[SGMChef]

Greetings to all,
Here are a couple of personal thoughts for all you. Definitely go work at a restaurant first. Get a feel or a taste for a commercial restaurant operation. As stated above, you may not like it. But also understand that not all food operations are created equal! I have worked for really good chefs and I have also worked for chefs that were not even good cooks! I recommend a family style restaurant where they actually still prepare food from scratch. You will always be able to learn how to thaw and brown pre-prepared items! The salad department would be a good place or really just about anywhere, including the dish room. All you have to do is get your foot in the door and believe in yourself!

Understand that most restaurants have a set menu and once you get your mind wrapped around the fact that most items are repetitive in nature. You will always have to prep for the same five salads EVERY DAY. You have to make sure you have enough of every ingredient for every dish on the set menu EVERY DAY. Even in a cafeteria most items are on a cycle. Every Wednesday is Meatloaf, WooHoo! Your supervisor will want you to show some speed. If you have to scrub fifty pounds of potatoes, do it as quickly as you can and still clean them to the standard that they expect. Ask questions or for a demonstration. Whoever your supervisor is will show you their technique for doing the task as quickly as they can. Your speed will pick up through repetition. You will get the hang of doing this fairly quickly, I hope. Trust me, after you crack a couple cases of eggs, you will be faster than when you first started!

When working in a kitchen, keep your eyes and ears open. Just because you may start in the salad area doesn’t mean you can’t listen to discussions about what they are going to do with the fresh Swordfish they just got in for today’s special. You just have to keep working!

I would highly recommend working in a restaurant before attending a culinary school. This will give you a filter for certain topics. I worked in Restaurants for three years before school. When the teacher was talking about possible job opportunities they covered the full gamut. What they DIDN’T say was that there really isn’t that many true Saucier or Garde Manger positions available. Some of my fellow students didn’t believe me when I said that there are precious few of those jobs around.

OK, I’m rambling….

Last thoughts; I believe that the preparation of food is about 80% science and 20% inspiration and heart. Focus on the technique and not the recipe. Learn why things happen, like why the potato salad tasted great yesterday and seems flat today. Hmm.. better learn about the properties of salt and what effects it has on various food items. Osmosis maybe?