[OT] Any Chefs here?

[DWARF]

I've reached a bit of a decision in my life, and I'm not sure what exactly to do. After a few years at a Science Undergraduate degree, I'm seriously considering an change, and I've always loved to cook.

Now from any actual Chefs out there, how do you find the career and wht advice can you give me?

 

[Greybar]

DWARF,

A good friend of mine just shifted from software QC to being a personal chef. He went to the Cambridge School of Culinary Arts (that's the Cambridge near Boston, MA not the one in England).

I'll try to get him to post. Here's an example of what the end-of-semester exams are like -
0) Your instructor gives you a dish to make by name
1) You write the recipe for it, from scratch. You are scored on the correctness and clarity of the recipe.
2) Then you make it (by your recipe). You are scored on your culinary skills as you make it.
3) Then they taste it. You are scored on how well it came out.

John

 

[diaglo]

it is not surprising you would make the shift.

many of the experiments in a lab are similar to cooking.

in a lab you follow a protocol, which is much like a recipe.

 

[Airwolf]

I am not a chef, but I will throw my thoughts into the mix.

I completed my engineering degree about a year ago. I enjoy what I do. I also love to cook. In fact I will be going out to get some fresh ingredients soon for tonight’s dinner.

I would love to go to a culinary school some day. I don't know if I would want to be a chef in a restaurant but I would enjoy knowing how to cook on a professional level. Maybe when I am rich enough to quit my job for a while I will follow that dream.

Anyway, I think it’s a great choice. Good Luck to you!

 

[realmprotector]

I would definitely say go to school! I never had the opportunity to go and I've struggled as a Chef all my life against folks with degrees. Your top choices are:

The Culinary Institute of Amererica

Johnson and Wales

The French Culinary Institute


and If thats not enough here's the place to find all the info

Petersons Culinary Schools

Hope that helps ya!

 

[Enforcer]

I actually visited the Culinary Institute of America in Sonoma, CA. There, a chef gave a cooking demonstration...and it wasn't very good. My totally unhelpful advice would be to become a better cook than that guy. Oh, and lots of luck, of course!

 

[Drawmack]

I was a chef for a number of years and no longer am. I'll attempt to give an unbiased run down of the pros and cons in that order.

Pros
===
Always impresses a lady when you can cook.
Generally don't have to work mornings
Being Creative is fun and designing menus and specials is creative.
Environment - the people in restaurants are generally perpetual teenagers which makes it a fun place to work.
Parties - I've never met anyone that can party like kitchen people


Cons
====
You're giving up weekends and holidays for the rest of your life
The pay scale isn't that great unless you reach a pinacle in the field
The heat, especially in the summer, can be unbearable.
You, your car, the room where you keep your dirty clothes will stink - unless you like the smell of rancid greece.
Once, I was too tired to have sex.
Unpredictable hours - you know you'll be home sometime between 10 and midnight.
Split Shifts
Long Shifts
Working hungry - nothing sucks like cooking food and not having the time to eat.

 

[buzzard]

I'd carefully listen to the downside Drawmack has described. One of my techs used to be a chef. He even had cooking school training. However he went back and got a tech degree since cooking and having a life are rather mutually exclusive.

buzzard

 

[Krug]

IRON CHEF DWARF! I like the sound of that!

 

[trentonjoe]

I went to Cornell University's School of Hotel and Resteraunt Management. I learned how to cook and how to manage. I worked in and around resteraunts for over 10 years.

I am now a Special Education teacher.

Why? It sucked.


HEre is why:
There was no way to avoid a 60 + hour work week. T

He only way to make money was to get into management (which is not why people become chefs).

There is a lot of people who do drugs which sometimes makes a unsafe work environment.

This is just my experience but I blieve it to be accurate.