Is Cooking The Life For Me?

I hope everyone out there had a safe and wonderful new year. I know I did! I also know that when the start of a new year comes along, many people want to make serious changes in their life. One of those changes might be taking a jump into the world of cooking. Whether you are just getting out of high school or are looking to get out of the current line of work you are in, use this post to help you in any way possible when deciding if culinary arts is for you.

Before we start this, let me put this out there: Please do NOT let Food Network be the main reason you want to be a chef. I don't want to piss on your parade, but the odds of you getting your own cooking show or becoming the next Iron Chef are slim to none. Sure, it's possible, but you are much more likely to be slaving away in a hotel kitchen, deep in the basement, where your screams of pain and agony will never be heard by a guest. I know that last part was a bit morbid, but bear with me.

When considering this line of work as your future, start with the most basic question: Why? Do you want to be a big name chef like Bobby Flay? Do you want to start your own restaurant? Whatever your reasoning is, be sure it's for you and you alone.

Here's some more questions you should ask yourself when deciding:

Do I like to cook?

Can I work at a fast pace?

Do I like to be creative?

Can I take the heat?

Do I have to go to culinary school?

That last question is the next topic.

Culinary School

While that logo above may or may not look familiar, it is one of many opportunities to get a quality education in, basically, all things food related.

There was a time in the food biz where the only way to get a job in the kitchen was to work your way up from a dishwasher. These days, more and more employers are looking for some form of formal training. While it is possible to work your way up without going to culinary school, having a degree or certificate will make things easier for you to get your foot in the door.

While this blog and opinions in it are all mine, this next part could be up for serious debate: Picking a school.

While there are a slew of things to consider when choosing a school, one of the biggest things to think about is money. Simply put, Big Name School = Big Money. There is no getting around this. While having a big name school on your resume' will look good, that cloud of debt over you will look equally as bleak. Be sure to do lots of research on whoever you consider.

In my opinion, a good way to go is through a Junior College. These days, many JC's will have a culinary program that will teach you many core fundamentals and advanced cooking techniques. All the while, the cost is A LOT lower. Just something to think about...

Fact & Fiction

There are tons and tons of truths and falsehoods about the food biz and just being a chef. I don't have time to go through all of them, so I'll just breakdown a few that really stand out to me.

1. The Angry Chef

No, not every executive chef is going to yell and curse at you like Gordon Ramsay does on his show. But, the kitchen can be down-right brutal sometimes.

Every so-often, you will come across a chef who likes to yell and breathe fire whenever possible. Sometimes they are simply jerks who like to yell. Sometimes they are simply misunderstood. I've worked with loud chefs before. You come to find out that they aren't mad all the time, they just want to be heard over all the other noises in the kitchen.

2. Tight Quarters

What you see above is what we in the field like to call "The Kitchen Dance". It's how you will work in a tight kitchen and manage to not bump into anyone all day! It's crazy, but it happens. You get comfortable with your line and you learn how they move and they learn how you move. You can almost sense when they are going to step back or have to maneuver from one side to another.

While this may not seem like a huge part of the game, it does bring to light an important lesson: That kitchen in school will usually dwarf the kitchen you land a job at. BE PREPARED!

3. Labor of Love

You will hear from most chefs that you have to love the job. In my opinion, it's true. There are lots of ways out there to make money, and many don't require the manual labor in being a chef.

You are going to work long hours on your feet in a somewhat harsh environment. Tight spaces, high temperatures and tough bosses can equal high stress and high blood pressure. But, the rewards can be priceless.

The perks of all the dirty work can be very fulfilling. Seeing someone take a bite of your food and have a look on their face like they are having an orgasm (a.k.a. the "O" face) will make you feel like a million bucks. The sense of comradery you get after pushing through an insanely busy Friday night will bring you and your kitchen mates closer. That sense of accomplishment feels even greater when you can share it with your crew.

While I could go on further, I'm going to end it here. I was a little hesitant on writing this because I don't want to be a cheerleader for cooking, nor do I want to scare anyone off of doing something they might truly enjoy.

If you have any questions about what I've written or anything else you might want to know about the industry I didn't mention, please leave a comment and I will get back to you as soon as possible.

Here is to a happy new year and great things to come for 2013.

Take Care,

J. Miller