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altershroom
Earth Cohabitant



Registered: 06/05/05
Posts: 583
Loc: under a lake in the north...
Last seen: 10 years, 11 months
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Thinking about becoming a chef
#9834102 - 02/20/09 03:00 PM (14 years, 11 months ago) |
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I wasn't sure where I need to post this but now after a lot of consideration I decided in favor of Culinary/Brewing.
I am at a crossroads in my life and unemployed for about a year. I've been stuck in a computer voting job for about ten years and now downsized and totally out of work and I want to go back to school or get a degree in something because I have no skilled trade. I want a nice resume' and I want to work but I am not used to the work world and just want to ease back into it doing something I really enjoy.
That one thing I really enjoy besides technology and computers is cooking. I am simmering a batch of Santa Fe corn and chicken chowder soup now as I type this. I have loved to cook ever since I was young and in the past 10 years I have mastered authentic wood smoked BBQ. But I have never really applied myself and now am in my mid 40's and trying to rebuild my life from scratch with little money and help.
Anyone have input as where I should go to to get credentials in the culinary industry. I'm open for any suggestions. Sorry for such a wall of text, I'm just really at wits end looking for a career.
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Brainiac
Rogue Scientist



Registered: 04/29/06
Posts: 13,259
Loc: 與您的女朋
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Re: Thinking about becoming a chef [Re: altershroom]
#9834141 - 02/20/09 03:06 PM (14 years, 11 months ago) |
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The easy way is to start as a dishwasher and work you way up...As most places use dishwasher to perp the food..
Take a http://www.servsafe.com/ class Your look better in there eyes...
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Fair is Fair
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neopet nub
Stranger


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Re: Thinking about becoming a chef [Re: altershroom]
#9834165 - 02/20/09 03:10 PM (14 years, 11 months ago) |
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Cooking is not a good industry if you want to make money.
To become a chef, it takes lots of time at a restaraunt.
-------------------- Ego death from weed!
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Brainiac
Rogue Scientist



Registered: 04/29/06
Posts: 13,259
Loc: 與您的女朋
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Re: Thinking about becoming a chef [Re: neopet nub]
#9834218 - 02/20/09 03:21 PM (14 years, 11 months ago) |
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If not a chef..how about producing local smoked foods...Ie smoked fish/salt/ peppers..
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Fair is Fair
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altershroom
Earth Cohabitant



Registered: 06/05/05
Posts: 583
Loc: under a lake in the north...
Last seen: 10 years, 11 months
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Re: Thinking about becoming a chef [Re: Brainiac]
#9834226 - 02/20/09 03:23 PM (14 years, 11 months ago) |
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that sounds more practical. My gears of thought are now turning differently.
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Brainiac
Rogue Scientist



Registered: 04/29/06
Posts: 13,259
Loc: 與您的女朋
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Re: Thinking about becoming a chef [Re: altershroom]
#9834233 - 02/20/09 03:25 PM (14 years, 11 months ago) |
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Edited by Brainiac (02/20/09 03:37 PM)
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soochi
Chef


Registered: 08/13/02
Posts: 2,420
Loc: The Richest County
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Re: Thinking about becoming a chef [Re: altershroom]
#9838861 - 02/21/09 01:24 PM (14 years, 11 months ago) |
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Starting a BBQ joint or catering service would be something that I think would be more in line with your age, experience and expertise (from what you say).
First, cooking professionally is nothing like cooking at home, for a party or any other venue. It's nothing like what you see on TV or on the Food Network, you will work at least 16 hours a day for little pay, you will work weekends and all holidays except christmas and new years day. It's thankless,demanding, physcially exhausting,glamourless and you will most likely work with a lot of illiterate and passionless "robots".
Cooking professionally is not something to get into if you want to "ease back" it takes a lot of committment to be successful and gain respect from your peers and contemporaries. This country doesn't take cooking or food as serious as other parts of the world so being successful in producing mediocre chain restaurant food or poorly executed wannabe chefy food can land you a show on Foodtv, so long as you're physically attractive and can read.
Joking aside, and to be painfully truthful, 40 is just too old to be getting into line cooking, line cooking is predominantly and young male dominated sector of the food service industry and many working their now have no qualms about working slavery hours for almost no pay, as long as they know they are working for a great chef that will teach them and hopefully increase their visibility in the industry; many are not married and have no obligations like children or a mortgage, and they are highly driven (I speak of mostly fine dining establishments here).
My best suggestion for you is to go to the most expensive or most popular or fanciest restaurant in your area and offer to work for free for at least one whole work day preferably two or three days; just so you can see the enivironment you will be subjected to physically and mentally (a lot of chefs, at least the good ones, are mentally abusive) even if you have to wash dishes as another member suggested. Working for a top kitchen will give you a glimpse into the inner workings of a successufl business. Now if you want proceed further just keep in mind that this is the best of situations and that most other kitchens will not have the staff, equipment or properly trained front of house staff as fancier places with an established name and/or chef.
As for schooling, stick with a culinary only college or institute, especially ones that have classes especially for older career changers or what's dubbed "continuing education" Art Institutes of America is a great school, French Culinary Institute in NYC is probably the best of that type of school, also, the bigger universities like CIA and JWU also have continuing education classes, though at significantly higher costs. School is not essential, experience and a driven attitude are what counts. Experience includes not only working at places but going out to eat, traveling and gaining knowledge through reading and attending trade shows, tastings, seminars, etc. Now what you do have going for you IS your age, as older people are seen as more responsible and dependable; and it's not unheard of seeing someone your age getting into cooking and in a couple years time has the helm of a kitchen in a exec sous, sous or even exec chef capacity. Of course it all depends how much you are willing to sacrifice in order to move up quickly (and in your position I would want that to be very quick)
Lastly, remember that if you want to go into the restaurant/food service industry for yourself that there is a very high rate of failure for most types of restaurants after their first year, a good full service restaurant will be doing very well if they are making around 10% profit after all is said and paid for, so margins are slim. And I know I stated earlier that you shouldn't look to TV for advice, but just look at the kind of place Gordon Ramsay goes to in his "Kitchen Nightmares" show, both here in the US and in GB. Most of those places have either closed or have been bought out from the original owners.
Also, take into account the current financial situation of the world at the moment and key in on a demographic that would make sense in competing for, a lot of good restaurants in my area (DC) have closed, are cutting back, or are restructuring into more casual, higher-volume places. Citronelle for example (a highly regarded French restaurant in Georgetown) just announced that they will be laying off 10 of their kitchen crew. So that is where my suggestion for a BBQ pit and/or catering service comes to mind: relatively low overhead costs if done cafeteria style and kept basic and food cost is usually low for operations that deal with one type of food or cut of meat since you would be purchasing a lot of it. (hopefully)
Bottomline:
IT's NOT EASY!!!
Oh, and learn Spanish. The best advice I was ever given by another chef.
Good Luck and give it real thought.
-------------------- Wee, sleeket, cowran, tim'rous beastie, O, what panic's in thy breastie! Thou need na start awa sae hasty, Wi' bickering brattle!
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A3eyedfish
mycophile



