What Is A Chef?

This is step 4 in your easy to follow, multi-part online course about how to become a chef.

So what is a chef?

A chef is a person who has studied for many years in the culinary arts learning how to run a successful kitchen and properly prepare meals in a professional environment.

There are quite a few places a chef can choose to work in. Some of these include:
• Restaurants
• Hospitals
• Hotels
• Cruise ships
• Rest Homes
• Diners

These aren’t all of the places that a chef can work in, but you get the general idea.

There are also many choices that can be made regarding the position a chef may take in their work space. To be a chef, you must first study in a culinary school, or as an apprentice.

You can’t get to the level of head chef running a kitchen without first knowing the basics. That will be covered in the next step.

In a kitchen environment, you are required to lift heavy pots and constantly stirring sauces is also very common. It can be a very stressful job.

Being able to handle stress calmly will be a great help to you in this profession. This is just for starters.

With all of the things that you will need to know before choosing to be a chef, this manual will be your comprehensive guide to knowing if a culinary profession is right for you.

This, like every other professional choice, should be made with the right knowledge behind you. This guide is the best place for you to start making your choice about becoming a chef.

Is It Right For Me? 

Before you can decide whether or not to become a chef, you should first consider the demands that are placed on a chef’s shoulders.

It can be a very stressful situation for someone that doesn’t already know what it's like to be under such working conditions.

A chef is responsible for many other staff members in the kitchen as well. You need to know what is going on around you at all times, and have excellent organizational skills to boot.

Deciding to be a chef is a difficult choice, but if you are reading this online manual, you must have a genuine love of cooking, a creative mind, and a good temperament.

Chefs spend a great deal of time with people and should have a keen desire to work with people as fully functional team.

A good chef knows that for a kitchen to run smoothly, you must offer staff members a forum for their stresses as well. A chef must be the glue that holds the kitchen staff together.

There is no room for conceit and showing off in a kitchen environment. All members of the “team” must be able to work well together.

As a head or executive chef, you must be in charge of the kitchen staff and all of its goings on. That means that in the kitchen, you are the boss. You need to be able to handle a leadership role.

There is a great deal that needs to be done in a kitchen environment and the next step will give you a full explanation of what to expect.

To continue to the next section of your chef training, please click this link: What do I have to do?