Struggling

I am taking a brake from Culinary School for financial reasons. Meanwhile, I am working in a cafeteria. I hate it! I do not feel like I am learning anything. We barely make anything from scratch and they are REALLY unorganized. BUT, they pay well, offer benefits, and may help me through school.

I do not feel like a culinary student anymore. I am just doing a job. Nice restaurants do not pay well enough to eat, pay off student loans, and pay rent. I need some inspiration, some advice, something!!

[m brown]

Min,
Treat it like a job. Get your school money and benifits.
BUT.....
On your off hours read about food, cook, watch cooking shows, hang out in fine dining kitchens (ask chefs of great restaurants if you can come in and prep a few hours a week) and volunteer at fancy food events.

Just because you work in a place doesn't mean it has to consume you.

You may also try to improve the organization of the kitchen you presently work in or ask if you can make items form scratch from time to time.
Cafaterias are a valuable environment to learn production, and how to improve boxed meatloaf, along with organization techniques, sanitation and prep.
Another plus to working in a high output location is getting along with and schedueling staff, training and learning.

It sounds like you are doing a great job if they have offered to help out with school tutition. It won't be forever and you're going to be ready for anything when you get back to school!

Hope this helps.

Keep your focus of why you want to go to culinary school, why you want to cook. Working in that cafeteria is just one part of the journey. We all have had to work some crappy jobs before. I worked at the Olive garden for awhile when I was in school. They worked around my schedule.

Like m brown said, keep reading about food, watch cooking shows. And cook nice stuff at home. Make your own stocks and sauces and trim your own meats.

I agree with the others. Don't let the boredom of cateferia work consume you. Wherever you go, you will learn something that you will take with you on your next job, no matter how menial it is. I have worked in these types of jobs and have always come away with something. My word of advice is not to let others "intimidate" you. You'd be surprised how many people you'll come across who act like they know everything....also, those who look down on culinary students because to them, experience means everything. This happened to me in my current job, foodservice for a corporate training facility. The head chef has been there 25 years...try to change his ways!! But I did!! We now have standardized recipes, which now makes purchasing easier and more efficient. Took me a few months, but I convinced him. Share things you know with others, even if they know it, they'll appreciate the fact that you do to! Good luck!

I too have been put down because I went to culinary school, usually from people who never went. Its amazing how many people are intimidated by someone with formal training.

Like the others said I think you should just hang in there! I know that thats easier said thatn done, but trust me I've been there. I worked for a caferteria food derevice group in Washington DC, It sucked!! I did this after I went to school and know that alot of the employees hated me because I had an education. When I got bored I started to maske things that improved the caferteria. I started off with peach cobbler and then slowly progressed to roasted chicken and fresh hamburgers. All in all I got a great expierence from it and know how to handle groups of 5000 to 7000 people!! Just keep plugn' and chugn' things will get better!

[chefjohnpaul]

Originally posted by MIN:
I am taking a brake from Culinary School for financial reasons. Meanwhile, I am working in a cafeteria. I hate it! I do not feel like I am learning anything. We barely make anything from scratch and they are REALLY unorganized. BUT, they pay well, offer benefits, and may help me through school.

I do not feel like a culinary student anymore. I am just doing a job. Nice restaurants do not pay well enough to eat, pay off student loans, and pay rent. I need some inspiration, some advice, something!!

There are always opportunities to learn regardless of where you are, also you have to view it as a means to an end.

I knew someone who was working at Post Trio in SF and making $7 an hour. You can't get a taxi ride in SF on that wage. It would have been pointless to stay there if you couldn't eat and pay the rent, you first have to survive. Eventually as your skills grow then you will better see what work enviorment works for your situation and what doesn't. There are many talented chefs who work in the industrial food field so they can have time for family and other important things in life. Then there are high profile chefs who have lost families and other important things because of the time their career consumed.

I have been in the industry for 16+ years and have gotten my ACF certification with financial assistance from my employer. Yet I have other considerations, I am also a minister and have my family to think about so I've made adjustments in my culinary path to fit my circumstances, yet I have always tried to continue learning and so it has kept my job interesting, and made me more valuable to my employer(s).

So there are many avenues this industry opens up to, you just need to take what best fits your situation and goals and learn regardless of where you are at.

Hope this helps.


[This message has been edited by chefjohnpaul (edited March 19, 2000).]

I want to thank eveyone for their responses. It is nice to have a network of people that understand what I am dealing with!

crappy jobs are so easy to be consumed by.im currently in a real crappy job ,but it pays the bills.Remember that one day real soon youll go back to school and finish what you started ,and in 2 years time when your running around like a prostitute with a heroine addiction ,that youll be able to look back and realise that the catering trade can be wonderful or just really really crappy.trust me this wont be the only **** job you have.