that any time you want to make a living out of something you are passionate about, you are in for a rude awakening.

When the goal is to make money, it's about squeezing every bit of profit from all resources, including you. The result is that you are stressed and no longer enjoy what you were passionate about. You become just another machine in the assembly line, churning out goods.