Anyone who enjoys cooking has wondered about turning this passion into a profession by becoming a high-end chef. While it takes more than just decent cooking skills, becoming a chef can be easier than you think. There are varying thoughts about how to become a chef but all the experts agree on one fact that becoming a chef requires countless hours of hard work during the early years. If you have set your mind to make a career as a chef, we are here with a complete guide on how to be a chef.
While there is no formal requirement for strict education or training, still if your dream is to reach the pinnacle of the profession, you will be benefited by choosing a culinary degree along with the apprenticeship. Let’s take a look at how to become a chef and turn your passion into a profession that pays.
What do chefs do?
A chef can be innovative with food, creating new dishes, and putting together an exciting menu. However, the role of a chef can be varied depending on the type of food served and where they work. As a chef, your role is not just to cook but also to plan the menu, supervise the kitchen staff, choose and inspect ingredients, and handle all other food-related issues inside a kitchen. Some examples of the culinary chef would include hotel and restaurant chefs, caterers and bakery and pastry chefs.
How to become a chef into a particular niche comes with time, but all aspiring chefs begin at a culinary school and work their way to the top. The highest demand is for the chefs who are skilled in a great many areas of preparation and also possess skill sets that help to coordinate the kitchen.
Chef & Culinary Careers In-Depth
Food shows portray a very different image of the chefs, usually in the kitchen, you will find many chefs. There is a division of ranks like any other profession among the chefs.
The head chef, also known as the master chef, chef de cuisine, or executive chef is the one who manages the entire kitchen and other chefs. Then there are sous chefs, who are the second in command, and implement the head chef’s directives. Then we have chef de partie, who is a chef supervising a particular area or station within the kitchen. The commies are the ones who are the least experienced, usually the chefs fresh out of culinary school. They are the chefs working directly under the chef de partie.
Chefs are also distinguished based on the type of food they specialize in. For instance, a pastry chef is the one who focuses on desserts, cakes, and pastries, a pantry chef is in charge of preparing cold foods while an entremetier handles soup and hot hors d’oeuvres.
Is there a difference between a chef and a cook?
For most people, a chef and a cook is the same thing. These two roles are often used interchangeably, however for people in the culinary field, there is a big difference between the two. While there is no formal distinction between the two, most professional organizations agree that education and experience are what define chef vs cook best.
Becoming a chef is when you have a culinary degree and trained under a notable chef and moved up the ranks. However, if you’re just starting at a restaurant or hotel or simply dabble in the kitchen, you are almost always considered a cook.
Chef vs Cook: Key Differences
- A chef always has a two or four-years culinary degree while a cook may or may not have a degree.
- Chefs usually have extensive training under a notable chef while a cook is still at the learning level of his or her career.
- Responsibilities of a chef include a supervisory role in the kitchen, a cook performs kitchen duties as needed and directed.
- Chefs can create and implement menus while a cook uses recipes and follow someone else’s menu.
The confusion surrounding the chef vs cook dilemma is going to be there always, but once you enter the industry you will know that there lies a big difference.
Are you suited to be a culinary chef?
Culinary chefs have distinctive personalities, which is why anyone can be a chef provided they have attention to detail. Most notable chefs are enterprising individuals who are not scared of adventures and experimenting. A persuasive, motivational, energetic, and optimistic personality is expected of a chef and so does excellent personal hygiene.
The workplace for a culinary chef can be very diverse ranging from high-end restaurants to hotel kitchens and cruise ships. Becoming a chef almost always entails working long hours and working late hours is a routine for chefs. Restaurants and hotels might close at 10:00 PM but cleaning and prepping the kitchens for the next day usually goes to 1:00 AM.
Salary and Job Growth for Chefs
How much do chefs make?
This is a pretty common question for no concrete answer. The ability to make money for chefs depends on several factors such as level of experience, geographical location, the organization they work in, and managerial skills. Not all the states in the country pay the same salary to chefs. How much do chefs make in each state can be better understood by reviewing the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
| Quick Facts: Chefs and Head Cooks | |
| 2019 Median Pay | $51,530 per year $24.78 per hour |
| Typical Entry-Level Education | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Work Experience in a Related Occupation | 5 years or more |
| On-the-job Training | None |
| Number of Jobs, 2018 | 139,000 |
| Job Outlook, 2018-28 | 11% (Much faster than average) |
| Employment Change, 2018-28 | 15,400 |
Chef Pay Distribution in the U.S.
Becoming a Chef: Job Outlook Information
If you are looking for how to become a chef, then you most probably want to know the job growth prospects.
According to the BLS, the demand for chefs and head cooks is expected to rise by 10% through 2028. The restaurant industry in the US will continue to provide employment in the years ahead and is expected to add 1.6 million jobs over the next 10 years.
