To Be A Chef

Do you think you can run a kitchen?  Think you can satisfy the cravings of hungry patrons?  Are you a foodie that does not only love to eat but “create” tasty morsels as well?  Do you have what it takes to be a chef?

Job Description

Basically a chef is “chief” of the kitchen.  The word comes from the abbreviated French phrase “chef de cuisine” or “head of the kitchen”.  It is the term for somebody who cooks professionally.  In the kitchen setting the term is used for the person in charge of the whole show or the “executive chef”.

Most of us think that all a chef does is cook, season and prepare food.  But this is not the case.  The chef is literally king of the kitchen. Not only does he manage his staff but he also spends a lot of his time stirring, chopping, tasting and lifting sometimes heavy stacks of food.  Depending on the restaurant the duties of a chef may include:

• Creating, planning and pricing menus
• Preparing food according to customer’s order
• Garnishing and arranging food before serving
• Managing or supervising kitchen staff
• Overseeing cleanliness and sanitation
• Buying and stocking ingredients, materials, food supplies and cooking equipment
• Record keeping of food items and equipment

A good chef does not only know how to cook and create delicious food, he should also know how to effectively and efficiently manage his subordinates as well as his food stocks.  Not only does he need excellent management skills but people skills as well since most chefs socialize with their patrons in order to get feedback and suggestions as well as to gain their client’s favors.

Training

Aspiring chefs need training in the field of culinary arts.  There are many schools that offer professional training.  Programs vary from vocational courses, two or four year courses and even apprenticeships.  Most of the time, fresh graduates from culinary school will take on jobs or apprenticeships with established chefs in restaurants in starting positions such as assistants or a “chef de partie” or a line cook.  This position is basically a station in a part of a big kitchen.  If a person is in charge of the sauce station, then he is called the saucier and is in charge of all sautéed items.  The grillardan or the grill chef is in charge of all grilled items, while the roast chef or rotisseur and so on.

In the United States, apprenticeships are almost always part of the curriculum.  Regardless of where the education was received, most follow the apprenticeship system and go through the training process starting at the bottom of the rung and working their way up.

In Europe, aspiring chefs train for four years.  They start out as a first year commis or apprentice and then second year commis and so on.  Like the system in the United States, apprentices start out at the lowest positions in the kitchen and then working upwards.

What It Takes

Aside from the above stated requirements to become a chef, somebody who wants to be one must be very creative.  It takes a great deal of imagination to personalize a dish and to give it your own twist.  The same is true in creating your own unique food, flavor or style in cooking.  Creativity is not only for creating food but also when you need to deal with subordinates and clients.

Almost anybody can learn to cook, but it takes a special person to be a chef.  Transforming ordinary dishes into something mouthwatering needs talent and skill.  Aside from this, training and the actual work is physically and emotionally hard.  Apprentices and chefs spend a lot of their time on their feet, thinking and whipping up delicious meals.

Be it Italian, Japanese, French or other types of food; chefs are the Ultimate Masters of the Kitchen!