What Else and What Exactly Does It Take?

[Afra]

I will post here a letter of mine to the chefs of the Pennyslyvania Culinary Institute and the response I got to that (the persons who responded are referred to as "Food Dudes" by their website and their names are Aldo Vanucci and Vincent Nardiello).

The letter runs as follows:
"Hey Aldo! Yo! Vinny!
I am very interested in cooking and perhaps in becoming a chef. In addition, no pun intended, I am great with figures but hate math and numbers. What does it take to become a chef?
Signed,
An Aspiring Gourmet"

"Dear Chef Maybe I Wanna Be,

When we read your letter we both just looked at each other and smiled. There are some people who have been or who are in the foodservice business that probably should not be, and we wondered, 'Why didn't they ask that question a long time ago?' As basic as a question of yours is, it is a home run with us.

Depending on the situation and the facility, the modern chef can be considered an executive, responsible for many areas of operation. Of course, there is cooking and the quality of the food served in a hotel or restaraunt or club, retirement village, school, or hospital.

But in order to make the food a success, many other things need to be in place. The chef needs to understand how to buy food, and this requires an understanding of business, pricing, food costs, inventory control, and of course, the customer.

In order to have the food prepared properly, the proper staff needs to be in place, and this requires the knowledge of what good service means, and the knowledge of how to achieve it and maintain it is also essential.

Since all of these things are ongoing, all at the same time, all of the time, a chef needs to be a bit of a multi-tasker. Add in a need to work long hours in what is frequently a high-pressure environment; the chef needs patience and the ability to see things in the long and short term, the big picture and the small. Numbers are important, but keep in mind that chefs don't build airplanes, or skyscrapers or anything that other peoples' lives depend upon. The math is basic, ounces, pints, quarts, gallons, pounds, dollars and cents. If you can add, subtract, multiply and divide, you will probably be fine.

One last and very important point to remember, becoming a chef, as opposed to a cook, is an ongoing process. It takes time, and you should not expect to be able to master everything we mentioned above right away. These skills are honed over time and take time and experience to acquire. So don't feel like all of this will fall on your shoulders on the first day of your first job. Good luck!


Thanks for your letter,

The 'Dudes"
******
Now that you've read the letter I got from these chefs, I was wondering if those of you who are chefs and those of you who are aspiring to the gourmet world like I am (and who are already in culinary school) could add your comments, suggestions, advices, etc., to this letter for me?

I would like to know what else should be added to the advices I got in this letter from the chefs at the Pennyslyvania Culinary Institute so I can know what else and what exactly does it take to become a real chef and to remain one, even to the point of working your way up to become a great chef? If anyone could post some input here, I would greatly appriciate it because this will be a huge and immense help for me!

[lynne]

The 'Food Dudes' are on the mark about a lot of things.

Perhaps one of the most important things you have to remember is that you need to want to experience food in every way. YOu nned to experiment with cooking it, how do different techniques change its quality, flavor and consistency. You need to try it. No one says you have to like it, but you should know what you are working with. You nned to be open to new ideas, ways of cooking, etc. YOu will need to know how to work with seasonal availability to be able to put together an attractive well-rounded menu.

You have to be able to work with people of all cultures and backgrounds. And they definitely will not all think the same as you do.

The more you go into a school or career knowing (yet still be excepting of anothers idea or suggestion) the better off you will be. I would pick up a culinary school textbook and begin to read through it. They give an overview of the entire kitchen. From positions to foodcosts, product yields, cooking methods and preparations, knofe skills, presentation, etc.

The following are used at several different schools:

On Cooking by Hause
Professional Cooking by Gisslen
the CIA has one whose name escapes me momentarily.

Be prepared, hungry for information and ready to try.

[layjo]

Great added advice! Everyday I work, I have noticed different responsibilities that the Chef(s) have to attend and control in their normal workday. Some places have different responsibilities. And I know now that in order to become a chef we need to have a broad knowledge of different things: we have to troubleshoot, know the ins and outs of different kitchen equipment(what to do when your walk-in goes out, or the gas goes out during service), be able to deal with employees, customers, salespeople effectively and respectfully, a solid foundation in the basics of cooking....these are just a few. It does take time and experience to become a "Chef", by the way I am not one yet, eventhough I have been refered as one many times. But I belive the time it takes and the experience in that time is needed when you finally have that tile and responsibility on your shoulders. Hope we helped in any way!