Creating Your Culinary Career

Aspiring culinary professionals face so many choices as they launch themselves into a career that it can be overwhelming. From traditional restaurants, banquet facilities, and contract foodservice operations to bakeshop establishments, research and development, and food communications, this book provides practical advice on how to achieve success in any culinary field. Chapters of the book include A Culinary Career; Goal-Setting for Your Culinary Career; RŽsumŽs, Cover Letters, and Job Applications; Landing a Job: Interviewing and Negotiating; and The Novice Culinarian: Education and Experience; The Journeyman; and The Master Culinarian. This book offers advice to culinarians at all stages, including those in the middle of their careers, and experienced professionals with advice on how to network and how to mentor.

So You Are a Chef: Managing Your Culinary Career, with CD-ROM is the ultimate career guide for student and professional chefs. Whether you're seeking a job fresh from culinary school or completely changing your career path, this book will make it easy for you to brave today's intimidating culinary job market. Find expert advice on the culinary job search from beginning to end. Written in a clear, accessible style, this guide illuminates important ideas with numerous examples, documents, forms, and other helpful features drawn directly from today's culinary industry.

Recommended for readers seeking a thorough introductory exposure to today's professional possibilities in the culinary world.—Eric Petersen, Kansas City P.L., MO, Library Journal Turn a passion for food into the job of a lifetime with the insider advice in Culinary Careers. Working in food can mean cooking on the line in a restaurant, of course, but there are so many more career paths available. No one knows this better than Rick Smilow—president of the Institute of Culinary Education (ICE), the award-winning culinary school in New York City—who has seen ICE graduates go on to prime jobs both in and out of professional kitchens. Tapping into that vast alumni network and beyond, Culinary Careers is the only career book to offer candid portraits of dozens and dozens of coveted jobs at all levels to help you find your dream job. Instead of giving glossed-over, general descriptions of various jobs, Culinary Careers features exclusive interviews with both food-world luminaries and those on their way up, to help you discover what a day in the life is really like in your desired field. • Get the ultimate in advice from those at the very pinnacle of the industry, including Lidia Bastianich, Thomas Keller, and Ruth Reichl. • Figure out whether you need to go to cooking school or not in order to land the job you want. • Read about the inspiring—and sometimes unconventional—paths individuals took to reach their current positions. • Find out what employers look for, and how you can put your best foot forward in interviews. • Learn what a food stylist’s day on the set of a major motion picture is like, how a top New York City restaurant publicity firm got off the ground, what to look for in a yacht crew before jumping on board as the chef, and so much more. With information on educational programs and a bird’s-eye view of the industry, Culinary Careers is a must-have resource for anyone looking to break into the food world, whether you’re a first-time job seeker or a career changer looking for your next step.

Filled with advice from the experts at The Culinary Institute of America, explores the various career opportunities available in the culinary arts and reveals how to achieve success in any area in the field.

A culinary set for professional chefs from The Culinary Institute of America This comprehensive set is a valuable addition to any chef's library. It features The Professional Chef, 9th Edition; Creating Your Culinary Career; Garde Manager; and In the Hands of the Chef. The books address the professional challenges in launching a career in the culinary field, along with advice for success. This set also celebrates foods and flavors from around the globe, while sharing reviews of ingredients and equipment. Techniques for preparing a range of food items are presented in The Professional Chef, such as those for vegetables, potatoes, grains, legumes, pasta, meats, fish and seafood, poultry, eggs, fruits, soups, sauces, quickbreads and cakes, yeast breads, and more.

Because of the relentlessly-demanding nature of the culinary industry, you must first be honest with yourself and make sure you're truly passionate about cooking. If you don't have a real passion for what you should be viewing as an art (culinary art), you'll quickly become frustrated along the journey, which will seriously hamper your chances of career advancement. But if you are indeed passionate about cuisine, then becoming a chef may seem like a natural step for you to formalize your culinary interest and turn it into a rewarding career. Besides your undying passion there is the very real possibility of a great salary that you'd earn doing what you love, a great opportunity for career advancement and very positive job-growth projections. You can very easily become overwhelmed with the seemingly endless requirements you're expected to fulfill in the quest of becoming a qualified chef, and that's exactly why this book was written: to clarify the path. Learn exactly where and how to get started, the cost and time commitment requirements, how to overcome challenges (such as the lack of adequate funds to finance your culinary schooling), where to get a job once suitably qualified, and how to advance in your culinary career and move up the ladder - assuming your ambition is to soon become an executive (head) chef.

The fast and easy way to find your place in the culinary field Ever dream of exploring an exciting career in culinary arts or cooking but don't know where to begin? Culinary Careers For Dummies is the perfect book for anyone who dreams of getting into the culinary profession. Whether you're a student, an up-and-coming chef looking for direction, or are simply interested in reinventing yourself and trying your hand at a new career, Culinary Careers For Dummies provides the essential information every culinary novice needs to enter and excel in the food service industry. Packed with advice on selecting a culinary school and tips for using your degree to land your dream job, Culinary Careers For Dummies offers up-to-the-minute information on: culinary training, degrees, and certificates; the numerous career options available (chef, chef's assistant, pastry chef, food stylist, caterer, line cook, restaurant publicist/general manager, Sommelier, menu creator, food writer, consultant/investor, etc.) and the paths to get there; basic culinary concepts and methods; advice on finding a niche in the culinary world; culinary core competencies; food safety and proper food handling; real-life descriptions of what to expect on the job; and how to land a great culinary job. Expert guidance on cooking up your career plan to enter the food service industry Tips and advice on what to study to get you where you're headed Packed with information on the many career options in the culinary field Culinary Careers For Dummies is a one-stop reference for anyone who is interested in finding a career in this growing and lucrative field.

The opportunities for plying one's trade as a chef are many and various—small neighborhood restaurants or large chains, country clubs and cruise ships, corporate or school cafeterias, and catering and private homes. For those who love cooking and the creative and healthful preparation of food, this is a rich and rewarding career, one that is always in demand. This book charts the various paths one can take to pursue a career in the culinary arts, while also highlighting the latest industry trends, including farm-to-table, locavore, and organic philosophies, practices, and techniques.