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Amateur Chef Magazine

3K views 22 replies 19 participants last post by  pepper grind 
#1 ·
Amateur Chef is a new magazine currently in production. It's aimed at talented amateur chefs who love to cook, and we're looking for your views on what you'd want from a magazine in terms of features, interviews and advice.

All responses are strictly anonymous, and will go towards making a magazine that gives you exactly what you want. Thanks for your help.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/LFBC2PS
 
#4 ·
One may be an amateur cook, but a chef manages, and whether it is paid or not, there is no such thing as an amateur manager, IMHO!

One either manages or one doesn't, trust me, there is no such thing as an amateur housewife/husband!
 
#8 ·
What would be the difference between an amatuer chef magazine and any other food related publication?

I think you'll lose your shirt. Printed periodicals of all sorts, especially food magazines are going under right and left. Even the CIA's print publication folded due to lack of readership and subscriptions.

What makes you different?
 
#12 · (Edited)
I agree, a "chef" cooks and manages for a living, therefore you are either a chef or your not.
Also have a problem with the title on here of "home chef"
How does one become a home chef ?
When I staged at a restaurant they called me chef. I thought it was funny.

They were just being nice. Made me feel accepted, quickly. I think some didn't realize I never went to culinary school.

I would agree, though. A Chef manages as well as cooks.

But in defense of all those home cooks out there - I manage my kitchen as well; minimize waste, experiment with ingredients and substitutions, look for methods/ingredients to stretch value, rotate stock, monitor overhead, research different vendors, streamline processes, and even plan meals for weeks in advance. I mean three squares a day for at least a week. Not all the time mind you, but it is part of running an efficient kitchen or food service. The only thing I don't do is manage staff. But I've done that before in a different profession, so. . .
 
#13 ·
I think the title "Amateur Chef Magazine" might garner a following due to the fact that many amateurs tend to think of themselves as having Pro "chops". I feel this has been fueled by cable TV and the internet, some print media, cooking classes, etc.
 
#14 ·
I think the title "Amateur Chef Magazine" might garner a following due to the fact that many amateurs tend to think of themselves as having Pro "chops". I feel this has been fueled by cable TV and the internet, some print media, cooking classes, etc.
I'm with you. Terms like "Chef", or "Professional" (which you can find in other industries as well) are very exciting for amateurs. "Amateur Cook Magazine" wouldn't be nearly as exciting.

There's the real meaning of the word, and then there's how people use the word. Last time I went out to a restaurant with my dad, he started to explain to a waitress he knew that I was a Chef. I was pretty embarrassed and had to explain that all he meant to say was that I was a passionate cook. But to him, I am a Chef. And who am I to contradict my dad?

I believe that independently of the professional meaning, in the popular sense it's fairly accepted that a "Chef" is someone who's a good cook, nothing more. After all, when you do something really well, have you never heard someone say "Wow, you're a real pro!" ? And yet that person doesn't mean that what you have made a profession of what you just did, he just means you're very good at it.
 
#15 · (Edited)
Programs like the Food Network have taken the term "Chef" away from the original meaning, and popularized it as a generic term for someone that is an enthusiast cook. I've seen a lot of episodes of Chopped where they were featuring amateurs (at home cooks) that they referred to as chef. It gets even messier when you look at someone that starts up something like a food truck, and their title is "Chef and Owner" - well many older professional chefs would probably argue that without X number of employees to manage doing service for X number of tops.. that they are still not a chef, at least not in the classical sense. I think perhaps the title Executive Chef is the real title, that has well established responsibilities and pay scale.

I reserve the term chef for someone that earns the majority of their income from preparing food for consumption by others.
 
#16 ·
Programs like the Food Network have taken the term "Chef" away from the original meaning, and popularized it as a generic term for someone that is an enthusiast cook. I've seen a lot of episodes of Chopped where they were featuring amateurs (at home cooks) that they referred to as chef. It gets even messier when you look at someone that starts up something like a food truck, and their title is "Chef and Owner" - well many older professional chefs would probably argue that without X number of employees to manage doing service for X number of tops.. that they are still not a chef, at least not in the classical sense. I think perhaps the title Executive Chef is the real title, that has well established responsibilities and pay scale.

I reserve the term chef for someone that earns the majority of their income from preparing food for consumption by others.
Nicely put :)

And would definitely agree with you on that.

One of the biggest bones I have to pick is with this Master Chef show - arghh, sets my teeth grinding!
 
#17 ·
There is already many on the market. Good housekeeping, Southern life, Cooks  and on and on. All have great tips and tried and good recipes
 
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