Getting a taste for success as a chef
THERE’S more to being a chef than television shows would suggest.
Andrew Chan, head chef at the Thornbury Castle hotel, near Bristol, says: ‘Being a chef requires a combination of pride and discipline.
‘TV makes it look easy, but it’s not — though it’s a fantastic career for the right people. The hours can be long, but it’s great when people send back messages saying that they loved your food.’
Andrew, 32, adds: ‘I grew up in a restaurant and loved the atmosphere and buzz.’ After taking NVQs in hospitality, he started as a commis chef in a hotel and moved up the ladder, being named South West Chef of the Year in 2013 during an earlier stint at Thornbury Castle as sous chef.
‘I have mostly worked in fine dining hotels, but a spell at a branded outlet gave me business skills such as invoicing, managing stock and wastage,’ he says.
However, there is a huge chef shortage. Martin-Christian Kent, executive director at hospitality consultancy People 1st, says: ‘Currently, 42 per cent of chef vacancies are hard to fill. Last year alone, 14,000 chef students qualified — enough to supply the 11,000 needed in the next eight years — but research shows their expectations don’t match reality, and they are entering the industry, but not staying.’
Andrew advises: ‘Ask to spend time in a kitchen before starting a course, to find out if it suits you.’
Employers are changing working conditions to attract chefs.
Daniel Murphy, the operations manager at Luxury Family Hotels, which owns Thornbury Castle, says: ‘Today’s chefs want hours comparable to other industries.
‘So we offer chefs a compressed working week and up to three days off together, with no cut in salary. We are also taking on apprentices.’