Career as a Chef

Updated On: 16-Feb-2023

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Cooking is not a daily routine work anymore. It's become an art now and the persons who are masters in this art, we call them chefs. A chef is a highly trained and skilled professional cook who is proficient in all aspects of the food preparation of a particular cuisine. He/ she is in charge of the kitchen. They direct kitchen staff and handle any food-related concerns. You'll find different types of chefs like Sous chefs, Executive Chefs, etc.

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Job and responsibilities of a Chef:

Overseeing, Supervise and coordinate activities of cooks and other kitchen workers
Check the quality and freshness of food and ingredients
Plan menus and ensures uniform serving sizes and quality of meals
Preparing the recipes and determine how to present the food
Hire and train new staff
Order and maintain the inventory of food and supplies
Overseeing all the kitchen activities and follow safety standards

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Skills for a Chef:

Keen interest in food and cooking
Good communication skills
Good habits of cleanliness and hygiene
Management and organization skills
Ability to work under pressure
Ability to do multitasking
Quick decision making skills
Master in using all kitchen accessories
Ability to work with a team
Motivational skills
Keep updating yourself with new cooking technology
Should have the desire to try new cooking recipes

To become a chef and find a job in big hotels or restaurants, you should have a degree in hotel management and catering technology or culinary art. There is many diploma or certification courses also available to advance your career.

First of all, get a degree in hotel management and catering technology. You can also choose to do a diploma or certification course from a reputed institute.

After completion of degree or diploma join any hotel or restaurant kitchen as a trainee

After successfully completing your training, you moved to beginner position in kitchen

After a few years of experience you can become a chef

After a few years of experience as a chef, you can become a Sous chef

After 10-12 years of experience you can become an Executive chef

Cooking is an art and its needs a passion for becoming successful. If you love food, cooking, and love to experiment with food recipes then it will be a perfect career option for you.As a Chef, you need to work for long hours and late-night too. The schedule will be very busy and on weekends and during holidays it got tighter.At the beginning level, one can earn around 7000 - 10000 PM. After a little bit of experience, the expected salary can be 15000 - 30000 and after that, it will depend on your experience and position. One Sous chef can earn around 50,000 and an executive chef can expect a salary of 70000 - 100000 PM.As a Chef, you can get a job in hotels, restaurants, railways, airlines, ships, hospitals, etc. You can be a recipe book writer, cooking show host, event caterer, wedding caterer, restaurant manager, Deputy Chief, Chief Chef, pub manager, etc. As the hospitality sector is growing in India, the scope in this field is also growing and if you have the skills then you can earn handsome money as a chef. You can start your own restaurant or catering business also.