Cooking up a career

Food service industry offers appealing options for chefs

For those who feel most at home in the kitchen, a career as a chef may be an attractive option. However, there’s more to being a successful chef than simply being a great cook.

TYPES OF CHEFS

Executive chefs, head cooks and chefs de cuisine are primarily responsible for overseeing the operation of a kitchen. They coordinate the work of sous chefs and other cooks, who prepare most of the meals. Executive chefs also have many duties beyond the kitchen. They design the menu, review food and beverage purchases, and often train employees. Some executive chefs are primarily occupied by administrative tasks and spend little time in the kitchen.

Sous chefs are a kitchen’s second-incommand. They supervise the restaurant’s cooks, do some meal preparation tasks and report results to the head chefs. In the absence of the head chef, sous chefs run the kitchen.

Personal chefs plan and prepare meals in private homes. They also may order groceries and supplies, serve meals and wash dishes and utensils. Personal chefs are often self-employed or employed by a private cooking company, preparing food for a variety of customers.

NECESSARY SKILLS

In addition to skill and creativity in the kitchen, successful chefs must also possess strong business and time management skills in order to efficiently run a kitchen and plan meals.

Creativity and manual dexterity are needed when developing and preparing appealing, innovative recipes. A keen sense of taste and smell is also vital in order to inspect food and design meals.

EDUCATION

A growing number of chefs and head cooks receive formal training at community colleges, technical schools, culinary arts schools and two- or four-year colleges. Students in culinary programs spend most of their time in kitchens practicing their cooking skills. These programs cover all aspects of kitchen work, including menu planning, food sanitation procedures and purchasing and inventory methods.

Most formal training programs also require students to obtain experience in a commercial kitchen through an internship, apprenticeship or out-placement program.

—Information courtesyof the u.s. bureau of labor statistics Occupational outlook handbook

While many chefs work in the kitchen, others, such as executive chefs, focus more on administrative duties and the day-to-day management of a restaurant.