Becoming a chef can offer you a promising career.
Culinary School Degrees & Concentrations
As mentioned earlier, there is more than one way to become a chef. Your approach to pursue culinary programs must be decided based on the preferences and freedom to pursue a course.
- Online Culinary Programs: Most suitable for people who love cooking but cannot take classes on campus, an online culinary program can help you learn cooking techniques and skills that can take your cooking to a whole new level. These programs are also suitable for those who want to work as part-time caterers.
- Bachelor’s Culinary Degree: If you are fascinated with cooking but are more interested in the management and business side of the restaurant industry, then a bachelor’s degree in culinary arts will serve you best. It is the best course for those who want to run their restaurant someday.
- Associate Culinary Programs: If you want to pursue a complete culinary training regime but do not want to take unnecessary classes that teach you skills that may not be used inside the kitchen then an associate culinary program is for you. It formally educates you to become a chef by only focusing on cooking and preparing food.
Becoming a Chef: Program Details
Culinary Associate Degree
A two years program, culinary associate degree is the most popular program among aspiring chefs. Offered by a variety of institutions including community colleges, this degree teaches you how to become a chef by putting you through a foundational course to gain an extensive array of culinary skills and knowledge. Some popular culinary associate degrees are:
Culinary Associate Degree
A two years program, culinary associate degree is the most popular program among aspiring chefs. Offered by a variety of institutions including community colleges, this degree teaches you how to become a chef by putting you through a foundational course to gain an extensive array of culinary skills and knowledge. Some popular culinary associate degrees are:
You learn how to prepare international dishes by using the right ingredients, tools and preparation methods.
Skills Learned:
- how to prepare authentic international dishes
- learn nonconventional and cultural-specific cooking methods and tools
Here you learn the importance of sanitation protocols to avoid foodborne illnesses including applicable local laws and ordinances.
Skills Learned:
- proper food handling and storage methods
- management techniques to teach kitchen staff about food safety basics
Teaches you how to acquire supplies and ingredients in a profitable and logistically efficient way.
Skills Learned:
- identifying proper ingredients and confirming their suitability
- learning food purchasing methods for a steady supply of ingredients
Culinary Bachelor’s Degree
If you want to maximize your skills and knowledge, gain exposure to a variety of cuisines as well as learn the business aspects of running a restaurant, then a bachelor’s degree in culinary is most suitable for you. It is a typical four years, full-time study program that is divided between culinary topics and management-related training. Culinary bachelor’s degree includes:
Teaches fundamentals of a la carte restaurant service along with proper etiquette, procedures, and techniques.
Skills Learned:
- how to meet guests needs
- how to act as a waiter or waitress
Here you learn traditional French cooking styles and authentic French ingredients as well as the history of French cuisine.
Skills Learned:
- various French cooking methods
- how to make classic French cuisines
The basics of marketing concepts related to restaurants and foodservice are explained.
Skills Learned:
- menu development and course selection
- customer service techniques
- external marketing tactics
Check a complete list of culinary programs here.
Components that make you a successful chef
Most schools and culinary programs teach you how to become a chef, however, to be truly successful as a chef you need stamina, skills, and knowledge at a high level. No one is born with these components but rigorous training makes it possible to make the required skills innate.
Here are some of the skills that will maximize your growth after becoming a chef:
Creativity
As a chef, you will be responsible for more than just following a recipe or cooking for a large number of people. A skillful chef is the one who can create new menus as well as design new methods of presentation.
Uncompromising work ethics
It takes a lot of perseverance and long hours of training to become a chef. Don’t be surprised if you are working double shifts or sacrificing family and personal time as some of the busiest times for food preparation are during the holidays.
Physical endurance
Working in a kitchen for long hours is physically very demanding. You have to work long hours non-stop and without physical endurance, it’s not possible.
Manual dexterity
Any chef’s skill with mixing, slicing, squeezing, assembling, and other dexterous skills, define his or her ability which is why you need to master manual dexterity.
Culinary School & Chef Career Resources
We hope that all this information has provided you the foundational information about how to be a chef. Formal education is not going to stop you from becoming a chef, however, a degree from a culinary school may open up career opportunities as well as expose you to a wide range of skills and ideas.
Culinary schools are dedicated to impart knowledge of culinary arts to the students. No matter the certificate, diploma, or degree you get from attending the school, the best culinary schools are the ones that make you feel secure about the curriculum. You must be able to focus strongly on what it takes to become a chef when attending culinary school.
Despite their generally higher cost, we would recommend culinary schools for anyone who dreams of becoming a chef at a professional level.
We already have listed the best culinary schools in the United States for you to explore. You can browse culinary schools state-wise here.
For additional culinary resources visit here.
