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Chef

Career Overview

If your bedside reading consists of a stack of cookbooks, describing a dish makes your mouth water, and you want nothing more than to see others’ eyes light up while eating something you prepared, then perhaps a career as a chef will whet your appetite! Enjoying a career that perfectly fuses the creative and the practical, chefs are fulfilling their passion and expressing their artistry through a medium that many appreciate. This profession will never get boring, as there are always new techniques to learn, trends to follow, and cuisines to experiment with. The biggest perk? Travel! Chefs need exposure to the different foods, flavors and cooking styles of other cultures, and the best way of experiencing these diverse cuisines is first-hand. This is a career that satisfies.

Job Outlook

• Employment is expected to increase by 6 percent over the 2008-18 decade – a bit more slowly than the average
• The growing variety of dining venues and continued demand for convenience will increase the need for food-related workers

Show Me the Money!

In California, the salary for a chef ranges between $30,000 and $54,000, with the average salary being $48,610. [bls.gov]

A Day in the Life

• Plan menus, develop recipes, keep the kitchen stocked with ingredients and order food supplies
• Prepare dishes, and ensure the quality and presentation of every dish leaving the kitchen
• Hire, train and supervise the kitchen staff
• Oversee kitchen operations to ensure efficiency, safety and compliance with sanitation guidelines
• Demands long hours, mostly during evenings, weekends and holidays
• Requires constantly being on one’s feet in a hot, crowded, noisy and sometimes physically uncomfortable environment

Your Workplace

Chefs can work any place where people need to eat – restaurants, hotels, catering businesses, schools, nursing homes, hospitals, amusement parks and private kitchens

Training, Degrees or Licensure

Although formal training is an option, many chefs are trained on the job, receiving real work experience and training in the restaurants where they work. Others enter the profession through formal apprenticeship programs. Associates degree and culinary school programs typically require two years; bachelors degrees and culinary institutes can be two to four years and offer more comprehensive training in this field. Chefs can also specialize in a specific aspect of the meal (such as pastry chefs or sauté chefs) or the cuisine of a particular country or region.

Movin’ On Up

Chefs who have professional experience and formal training are eligible for certification by the American Culinary Federation. While certification is not mandatory to work as a professional chef, it conveys proficiency, and can lead to a higher salary and career advancement. Many chefs go on to open their own restaurant.

Traits For Success

Candidates should love food, have strong interpersonal and leadership skills, creativity, attention to detail, a good sense of taste and smell, physical strength, and the ability to perform under pressure in chaos. These individuals are also expected to work well in a team, have clear communication skills (including even a second language), and good physical hygiene.

Did You Know?

One story about the origin of the chef’s hat comes from the time of Henry VIII. During one of his meals, the king found a hair in his soup. Angry, the king lost his head (figuratively), and the cook lost his head (literally). The cook’s replacement was ordered to wear a hat, and the new cook was only too happy to comply.