Any tips for starting a career in the food industry?
I'm currently debating the Culinary Arts Certificate Program at Boston University. I'm wondering if it is worth it to do the program or to enter the industry and get experience in lieu of the program? The only issue is that I really don't have any culinary work experience as I work for a large corporation and so it might be hard to get my foot in the door. Any thoughts or advice?
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17 Comments:
Don't do it.
Kerosena at 11:24AM on 07/09/09
Unless you have a lot of money or know people who do and are willing to invest in you with little hope of recouping, be prepared to work very long hours under difficult conditions for little pay or recognition for a long time before you get to do your own thing. You better really really love to cook, it's a lot of hard work, it's never ending, and all your night, weekends and most holidays will be your busiest times. All that being said, I'm seriously thinking of taking the plunge too... Madness! :P
simon at 11:53AM on 07/09/09
See, my opinion is that if you really love to cook, a professional kitchen is the last place for you. That sort of work will make you hate what you once loved.
Also, forget about family and relationships.
Kerosena at 12:18PM on 07/09/09
If in your past working life you have enjoyed the following:
Working 8-10 hour days.
A five day work week.
Holidays off.
Time with friends/family.
Regular sex with your significant other.
Being respected by your peers.
Treated as an equal by your peers.
Sick days.
DON'T DO IT!
Otherwise you will need to work like a dog for several years (perhaps a decade or better) under several good chefs, in several kitchens. You will need to do this while being underpaid, overworked and beaten down in every way imaginable to earn your bones.
Oh yes, and learn to speak and understand Spanish and the history of the many Spanish speaking countries. Your Spanish brethren will appreciate you for it. These are the majority of the people you will be working with, and who will (on a nightly basis) be working you under the table without breaking a sweat! So get to know and understand what makes them tick, it will be a huge help to you.
Pavlov at 1:56PM on 07/09/09
Having worked in a couple of restaurants (not really "professionally", they were student summer jobs), I will agree with the previous posts that this is not something to aspire to.
I will also cite as an example a middle-aged lady friend who had dreams of being a pastry chef. She completed the culinary program at The New School in NYC, served an externship at a couple of restaurants in the city, and then found employment at a couple of decent local restaurants. The pay was low, the hours were horrendous, and not only did she leave those jobs, she permanently gave up the whole idea within a few short months, went back to her old job as a hair stylist.
salpico at 2:17PM on 07/09/09
If I understand you correctly, you're not asking for an opinion on whether to enter the food industry, but rather only whether it's better to go to a cooking school or just dive right into your first job and learn on the job. So, I won't try to dissuade you from this career, as you did not ask for an opinion about that.
I am not in the restaurant industry, but everyone I know who is has remarked that a prospective employee's actual restaurant experience is more important in their hiring decisions than their formal culinary training, if any. They have advised people in your position to start off at the bottom--as a server--and then work your way into the kitchen. Of course, they usually add that culinary school is useful as well, so I suppose what I would do is get some experience first, see if you like it, and if you do then take some time off and go to culinary school, and hopefully when you return to the working world you can land yourself in a better restaurant kitchen. Good luck.
Lorenzo at 2:20PM on 07/09/09
Oooh, Pav, I forgot about the sex part. It's true.
And don't plan on ever buying a home of your own.
If you go to a certificate program, you will not make any more money than someone who did not. And you will be in debt. That you will never be able to pay off.
-Disclosure- I am engaged to a chef. After almost 20 years in the biz, he's looking at institutional cooking positions (hospital), and trade schools for a new career. We've had an incredibly rough year. There are no guarantees about employment, and regardless of how much you may care about your restaurant, the owner cares first about his business and himself. If business is slow, your hours (and your job) will be cut.
Kerosena at 2:27PM on 07/09/09
I think your best bet is to start a little catering business on the side and see where that takes you. Minimal investment of time and money, no need for lots of overhead, you can get out at any moment, you don't have to give up your day job. If it takes off, you're stoked, if not, hey, it was fun and you learned a lot and you won't be paying off culinary school for a certificate you won't use.
simon at 2:42PM on 07/09/09
Just a thought - I've been in foodservice all my life. Learning the culinary side of the business does not mean you need to become a cook. There are caterers, consultants, wedding or party planning businesses, and more that could benefit from someone with culinary know how. I went from pastry chef (no schooling), to owning a catering business, to managing restaurants, and now I run the dietary department in a skilled nursing facility. Back to the 9-5, weekends and holidays off, and all the time I want with my family!! Not all foodservice is drudgery!
eatingoutwest at 2:56PM on 07/09/09
Spend at least a year working in a restaurant, and if it doesn't break you down - then decide if you want to go to school.
You would have to start at the bottom. Get some experience at a cafe or catering for a while to get the feel for food service, then move your way up to a professional kitchen.
