Becoming a Chef: Get Ready to Pay Your Dues

The most common misconception is that you come out of cooking school and are a ‘chef’. That is far from true! You have to fight, build a repertoire, put up with low wages, long hours, abuse from co-workers. and your chef Not forgetting burns, cuts, lack of social life and possibly no vacations or weekends off.

In most cases, you’ll average around $12 an hour and benefits may or may not exist. Make sure your feet hurt and your back hurts. By the time you finish your shift and finally walk into your room, all you’re going to do is throw yourself into bed completely exhausted. Plus, you’ll experience this night after night only to wake up and go straight back to a 12 or 14 hour shift. But you will learn a lot of new knowledge, develop your speed and techniques, taste and creativity, and hopefully find your own style along the way. You’ll get better and better, and if you deserve it, you’ll gradually rank up.

However, all these achievements do not happen overnight. Always remember to do it out of your passion and love for food and learning. The fact is that it will be compensation for a normal life. You work while everyone else plays. To be really sure of what you want to be go to work in a restaurant or in a hotel kitchen, before making the decision to become a chef. Cooking will certainly help you in your learning and understanding, but it teaches you how to handle all kinds of difficult situations in the kitchen.

How to work with terrific speed to handle an insanely crowded night, what to do when the grill chef disappears for a cigarette right before service and never returns, or what to do when half the ovens in the kitchen break halfway through. from service. There are going to be all sorts of unforeseen problems as the kitchen is where adversity reigns. But your experiences and passion are going to be what makes you better and propels you towards your dreams.