What are some culinary chef career tips?
Asked by Tommy G
I'm looking for information on becoming a chef. I've had a passion for cooking all my life, so I'm curious to know if there are some quick tips on becoming a chef and starting a culinary chef career.

Best Answer:
5 Culinary Chef Career Tips A culinary chef preps and cooks a variety of meals for the public. Meals such as soups, appetizers, salads, side dishes, entrees, desserts and breads are included. Naturally a culinary chef has a widespread work experience along with formal training from a culinary institute or college. Listed below are 5 culinary chef career tips to look over before starting a chef career. Step 1: Researching the Culinary Chef Career Duties and Education A master of food, a culinary chef prepares meals that comfort, uplift and arouse all while nourishing patrons’ taste buds and palates. A culinary chef also crates menus while preparing food and managing kitchen employees. Culinary chefs must have a great sense of smell and taste with high levels of creativity and a knack for experimentation (to ensure the success of the menu). Some culinary chefs work from the bottom up; however, it is more common these days for a culinary chef to have formal and professional training through an apprenticeship or program offered by an institute or college. Step 2: Prep While in High School Along with your relevant high school classes, like English, mathematics, take any class that will prepare you for the kitchen. Business, food handling and cooking safety are good to take as well. Check to see if your community offers chefs training programs. Finally, get experience in the industry by getting a job at a restaurant. Any of your choice, experience always matters. Step 3: Work Your Way Up The best way in becoming a culinary chef is starting at the bottom of the chef career path and work your way up. Start in the kitchen as a dishwasher, bus boy/girl, host or waiter/waitress. Get familiar with the food, the customers, the staff and the business; it well you in the long to understand what a restaurant owners wants and needs from employees. Your first cooking job usually is cleaning cooking areas, peeling, gutting, chopping; the lighter things. Next, you will be responsible for preparing soups, appetizers, salads or desserts. The next step is becoming a line cook; this is where you prepare items based on type of food or cooking, such as grill or sauté cook. Second to the head chef is the sous chef, who works on the line and has the added responsibility of watching over the rest of the kitchen staff. Top of the ‘top’ culinary chefs is the executive chef. As executive chef, you manage the entire kitchen, create the menu, invent and test cooking ingredients and recipes and stock for the entire kitchen. It can very well take you years to become a ‘top’ culinary executive chef. Step 4: Apprenticeship Enrolling in an apprenticeship program accredited by the ACCFFAC (American Culinary Federation Accrediting Commission) will most certainly put your culinary chef career on the right path. Many apprenticeships are 2 or 3 year on-the-job, full-time training and you must complete at least 12 courses in the subjects relevant to a culinary chef career. These apprentices are paid and can earn you an optional culinary arts associate degree in the process. The American Culinary Federation’s (ACF’s) website has all the details and locations of the programs. Step 5: Formal Recipe for Success In order for students to start a culinary chef career, and advance in the culinary chef field, you must have a high school diploma. Trade and vocational schools offer basic training as well. You may attend a community college or culinary institution or attend a private cooking school that offers 2 or 4 year programs in culinary arts. In addition to your program learning, students enrolled in culinary arts programs find that working in an ‘upscale’ or ‘fine-dining’ restaurants help the learning process significantly. ACF offers certifications in a number of culinary arts careers such as; educator, personal chef, pastry chef and others. The combination of certification and work experience with on-the-job training is the best recipe for success in starting your culinary chef career.
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Answered by Jesse T

some basic tips: 1: know how to turn the gas stove on. 2: use a no-stick pan, and cook your fish in the no stick pan, instead of on the grill. 3: dont drip sweat in the food. 4: dont send out raw chicken and raw scallops. 5: dont send out bland tasteless risotto. 6: dont overcook the steak. 7: cook all pasta to order. 8: know a variety of sauces, and what goes in them. 9: know how to clean shrimp. 10: know how to cut a steak. 11: cook fresh stuff; not packaged stuff. 12: keep a clean kitchen. 13: keep a clean cooler. 14: do daily and weekly inspections of the cooler, dump old stuff. 15: keep track of your inventory in the cooler. plan menus from your inventory. dont let inventory rot. 16: plan lunch and dinner specials and advertise with fliers. 17. drive around your neighborhood. ask yourself what your restaurant offers that the other restaurants dont. what will keep you in business? ask the community what they want that the local restaurants dont have. 18: maintain communication with the other cooks in the kitchen. make sure everybody knows their responsibility. 19: get orders out. cook the stuff well, but dont be too quick to take dishes off the check. dont be arrogant. learn to recognize when your food is the problem, but also recognize when its a rare customer that just cant be pleased. 20: sometimes owners hire managers who know really nothing about food and not enough about running the front. educate your managers and your owners. 21: sometimes you have to sit with the owner and discuss if its the decor and look of the restaurant that turns people away. before they taste the food, you have make them want to sit in the place. 22: make sure your waiters know what the hell is on the menu, and how things are cooked. so many waiters and waitresses are too stupid and lazy to learn the menu, they know nothing about food, and then they make up lame excuses. a friggin diner in my area had both veal cutlets, and chopped veal patties, and the dumbass waitress said "im from hawaii, i dont know about veal." dumbass bitch should go back to hawaii and she'll find fifty restaurants or more with veal on the menu.
Answered by Marc S

the first thing you want to do is get on line and find the nearest culinary institute to you. have them mail you out information on classes. I don't want to burst your bubble, but there is no fast way, you have to go to school, and get your degree. or you can see if some restaurant will hire you as a chef's aid, and hope to get promoted from within, but a degree, will earn you much higher salary. Good Luck, as long as you have the desire and passion, you will most likely succeed.
Answered by daddys girl