Advice needed from the professionals out there

I am seeking advice from some of the professionals out there. I am a thirty year old attorney. About six months ago I moved to San Francisco because I wanted to get out of the law and instead work as a chef. I absolutely hated being an attorney and have been obsessed with cooking for several years and believe that it my true passion in life.

While I have considered going to culinary school I realize how important it is that I first get some practical experience, as creative home cooking is far different from the realities of professional cooking. To make ends meet in San Francisco I have been working days as a contract attorney, but am looking to gain some real world experience.

What do you suggest would be my best bet? Should I try to get a job washing dishes in a restaurant and try to work my way up? Are there positions available that will let me keep my day job? Would a catering job be better? I am willing to work for very low pay and realize that I will have to start at the bottom, but don’t know where to start. I do not know anyone in the restaurant business on the west coast so have no personal connections. On the other hand, I have extensive wine knowledge and speak OK Spanish. Any advice on how to get a start in the business would be greatly appreciated.

[theloggg]

Willing to work PT for free? I'm currently doing that on the peninsula. I was told the other day that I should never have problems finding work if I want to do it for free. If you don't mind free labor, contact some restaurants around you, explain your situation and see if they want free help.

One of the benefits I'm finding to working for free is that I can get into reputable places, gain the experience they offer and add them to my resume. If I were looking for a paying job at the same place, I might not be able to get in because I don't have the background yet. Another benefit is that the restaurant is not fully dependant on me because I'm PT for free, I'm just extra help. Makes it easier to move on when you feel like you need new experience. In my opinion, it's a good way to spend pre-culinary school time.

The only downfall I'm finding is that it is tiring. 8 hours in a cube, then 5-6 hours after the cube, then possibly 8-9 hours sat and/or sunday wears on you. I often went 10 days without a day off between 2 jobs and some of the days I worked a total of 14 hours. But if you love it, you love it.

Thanks for the advice!

If I can afford to work for free I am willing to do it in the beginning, but I want to make sure I get some meaningful experience.

How has your experience been so far? What kinds of job responsibilities do you have?

[layjo]

Hello mcwenzel1! Welcome to cheftalk!
It might be a good idea to work for free or part time and might not in some situations...I myself have never worked for free for a long period of time.(I belive they call it staging) But i was a member of a local culinary association in which I volunteered my time to help out with dinners and special events for different Chefs in the area concerning food preparation(Usually lasting one or a few days). I guess you would probably want to make sure that it would not interfere with your current job duties as an attorney. Look for a place that would be willing to work with your schedule....maybe working at a foodsevice establishment a few or couple of days out of the week. I have worked in a place where a person was trying to "stage" as a cook, but his current job had too much responsibilities for him to continue. We were willing to help him in any way, but he couldn't break away from his other job. Well I wish you great success on your journey!

[theloggg]

My experience working for free has so far been good, but I've only been in twice for about 10 hours total. The previous 7 months I was lucky enough to be paid (even though I volunteered to work for free). Right now I am doing pastries only and I can tell I will be learning a lot. He's allowing me to make items, not just throw them in the oven. I also have the chance to work the hotline which I'll be doing in a week or so.

I say, use your best judgement. If you really want $, go for that first. If nothing with $ comes around, if you don't have an issue with it, work for free. Remember that you will probably work 10-20 hours a week at $7-9 an hour. So your'e not looking at a ton of $, even before taxes. To me, it's not enough $ right now to be stuck on an assigned schedule. Staging (free work) allows me the flexibility to gain experience on my own time. That works best for me because at this point in my career I want varied experience, exposure and contacts.

Beware! Working for free opens the restaurant owner and you to all kinds of potential legal problems. As an attorney, you should have better acces to this than me. For example, if the establishment is not paying you for your services, they are not paying workmans compensation insurance for you. What happens when you are injured (cut, burned, sprained) due to the inattention of a cook or steward? Are you willing to pick up the tab. I worked at an establishment that was cooperatively owned and members received additional discout if they volunteered their time. We still had to be very careful about what tasks we asked our volunteers to do and had very clear policies and agreements ahead of time. If a restaurant engages in volunteer programs, they should have these policies and agreements in place ahead of time to protect you and themselves. The Dept. of Labor has been cracking down recently (though with the new administration in DC, who knows?) so please inform yourself.

I think that being a waiter may be a good start and may also get you in the kitchen in a good restaurant. Catering is also a very good option because we have all kinds of people with other jobs/careers doing it for extra money. I can recommend Taste Catering because I work for them and they are very professional. Check them out in SF. Good
Luck!