Pros and cons of being a chef – where to study to be a chef, and what about your career and salary?

One of the most demanded professions in the world. Moreover, it is relevant always and everywhere. And even when the times of absolute robotization, described in science fiction novels, come, chefs will still be needed and important. Something, but people want to eat every day. And certainly tasty and safe.

Is it worth going to a pastry chef, and what can a future creator of culinary masterpieces expect from work?

The content of the article:

1. Conditions and features of the chef’s work
2. Pros and cons of being a chef
3. Professional skills and qualities
4. Chef salary and career
5. Where to study to be a chef?
6. Finding a job as a cook from scratch

Conditions and features of the chef’s work

Evolution is closely related to all areas of our life. Cooking is no exception.

From the meat of a mammoth on a fire, we came to exquisite dishes, from the mere sight of which an appetite awakens.

True, not every chef manages to reveal his talents – it all depends on the place of work. But the conditions and features of work are still approximately the same.

Video: Chef profession

What does the chef do?

• Accepts food and handles it properly.
• Checks products for compliance with GOST and quality.
• Prepares semi-finished products.
• Stores food in accordance with sanitary and hygienic standards.
• Uses kitchen appliances, including the most modern ones.
• Prepares dishes and creates new recipes.
• Prepares dishes before serving.
• Introduces new cooking technologies.

Features of the work of a chef

The activities of a chef are different from those of an ordinary cook.

The chief’s task is prepare the right dishes in the right amount for a specific time…

It seems to be the same task as an ordinary cook, but the chef also has to …

1. Organize uninterrupted food.
2. Order products, communicate with suppliers.
3. Control the work of forwarders and reduce the cost of purchasing goods.
4. Control the cooking process and compliance with the norms.
5. Create a menu, change it as needed.
6. Control the return of dishes (often).
7. Interact with staff.
8. Resolve conflicts with visitors if they are unhappy with the ordered dish.
9. Conduct master classes in a restaurant.
10. Train assistants.

Pros and cons of being a chef

At the word “cook”, some imagine the hero of the TV show “Kitchen”, who circles around his assistants, tastes dishes and receives a high salary, while others imagine a poor fellow sweating in the kitchenette of a tiny cafe, whose salary is not enough for a caviar sandwich every morning.

Regardless of our perceptions, the pros and cons of working are the same for both.

Advantages:

• Opportunity for career growth.
• The demand for the profession.
• Stable income. In some cases, it is very solid.

Flaws:

• Physical activity and leg work.
• Constant presence at the stove – in a hot room.
• Constant tension (the cook must be extremely attentive, it is unacceptable to lose vigilance).
• Material liability.
• Responsibility for the image and reputation of the institution.
• Often – overstated requirements of the authorities.
• The duty is to cook exactly what the bosses require (unless the restaurant belongs to the chef himself).

Video: Difficulties of the profession of a cook

Professional skills and qualities

Every day, in restaurants and cafes around the world, work is in full swing: waitresses balance between tables with trays, dishwashers wash, bartenders pour, etc. The chef plays the main violin.

The “package” of required personal qualities of such a valuable employee does not change:

1. Attentiveness and responsibility.
2. Experience and certain knowledge.
3. Vigor, vivacity, absence of health problems, with the sense of smell, with the spine, etc.
4. Neatness and neatness. A good chef always has a clean stove and hood and a robe’s sleeves.
5. Taste memory.
6. Excellent coordination of movements.
7. The ability to do multiple things at once.
8. Creativity, the presence of imagination.

What should a chef know?

• The basics of cooking various dishes.
• Features of cuisine in different countries of the world.
• Cooking technology.
• Rules for handling modern technology.

Also, the chef must …

1. Follow the “fashion” in the field of catering.
2. Quickly navigate the properties of products, their compatibility, cooking characteristics, energy value, etc.
3. Constantly develop creativity to become famous and not get stuck as a cook in the nearest dining room.

Contraindications to work:

• Dermatological problems.
• Sexually transmitted or infectious diseases.
• Poor eyesight and smell.
• Epilepsy.
• Phlebeurysm.

Chef salary and career – is it realistic to become a chef?

As mentioned above, this profession remains in demand at all times. And, best of all, anyone can master it, if they wish.

True, it will be much more difficult to achieve success (unless, of course, the cook in the dining room is not the limit of your dreams).

• The average salary of an ordinary chef is 20,000-50,000 rubles, depending on the place of work and region.
• Chefs are already the highest level, their salaries start from 50,000 rubles.
• The upper salary bar is limited by the region (or country), talent, knowledge of European, Japanese and French cuisine – it can even reach up to 300,000-500,000 rubles…

Video: How to get a job as a chef for the first time without experience and recommendations!

What about your career?

It’s not that simple.

No, of course, you will eventually be able to get a job in a cafe or a small restaurant, but you will not be able to reach the level of a chef right away.

Even if cooking is your only hobby and you have no equal in the kitchen, as your mom says, have to work hard…

A chef is painstaking work, constant self-improvement, a true desire “from the very depths of your depths” and, of course, talent.

Do not rush into the queens at once – this is impossible. Start gradually – step by step, from assistant chef to chef, from chef in a cafe to chef in a small restaurant, etc.

Keep your work pace high at all times, acquire new skills, study the history of the cuisine of the peoples of the world, go to events, meet people.

And find an opportunity to become an assistant chef – from him you will get the necessary experience and learn a lot of secrets.

Where to study to be a chef?

To get a job as a chef, you will need a diploma (even if you are a genius by birth).

Learn to be cooks in specialized technical schools and universities, as well as additionally attend courses and master classes of eminent chefs.

If funds allow, you can ride to Italy or France, and spend money on training with the master.

Finding a job as a cook from scratch

Do you have a diploma?

Start from a small cafe.

Even if the salary there does not meet your needs, this is just a start and gaining experience.

• Then you can try yourself junior chef in a restaurant
• Grow up to foreman.
• Become assistant chef…

Well, then fate itself will lead you on the right path, provided that you still do not lose interest in work.

Where and how to look for work – instructions for the unemployed

And – some recommendations:

1. Read a lot, teach, communicate, go to courses and trainings. Knowledge is one of the keys to success.
2. Exercise regularly at home. Cook for yourself, for loved ones, for neighbors. Experiment, cook only what the soul requires.
3. Keep up with the times. Modern chefs use more than knives and hammers to beat meat.
4. Look for an opportunity to gain experience in team leadership (the chef will have to do this).

remember, that a cook’s training never ends, because there is no limit to perfection!

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