[peachcreek]

With all the controversy lately about the need for or lack of need for a culinary degree my question is how many of us out there worked our way to our current position? For me? I have worked in 46 DIFFERENT RESTAURANTS! And those are places that I worked for at least one full pay period. Through most of my 20s and 30s I worked two or more jobs at a time. Anybody else?

 

[athenaeus]

With such an experience Peachcreek if one of your children wanted to be a pro in kitchen wouldn't you advice him/her to go to a school first?

PS from 20-31 this is my first year that I do not work for 12 hours a day.

 

[suzanne]

In 6 1/2 years:
- 10 restaurants (4 of them for 1 - 3 weeks [okay, so I'm not the greatest at picking]; the others for 3 months to almost 2 years)
- 1 food manufacturer (16 months)
- 1 on-site foodservice provider, managing the catering part (4 1/2 months)
- 1 culinary school stewarding department (9 months).

Some of these were concurrent. And some of the time I was also working with my husband in his consulting business.

But I probably never would have gotten hired anywhere in the first place if I hadn't gone to culinary school, and through the school externed at a 4-star restaurant. If you start as late as I did, school is the only way to get your foot in the door. After that, though, it's up to you.

 

[b.c. chef]

How many restraunts one has worked in means nothing in the culinary world however quality establishments and quality time spent is far more important!!!

School is highly recommended and seeking out great mentors to work for is the recipe to success.:chef:

 

[anneke]

I was just going to say that BC, but you beat me to it!

My culinary career is still young, and I'm very proud to say that I have picked three fine establishments to get my feet wet in the last 16 months. Without a culinary degree, I'd still be picking through parsley!

And yet, so many of my former classmates do not realize that they CAN do better than the local sports bar etc. Too many forget to aim high...