Registered: 05/06/99
Posts: 1,454
Loc: Wut some people Call Par...
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Re: Thinking about becoming a chef [Re: soochi]
#9934162 - 03/08/09 03:48 PM (14 years, 10 months ago) |
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Do not become a chef if you want to make money & have health insurance, want weekends off so you can do things, do not want or like alot of stress & back stabbing & drama, want to limit your self to one bitchy woman in your life rather than an entire waitstaff of ruthless cunts, don't want to have to work in extream heat while dressed in a long sleve chef coat, don't want to hear for the like 1000th time from some older lady at the bar up front about how she thinks that chefs make alot of money, ( waitress make 2-3 times what a chef makes ).
Do yourself a favor & train for somthing that will reward your pocket, body & mind.
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daussaulit
Forgetful

Registered: 08/06/02
Posts: 2,894
Loc: Earth
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Re: Thinking about becoming a chef [Re: A3eyedfish]
#9935617 - 03/08/09 07:59 PM (14 years, 10 months ago) |
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Being in the food service industry myself, it takes a different kind of person to be a chef. It's not what television makes it out to be. Doing something as a hobby and doing something for a living is not the same thing. Culinary schools are a waste of time, and will help you amass a large amount of debt. Like others have suggested, try doing some line cooking at a local restaurant and see if you still like it.
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GabbaDj
BTH



Registered: 04/08/01
Posts: 19,679
Loc: By The Lake
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Re: Thinking about becoming a chef [Re: altershroom]
#9939443 - 03/09/09 12:49 PM (14 years, 10 months ago) |
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Quote:
altershroom said: I wasn't sure where I need to post this but now after a lot of consideration I decided in favor of Culinary/Brewing.
I am at a crossroads in my life and unemployed for about a year. I've been stuck in a computer voting job for about ten years and now downsized and totally out of work and I want to go back to school or get a degree in something because I have no skilled trade. I want a nice resume' and I want to work but I am not used to the work world and just want to ease back into it doing something I really enjoy.
That one thing I really enjoy besides technology and computers is cooking. I am simmering a batch of Santa Fe corn and chicken chowder soup now as I type this. I have loved to cook ever since I was young and in the past 10 years I have mastered authentic wood smoked BBQ. But I have never really applied myself and now am in my mid 40's and trying to rebuild my life from scratch with little money and help.
Anyone have input as where I should go to to get credentials in the culinary industry. I'm open for any suggestions. Sorry for such a wall of text, I'm just really at wits end looking for a career.
Lots of work for smart, driven people in the grocery business. Youve got to be a people person and these days the more computer savvy, the more desireable you are. Lots of good union jobs in the grocery business and plenty of room for advancement.
If you were to get an AA in retail management, youll have lots more options than you would with a culinary degree and the pay/benefits are much better.
-------------------- GabbaDj FAMM.ORG
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gema
Freedom from the Known

Registered: 10/24/04
Posts: 1,767
Loc: t(here)
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Re: Thinking about becoming a chef [Re: altershroom]
#9945752 - 03/10/09 01:16 PM (14 years, 10 months ago) |
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Look for a book called "Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly" by Anthony Bourdain. Amusing read.
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homebaked
Social Scientist

Registered: 04/10/09
Posts: 135
Loc: Queensland, Australia
Last seen: 14 years, 1 month
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Re: Thinking about becoming a chef [Re: altershroom]
#10178603 - 04/16/09 03:25 PM (14 years, 9 months ago) |
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I think that everyone here is pretty much spot on. I worked my way up as a chef and it ultimately led to me becoming addicted to drugs and overly agressive. This doesn't happen to everyone but I have never met a relaxed chef.
I think someone suggested smoked goods (was it you?), and I think a niche market is definitely the way to go. I am passionate about cooking but this doesnt neccesarily mean diddly in the commercial food industry.
Find something you love to make, and are spectacularly good at, and provide the best quality product and service.
If you really have mastered a BBQ, then let people hire you for functions or parties. You will be your own boss, and after a few overheads will be running on pure profit.
Hell, if I knew of a self professed BBQ lover in his 40's, I would hire you over any dweeby little chum to come cater for me.
As long as you have the right attitude, and the right product/service, you will go far.
Good luck to ya mate.
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'Are the black bits in bananas, tarantula's eggs?' Vince Noir 'This acid is like felix felias' High friend
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