So, You Want to Be a Chef?

I've heard countless testimonies from high school graduates, about having the desire to become the next celebrity chef or wanting to pursue their dreams of being a famed chef in the local area. And I always give them this response, "Well... Get in line." Their reaction: priceless. Anyone who enters the culinary industry goes in with the mindset of striving to become the greatest, and becoming a chef, too.

Don't get me wrong, I don't say that to discourage them, rather, it's a reality check. Before I enrolled in culinary school, I wish someone sat me down and talked me through what the future entailed. People like the idea of cooking, but they despise hard work, and when I mean hard work I'm talking about the steps one needs to take to reach the level of becoming a chef.

You don't automatically become the chef's favorite when you join the crew, you start from the bottom as a kitchen grunt. A simple prep cook that does all the dirty work, and while it reaps its benefits (which there are hardly any), the chef doesn't pay you any attention until you've proven yourself.

There's a distinction between Food Channel and the typical real-world kitchen. In real life, you work long hours, get paid very little (depending on where you're located), and if it isn't enough it's both mentally and physically straining. Food Channel illustrates it well when they show the stress of working in a kitchen, except in real life, there isn't any of that dramatic and orchestrated music playing in the background.

The kitchen will take a toll on your body, no doubt about that. And the chef will make sure that you suffer and reconsider your motives of stepping foot into their kitchen or even the culinary world. But what's the number one priority in the chef's kitchen? I'll give you a hint, it starts with the letter F and ends with D.

Food is royalty, it's the queen of the kingdom, and it decides how it wants to be treated, of course, only with the king's approval, that being the chef. One simple mistake, and the king will be standing next to your station glaring at you, with the intent to "kill" you (figuratively speaking). It's your job to make sure you tend to the queens' needs and execute it with finesse.

I always advise anyone who is interested in the culinary industry to do their research first. The kitchen is not something to be taken lightly, and I can't begin to count how many stories I've heard about people dropping out of culinary school or leaving the industry because it wasn't what they expected.

You may be wondering, "Bruce, why did you leave the industry?"

That's a great question but it's an answer for another time.