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How to become a chef

Being a chef can often be more of a passion than just a job. But just as there are some glamorous jobs, there are also some rather mediocre ones in factory-like kitchens. Getting the best training will help you to find your dream chef job. First of all, though, make sure you have the right personal qualities to succeed.

Passion for food

Successful chefs all have at least one thing in common: a great passion for food. Watch some of the TV chefs in action. See how their passion for food shows in all they do. Without such passion it’s highly unlikely you’ll ever become a great chef.

Handling Stress

Working in a kitchen can be a very stressful experience. Have you ever seen Gordon Ramsay’s TV series called Hell’s Kitchen? OK, so that’s a bit of an extreme example, but seriously it can be very stressful – especially when the customers all arrive at once, such as in a staff canteen or even sometimes in a social club.

If you can’t handle stress, you should think very hard about whether cheffing is the right job for you. Some people find they thrive in this sometimes crazy environment. If this sounds like you, you could go far in your career as a chef!

Stamina

The stereotypical image of portraying a chef as a fat, jolly man is very old-fashioned. These days chefs – both male and female – recognise the need for physical fitness. You don’t need to be as fit as an athlete but you do need a lot of physical stamina. A chef often works long hours and the work can be very physically demanding. Are you up to the challenge?

Logistics and multi-tasking

The work often requires a chef to do several things at once time and to ensure everything comes together at the same time at the end of the process. People who can only do one thing at a time have great difficulties in this environment. But if you’re good at multi-tasking then you have a head start.

Think on your feet

Things change all the time so you need to be flexible. Sometimes things go wrong or perhaps an important ingredient hasn’t been delivered. You need to be able to think on your feet and resolve the situation.

Taking the next step

If you’ve read the above and think you have the personal qualities to succeed as a chef then it’s time to look at what training is available to you.

Most good employers want you to have some basic qualifications before they’ll hire you.




This entry was posted on Monday 14 January 2008 at 08:51 and is filed under Catering & Hospitality. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.


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