home studey

i would like to be a chef i have ben cooking for over 15yr in difrent restaurants and i have owned a restaurant for 3 yr now and do not have the time to go to school i work, 7 day a week 13 to 18 hr a day are ther a home study course i can look at.

[Svadhisthana]

Check with local culinary schools to see if they have an accelerated course you can take. It won't be "home study" but the time frame will be more manageable for you. Good Luck.

It sounds like you have as much culinary experience as a school could offer to you! Was there an area in particular that you wanted to study?

[ June 20, 2001: Message edited by: OneSockChef ]

i would like to be certified as a chef. can a person call themself a chef without being certified ?

[holydiver]

Ask Charlie Trotter he never went to school lol.

[Dlee]

Chef tgrind 1,

You said that you own a resturant... In your own kitchen you can make up your brigade system as you see fit. Eg; Chef, Sous Chef, cook 1, cook 2, cook 3, Stewarding(dish washer).

With your passion and no personal time. A good way to enhance your skills, would be to invest into good quality cook books and trade mags. also follow up on the food programs on the tele. Also try out the local cooking schools or even some of the colleges, they usually offer mini classes....

D.Lee

[ June 21, 2001: Message edited by: Dlee ]

Haven't we all been guilty of a little Resume boosting??? I know I have... If it walks like a chef and talks like a chef, it must be a chef!!!

[Chef David Simpson]

Just stick around cheftalk.com. You'll get plenty of schoolling here.

Chef David

[mofo1]

tgrind1,
Do you work all the stations in your restaurant? Are you the boss? Do you do the specials and recipe testing for new items? Do you write the menus? Do you teach?(both staff and customers) Are you comfortable in the kitchen and have no trouble giving direction and guidance to your staff? If you answered yes to these questions, you my friend are a bona-fide chef. Contact your local chapter of the ACF and gather info about their certification program if you feel it is necessary. Heck, it is your restaurant, you can call yourself whatever you like.

yes i do it all i have 2 cooks a day and a night to help me out . i have vrey good servers so i dont need to play up front to much . i do it all but the books. i have ben a k.m for 6yr and a g.m for about 6 yr so i am good at the book part but i like not having to do any of it my wife comes in once a day to do it. if you would like to see my menu you can at www.masonsgrill.com

Salutations,

You are managing a kitchen, therefore you are "Chef". I have always believed that a certificate does not make you a Chef, it's what is inside "you", however, if you desire the self - esteem, confidence and feeling of achievement that the certificate may give you, why not try certification through recognition of your current competencies. I do not know if this is available where you live,however the some one in your local community may know.

Good Luck
Regards

BigMal

[holydiver]

Yes you can definately call your self the Chef there are a lot of phenominal guys who never went to school. Unfortunately you will run in to the old boy network if u decide to leave. It seems like nowadays you could be Trotter,Keller and Dean Fearing all wrapped in to one and without a degree you wont be taken seriously people think you are a griddle cook at Denny"s. Sad but true believe me I have run into it myself. I'm going to get my degree very soon.

Holydiver I think 1 of the problems is that today some people will watch a few cooking shows, cook around the house a bit and they like to think there chefs.

We all know being a chef is so much more then having your name on a diploma, and its unfortunate that people like tgrind1 don't get all the respect they deserve. but having that title, is very respected