Quote (hofx2 @ Oct 3 2013 09:54pm)

Lol don't apply as a dishwasher, waste of time. If you finished culinary school you need to apply straight for a cook/commis job. But yes you will be commis at garde-manger for probably a couple of years, then maybe chef-de-partie garde manger. Later you can be entremetier/garnish station on hot line, and eventually be on the grill. But it's a long run. Prepare to get a shitty salaries for a while. Took me 7 years to become sous-chef at a decent french upscale bistro. Then 9 years to get an executive chef job at a big upscale french brasserie in Montreal. But i'm pretty young to be chef in such an establishment, although it's not that uncommon to see 28-29 years old executive chef , but most of the time they work in small 40 seaters bistro... Anyway yeah it's gonna be a long run and good luck.

Edit : Heres another piece of advice. Don't apply to shitty restaurants thinking you don't have enough experience for upscale ones. Even try to apply in gastronomic (maybe michelin stars depending where you live) , those places are always looking for fresh people out of school for commis job at garde-manger/garnishes, most of the time at minimum wages. But you will learn a lot in those places, which is worth something.

Quote (acyroma @ Oct 4 2013 08:48am)

I'd agree if he had actually gone through culinary school at this point, but he hasn't.  A few courses at high school just doesn't cut it. He could do a stage at a good restaurant but that's his only chance of getting into a nice restaurant.

Quote (Farine @ Oct 3 2013 01:41pm)

This.

During your interviews ask if there's any room for advancement.

Kitchens are awful to work in, been in one for 5 years and I'm glad I'm out. (Making the same amount now if not more than I was in a kitchen even after 5 years)

Shitty hours, low pay, if it's a small group kitchen breaks are few and far between. Probably one of the most stressful jobs/environments you'll ever be in.

If you like cooking as a hobby and you want to keep it that way, I suggest you stay away from being a cook. If you want to be a CHEF, that's different than a cook. You'll need business courses most likely to go along with culinary.

Quote (Tylenol @ Oct 3 2013 01:59pm)

first of all I'm 22, I've been to culinary school and I have lots of experience in high-end cooking. I've been the sous-chef at a high end catering/banquet company doing multiple weddings etc, I've worked for a national museum(s) doing banquets for the very wealthy and sometimes famous/royal, I've worked for the best chef in my city....among more

being a chef is not glamorous...it's often low pay, very long hours with little breaks, cut-throat, low job stability, very little chance in getting a pension or benefits, very stressful, evenings/weekends/holidays.

I love cooking but I enjoy the finer things in life (such as nice "toys", nice cars, eventually a nice house, etc) and with a career as a chef, there isn't much hope in having those things. to be a chef your entire life takes a special kind of person (some say you need to be a bit crazy). I recently got out of the business to try some new things and escape the bullshit for a while.

with mcdonalds as your only experience you'll be lucky to even get a job as a dishwasher at any real restaurant...maybe a cookie cutter chain type restaurant that doesn't even make food. expect a grueling grind and multiple different jobs before eventually getting a real cooking position somewhere...it's all about the skills/knowledge you have and to get lots you need to work at different places. some people are naturals and are cut for the business but very few are.

culinary school will give you a very good edge, but I warn you...it doesn't even remotely prepare you for the real world of cooking.

I feel like I'm rambling and missing the point. lmk if you have more questions.

edit: 1 point I was going to make but forgot is probably the only good one. the only way being chef/serious cook is if you have no commitments in your life and are prepared to drop everything to travel the world and work abroad. I was offered a job in Bermuda for 2 years, even went down for a week to check out the place and tour the island. In the end I chose not to go as I had lots going on and my career took off at home very shortly afterward. I still do wish I went just for the experience but I have no regrets

Quote (ReturnFormer @ Oct 3 2013 02:49pm)

like others said, its a difficult road, but if thats what youre set on, it can be rewarding too.  financially, too, in some cases, but only at the top.  most chefs are grossly underpaid. 

your mcdonalds experience is just this side of worthless.  same for cooking at home.  unless youre a genius and already have the commercial background to know how things would translate, cooking at home does not prepare you for cooking in a restaurant/caterer.  just look at masterchef.  even if they do well when cooking at their stations for challenges, etc, they generally fall to pieces when put into real-world cooking situations.

the culinary arts classes, on the other hand, could be good experience, depending on exactly what you learned.  if it taught you knife skills, then keep working on those, and forget about dishwasher.  see if you can get a job somewhere at a basic restaurant (ie a real restaurant, not mcd's, but nothing high end, theyre unlikely to hire you) doing prep like peeling potatoes, cutting veggies and other basic stuff.  i think youd have a chance at that in such a restaurant.  if youre able to, you could even say youll work for free or little pay just to get the experience.  if you can afford to not get paid for a while, thats a great way of getting a foot in somewhere.  if you can show that youre really able to handle stuff, they may even start paying you.  if nothing else, though, its a good resume builder.

culinary school is a good thing to have as well, though not entirely necessary. youll definitely be paid less without it, though.  like tylenol said, though, it still doesnt compare with real-world experience.  one restaurant i was at had a guy come up from georgia to do a one week stint after having just finished culinary school, and within five minutes of being there he had cut himself.  granted, that could just have been nervousness, but overall he didnt really seem to know all that much in other ways as well.  none the less, if youre determined to be a chef long term, you should look into culinary school after you graduate. (high school im guessing?)

Quote (acyroma @ Oct 4 2013 06:48am)

I'd agree if he had actually gone through culinary school at this point, but he hasn't.  A few courses at high school just doesn't cut it. He could do a stage at a good restaurant but that's his only chance of getting into a nice restaurant.

Quote (hofx2 @ Oct 4 2013 06:54am)

Hmm yeah well i don't know much about school degrees in the US ... But yeah go take a full course at a culinary school if u wanna start somewhere.

Quote (ChronFather420 @ Oct 5 2013 03:56pm)

IU dont understand why people would choose to be a cook/chef.  get a real job.  When you weighs to pros and the cons you have to be semi-retarded to WANT to work in a kitchen =\

Quote (ChronFather420 @ Oct 5 2013 03:56pm)

IU dont understand why people would choose to be a cook/chef.  get a real job.  When you weighs to pros and the cons you have to be semi-retarded to WANT to work in a kitchen =\

Quote (ChronFather420 @ Oct 5 2013 03:56pm)

IU dont understand why people would choose to be a cook/chef.  get a real job.  When you weighs to pros and the cons you have to be semi-retarded to WANT to work in a kitchen =\

Quote (acyroma @ Oct 5 2013 05:22pm)

I love it, couldn't possibly imagine doing something else. I really wanna know what you consider a real job if being a chef isn't one.

Quote (acyroma @ Oct 3 2013 01:58pm)

I've got lots of experience working and managing various different restaurants, and let me tell you that you will not get a job as a line cook at a good restaurant with the experience you have now. You'd probably be better off applying as a dishwasher and work your ass off for a promotion. You don't have any real restaurant experience and school doesnt mean much if you dont have the experience to back up the knowledge you get from school.

Be prepared to work extremely hard for very shitty pay, this is not an easy career choice.