This is step 11 in your multi-part online course about
how to become a top chef.
Culinary schools can train you to work in any locale,
which is their best benefit. Of course, they are also much more
expensive and are often located outside of the United States, and
require that you cover your room and board at their
institutions.
Colleges and Universities offer the most extensive
training out there. They will get you a level III certification and
will let you meet AQF in commercial cookery. It is the best method
next to culinary institutes.
In colleges you can expect to study any or all of
these subjects:
• Business: you need to know business as you will be
responsible for the ordering of foods, and supplies. It is also good
if you plan to someday run a restaurant of your own.
• History, cultural studies, and sciences: The study
of the social sciences is a necessity when becoming a chef, because
you will often be cooking foods from a different culture. Knowing the
history of a country is an asset when trying to emulate their
foods.
• Economics and even politics: Understanding economics
is needed in every profession as you will have to keep up with
economic trends in the locale that you are working in. For example,
you can’t expect an expensive restaurant to thrive in an area that is
generally poor.
• Math: As a chef, you will often be required to
estimate pricing for foods that balances out with the cost of
preparing it. You will also be required to estimate the cost of
supplies and ingredients, and you must remain on or below your
budget.
• Biological sciences: Knowing biology will help you
to steer away from poisoning your clientele. It will help you to
identify any poisonous or harmful food stuffs.
• Human relations: You must be able to relate to other
people on their level if you are a chef because you will be dealing
with quite a few of them daily, and none of them will be the
same.
• Art and communications: Art will help you to present
an attractive dish and will help you to effectively blend the right
foods together in a way that will be more appealing to the
customer.
• Foreign Languages: Knowledge of foreign languages is
an asset to a chef. It is quite common for a chef to travel to
foreign locations when looking for inspiration for a new dish. So it
helps to speak the native language.
You will have to study a great deal but it will be
worth it.
You need to study all of these subjects so that you
can effectively learn to calculate, estimate and organize food
stuffs; communicate effectively with your clients and other kitchen
staff, know what foods are eaten in what cultures, and how to
effectively imitate the taste.
Advancement as a chef is easier than in most jobs, and
can happen relatively quickly as you are always proving yourself.
This is the one job where moving from job to job will actually
benefit you.
The reason for this is because you can transfer to a
higher paying job, or simply to a better position. Being able to
minimize waste and monitor other employees that are working under you
can help you advance quickly.
Your ability to accurately estimate how many
perishable foods you need is also a good way to start. Many cooks
advance to managers, supervisors, and executive chefs that
way.
To continue to the next section of your chef training,
please click this link: What is the Salary of a Chef?
