New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

Career building?

post #1 of 9
8/5/10 at 9:02pm
Thread Starter 

Hi

  As I've mentioned, after cooking in the military, I've landed a job cooking for a local BBQ restaurant/catering company. How would some of you folks suggest I parlay my experience here into a long restaurant career?

  (Doing all this on the "civilian side" is all new to me. Help!

"Life has become immeasurably better since I have been forced to stop taking it seriously."
— Hunter S. Thompson
Reply

Featured Stories on ChefTalk.com

A clinical look at how a restaurant runs
Follow ChefTalk on Pinterest!
When Cooks Cook for Themselves
post #2 of 9
8/5/10 at 9:55pm

Find a place you like to eat that is hiring, and show them your stuff. Build a rep as a civilian. I've learned that the only way people think you can cook, is to cook. I'm sure your military cooking was mostly high volume? Try to stay away from corporate restaurants, they tend to be dumbed down for non cooks and you will get bored quickly if you know what your doing. Good luck and thanks for feeding us troops!

Reply
post #3 of 9
8/6/10 at 12:58am
Quote:
Originally Posted by aric87 View Post

Try to stay away from corporate restaurants, they tend to be dumbed down for non cooks and you will get bored quickly if you know what your doing. Good luck and thanks for feeding us troops!


Couldn't have said it better myself. 

Reply
post #4 of 9
8/8/10 at 7:36am

 Do you want to make good money at a stable job, or learn to cook fancy food?

Reply
post #5 of 9
8/8/10 at 7:37am

When you say your "experience here" do you mean the military or the BBQ place?

Reply
post #6 of 9
8/8/10 at 11:27am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Coup-de-Feu View Post

 Do you want to make good money at a stable job, or learn to cook fancy food?


I want to make good money at a stable job. I'm not a fancy kind of guy. I'm as "blue collar" as it gets, and I like making just plain good food for good people. After spending most of my adult life in uniform, and having been raised by a truck driver, "fancy" isn't a big part of my life. LOL Not knocking anyone involved in fine dining or anything, it's very impressive. It's just not "me."
 

"Life has become immeasurably better since I have been forced to stop taking it seriously."
— Hunter S. Thompson
Reply
post #7 of 9
8/8/10 at 11:28am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Coup-de-Feu View Post

When you say your "experience here" do you mean the military or the BBQ place?


Both, really, but I've noticed that most restaurants ( or at least their managers/chefs,) don't have much regard for military cooks.
 

"Life has become immeasurably better since I have been forced to stop taking it seriously."
— Hunter S. Thompson
Reply
post #8 of 9
8/8/10 at 11:30am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Coup-de-Feu View Post

 Do you want to make good money at a stable job, or learn to cook fancy food?



I want to make good money at a stable job. I'm a blue collar guy, I like blue collar food. After spending my adult life (so far) in uniform, and being raised by a truck driver, "fancy" isn't a big part of my life. Not knocking fine dining at all... I'm wildly impressed by those who do it well. Just not really "me."

"Life has become immeasurably better since I have been forced to stop taking it seriously."
— Hunter S. Thompson
Reply
post #9 of 9
8/8/10 at 2:23pm

It depends on what you want to do really, but as far as getting a good job goes your military experience can be a great boon.  May I assume that you have experience with logistics/stock control?

You mentioned in the welcome post that cook jobs are being privatized, have you considered that avenue? 
Are you looking for a good job based on the skills you already have, or to modify your skills to a different end?

Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: Professional Chefs

Featured Stories on ChefTalk.com

A clinical look at how a restaurant runs
Follow ChefTalk on Pinterest!
When Cooks Cook for Themselves