oh boy! it's official!

I'm a "professional"!

Oopsies.

30+ hours awake, passed out at the keyboard.

Meant to follow with this pic:

(changed from "restaurant manager")

Same job, but now with a title and salary.

I wanted to toot my own horn a little but didn't want to do it in the "professional chefs forum".

Figured I'm "new" here as a "professional chef", so...  that's why! 

Quote:

Originally Posted by panini 

Oh left 4bread,

Unfortuneatly there is no such thing, as a professional chef.

The word Chef has no meaning in the US.

I just can't figure where professional comes into play with such a primative industry. You can work 40 yrs. and never get paid for your

experience.

I had a doctor tell me last week that I must listen to him for he was the best in his field. I chuckled, I've been doing what I've been doing for last 47 years

and I still don't receive any respect. 47 yrs. in this industry and my word still means squat. I also have all the numbers and letters. CEC,CPC,CEPC,CEMPC, etc.

It adds up to nothing in this industry. I dare anyone to prove me wrong. Please don't respond and tell me you are a CEC and making 100k plus. That is an insult

to the amount of time you have put in. I have been lucky enough to increase my own hourly rate to 300hr which is still pathetic after all these years.

pan

...oh Panini, you're preaching to the choir.

If there's anything I'm NOT, it is arrogant. And there is a reason I took the "restaurant manager" title in 2007 (different user name) when I started lurking here.

It's because I have an incredible amount of respect for the old school chefs (and retired chefs) who post here and I didn't want to sully the title by using it undeservedly.

So that line about "not getting any respect" is BS, because I respect you, and I know that a lot of learned people here respect you.

I know, as well as you, that the word "chef" gets thrown around too much, and it's an area of contention for me too.

I've been at this place for over 5 years doing all the ordering, food costing, menu revisions, managing two kitchens and the catering, plus seasonal kitchen, been the GM's right hand/left brain in FoH and BoH management issues...  FFS  ...diligently saving this place tens of thousands of dollars yearly...  and they finally officially give me "executive chef" title and salary.

I'm going to suspend false modesty for a sec and say, "I deserve this."

Because I do.

And if you can take a sec to get off the pity pot, feel free to pat me on the back.

Love youuuu!!!

"Please don't respond and tell me you are a CEC and making 100k plus."

Divide that by 3ish.
 

edit: I guess I've never talked about who I am before: Just some dude trying to run a brew pub, food wise. 25 years in the industry (FoH & BoH). 16 years working the cooking side. A couple positions as sous at a couple places (5 years or so as sous, besides my current employ). Line cook for a white tablecloth place for 8 months (lol). Ran a mom&pop place for 2 years. Cooked for a processing plant in AK, worked a couple small cruise lines as "chef who par-taayys!!!".  Catering companies. Et cetera. I'm not a big deal. I don't pretend to be. I'm a "professional (I do it for a living and always will) cook". Professional Ch..  Okay, now I'm second guessing myself.  Professional Che..  Cheee...  Ahem...  Professional Che...   Jerk.  Dammit!

PROFESSIONAL JEFF!  Dammit!

I give up