The Professional Guide For Becoming A Chef And Building A Successful Culinary Career

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.

This text identifies the challenges that individuals would face when starting down the road to become a chef and outlines the right paths to take. It explores everything from family values, discipline, and how to acquire integrity to; focus, charisma, commitment, and initiative. Cooks and chefs will also find out what they need to do to excel in the classroom all the way to building their first team as an executive chef.

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.

"What an extraordinary book! Pain, gain, joy, pathos, and the aroma of braised short ribs. It made me want to open (God forbid!) another restaurant. I never thought anyone could capture the magic and mission of being a chef, but theyve done it!" Barbara Tropp, Chef-Owner, China Moon Cafe "An unusually comprehensive book, immensely readable, at once passionate and coherent, probing and well-informed. For anyone interested in the historic coming of age of the professional American kitchen, this is a requisite buy." Michael and Ariane Batterberry, Founding Editors and Associate Publishers of Food Arts "Finally, a book that lets chefs speak for themselves! An insightful look at the complex life of a professional chef in the 90s. Fascinating portraits of the people who have defined American cuisinewho they are and how they got to be where they are today. Anyone who is interested in becoming a chef will find this book invaluablethis is what it takes to make it." Mark Miller, Chef-Owner, Coyote Cafe and Red Sage "After reading this book, I understand that becoming an outstanding leader is not very different from becoming a chef. Both roles require passion, discipline, authenticity, and an experimental attitude. On top of that, organizing a kitchen may be as difficult as organizing any business. Not only will present and future chefs and restaurateurs want to read this book, but anyone with a taste for excellent cooking and excellent leadership will find something of interest on every page." Warren Bennis, Distinguised Professor of Business Administration at the University of Southern California and Author, On Becoming a Leader and Leaders "Becoming a Chef is a marvelous book for the interested home cook as well as the aspiring chef. Like great wines with great food, there are great dishes and a great education here." Robert Mondavi, Founder, Robert Mondavi Winery

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.

The definitive guide to a successful career as a professional personal chef The job of professional personal chef is one of the fastest growing careers in foodservice. People are choosing to become personal chefs in order to have a culinary career on their own terms, with a self-determined schedule and freedom from restaurant strictures. Not only do personal chefs have the chance to work with food in a more creative, personalized way, they are also able to approach their careers with a more entrepreneurial business sense. Written by Candy Wallace, the founder and Executive Director of the American Personal and Private Chef Association (APPCA) and Greg Forte, CEC, CCE, AAC, The Professional Personal Chef offers the definitive guide for starting and growing a successful professional personal chef business. It covers the skills and competencies required for the American Culinary Federation's Personal Certified Chef certification, and lays out a practical road map for this challenging but rewarding career. Filled with resources rich in detail, this useful and engaging text covers: The evolution of the professional personal chef career path The benefits and disadvantages of various forms of business ownership Operating legally Writing an effective business plan Creating a vision statement, mission statement, and elevator speech for your personal chef business Managing and securing finances Identifying target markets and revenue streams Developing marketing and sales plans and quality customer service A day in the life of a personal chef In each chapter, learning outcomes, key terms, and review questions reinforce the key concepts. From the Field features present interviews and real world experiences from working personal chefs. A complete instructor support package providing business resources, syllabi, and project suggestions is posted on a companion Web site at www.wiley.com, and also offers sample business plans, recipes for menus, forms, and other useful documents. Culinary arts instructors seeking a classroom text, as well as individual culinary professionals and amateurs interested in starting or growing a personal chef business, will find The Professional Personal Chef the essential A-to-Z guide to this exciting career.

Understand what it takes to be a chef by reading the comprehensive information in So You Want to Be a Chef?: Your Guide to Culinary Careers, 2nd Edition. Revised and updated to include a new chapter on Research and Development chefs and expanded coverage of on-site foodservice areas, this guide presents a real-world look at culinary careers. The authors vividly describe the feel, the reality, the hours, the physical demands, the tradeoffs, and the benefits of working in various culinary settings, while interviews with a range of industry leaders offer helpful advice and inspiring vignettes.