I would love to become a Pro Chef!?

Question

What do I need?

Answer 1

Schooling and experience.  Just a word of warning:  the food service industry in not like what you see on TV.  It can be very stressful.  Chefs are managers; they run the business.  And, depending on where you live and what type of job you find, it does not pay well (in some cases).

Plan on getting a two year culinary degree.  Going on to get a bachelors in restaurant and hotel management and a masters degree in business will be very helpful if you want a top paying job.

Restaurants will not hire someone as a chef without experience.  Plan on working as a cook while you are school.  The minimum requirements to become a chef are usually 5 years of cooking experience plus college.  Line cooks do not make much money.

I suggest that you get a job at a restaurant.  If you like it, then go to culinary school (A lot of people in this business hate their jobs.  It is a good idea to find out if you are cut out for it BEFORE you waste your money on culinary school).

In addition to being a good cook, a chef must have people skills, communication skills, be able to work well under pressure, be able to mulitask, be able to work on their feet for long hours.  Since they run the business, chefs do the purchasing of food and supplies, write employee schedules, train new employees, hire and fire employees, handle employee complaints, write menus and recipes, control food and labor cost, etc..

It is not a glamourous job.  Most chefs have to work 50+ hours per week (usually at night).  If you plan on having a family, do not expect to see them much.  I've seen a lot of people quit because they cannot handle the pressure.

Answer 2

A lot of hard work, luck and very thick skin!  Being a genius won't hurt either.  Re-read the professional chef's answer - absolutely the best I have seen ever.  Truth, but if it is what you want, go for it.

Answer 3

Check out this web site on culinary schools:

http://www.allculinaryschools.com - 80k