Time to break out your chef’s hat and fresh, crisp white apron: you're about to embark on your first day at culinary school!
You may begin your day early in the morning or in the afternoon, depending on which culinary school you choose and which schedule. Many schools offer a morning block of classes and an afternoon block of classes, allowing you to choose. Evenings are usually spent in the kitchen.
Most graduates of culinary school hope to one day open a restaurant of their own. And why not? After all, it can be a lucrative, glamorous, high excitement business where every day brings new challenges. It can also break the bank if you don’t have the right experience and a good team. A steady hand and calm under pressure are two of the characteristics you’ll need – and that’s just for starters!
Many restaurants, resorts and hotel establishments have added their own baking facilities, creating an overwhelming need for trained baking and pastry chefs throughout the nation. Consider creating your niche in the culinary industry by becoming a baking and pastry chef.
Sous Chef is essentially second-in-command next to the executive chef. Sous chefs especially are in charge of the production and minute-by-minute affairs in the kitchen, as the executive chef often has to handle administrative affairs. Sous chefs are trained at an expert level and act more in a supervisory role than working directly with food production.
A Saucier is the third highest position in most kitchens, below only the chef and the sous chef. The word saucier (so-see-ay) is French and, translated, means ‘sauce chef’.
Danish, puff, choux, filo, strudel: pastries all. And who knows this better than a Pastry Chef or patissiers, a specialized chef position in a professional kitchen focused on the creation and baking of pastries, slices, baked goods and more. More than simply a baker, however, Pastry Chefs are a part of an apprentice system in professional cooking and rank above a line cook.
The chef de cuisine (French for "chief of the kitchen") is at the top of the culinary career ladder. This person is in charge of all food production for a restaurant and often gains fame for a particular style of cooking or expertise in certain foods. People aspiring to become chef de cuisine usually attend some form of culinary education in addition to spending several years as lower-level kitchen staff, working their way up as their knowledge and ability increases.
Food stylists are a good example of the food industry's diversity. Part designer, part culinary expert, food stylists prepare dishes for photographs or presentation at trade shows and other high-profile events where the food needs to be artistically presented. They sometimes work for magazines, advertising agencies, production studios, or as freelance professionals. Some help create TV commercials. Others may demonstrate new foods or cookware at trade shows.
A hospital cook may not be as fashionable as an executive chef working downtown, but the pay and benefits are attractive. Hospital cooks are in charge of producing large quantities of food for hospital patients, staff, and guests. Past perceptions of hospital food as bland and boring are changing as the health services industry becomes more competitive. In order to attract patients, hospitals are beefing up their kitchen staff and operations, and hiring professional chefs that can produce high-quality fare.
A food critic writes restaurant reviews for newspapers, magazines, travel guides, or travel organizations. They are experts in restaurant operation and food preparation, and can expertly judge a restaurant's food and service.
Exactly what it sounds like. Though a corporate chef may end up working in one location, often Certified Corporate Chefs are professional educators and world travelers, picking up recipes and business associates throughout their delicious career.