Line cooks often look down on office workers / corporate professionals / etc who decide to work in restaurants. Because most of them don't last more than 2 weeks. But if you can get over the initial coldness, crack a few jokes, dont call out sick and work hard- you'll do fine.
Try to work for the best - it will be harder, more demanding, but you'll be learning from the best.
Hawk Krall at 3:20PM on 07/09/09
I agree with eatingoutwest- there is more to the foodservice industry than fast-paced, high stress restaurant positions. Can you clarify what area you're interested in, and are you getting a certificate or a full-blown degree?
I did it bass-ackwards- I decided I wanted to be a pastry chef so I enrolled in a community college and started the program while keeping my full time office gig. I never worked in a professional kitchen until I got my internship at a local camp. I still work part time at the camp and still have my office job. I'm waiting for the right foodservice opportunity to come my way and I don't ever want to work in a restaurant. I don't want the stress or the harried pace or a chef screaming at me. So until the right job presents itself I'll continue what I'm doing- the camp job satisfies my soul and the office job pays my bills. Good luck!
AuntJone at 3:24PM on 07/09/09
Definitely get some experience in a professional kitchen before you commit to a degree program, and try to save enough money so you don't take on the whole tuition as debt. Cooking for a living can be great, but it's rarely financially rewarding.
Also, eatingoutwest is right - there are a lot of things you can do with a culinary degree besides being full-time in a restaurant kitchen. I have a degree in pastry arts and a BA in journalism, worked for a few years in kitchens (hotel, restaurants, catering, a B&B) and now am a food editor at a magazine and my first cookbook comes out in September.
I do think that the experience in the kitchen is way more important than a degree. Having the degree can open some doors that experience alone can't, but just a degree and no experience will probably not get you very far.
Hope that helps - good luck!!
CookiePie at 4:49PM on 07/09/09
An in between option is community college, I'm beginning to sound like a broken record, but I've found it very difficult to get a 'foot in the door' and my local community college has work experience modules, where one is either assigned, or finds somewhere to do work experience for a semester. The teaching at my college (grossmont) is absolutely awesome for the cost ($20 per unit).
jennywenny at 5:33PM on 07/09/09
Thanks everyone so much for your advice!! I have lots of thinking to do... Ideally I would like to get a position working more on the business side, but I thought that in order to get to that side I might need to first understand BOH operations. I do love the food industry and cooking, but I know that my end goal is not to be an executive chef. I thought the certificate program would help to prove my culinary knowledge for the business side of the industry.
live2eatLA at 5:39PM on 07/09/09
I think you really need both - school and industry experience. I'm actually going through a similar situation. I made the decision to go into culinary after an 18-year career in marketing. I already have a degree, and paying $20 or $40K was NOT something I wanted to expense again for culinary school.
I found a pretty good program at a local community college - they offer an AAS degree or a certificate in culinary management and also baking/pastry. It's not as immersive as an accredited program, but it's perfect for what I need.
By day I do my marketing job, I go to school once a week, I freelance as a food writer, and when I have pockets of time, I volunteer in the various kitchens where I work.
I realize not everyone works for a major company with multiple kitchens on property, so I would start with friends or relatives that might know someone in the business. Ask if you can shadow the chef a few times to see if it's something you will truly enjoy before enrolling in school.
If that doesn't work out, try approaching the manager of a favorite restaurant. Facebook is a GREAT place to build an address book so-to-speak of culinary contacts. Add chefs you admire to your friends list and send them a message to ask if you can shadow.
Chef2Chef.net has a culinary student blog called The Dish. I write about my experience once a week for them, and there are also about 5 or so other students from various schools, all at various levels, that also write about their culinary school experience.
Do you think you want to work in a restaurant, as a personal chef, catering chef, tester, writer...what's your passion?
I wish you lots of luck!
-Dawn
Eat dinner with your family tonight, I meant i!
WickedGoodDinner at 5:50PM on 07/09/09
foodservice careers are great for people who thrive in chaos. most of your coworkers are not the type you'll see in church come sunday. most, in fact, will have serious drug/alcohol problems and cuss like sailors. a real, functioning kitchen is nothing like the happy, clean hollywood kitchens you see on food network.
If you're cool with this, proceed.
I wouldn't say having no foodservice experience is definitely a handicap, but if i were you, i'd go out of my way to, if only one or two shifts a week, find a restaurant job, even if it's just scrubbing dishes.
(this sounds stupid, but don't discount it--i started out as a dishwasher and have busted my way up the chain; i'm finally going to culinary school in the fall, so obviously not having that institutional education hasn't hindered my career that much.
oh, and one more thing--you're not going to make any money. like, none. straight out of culinary school, that will MAYBE qualify you to work a cold prep station. you'll make perhaps $10, maybe $12 an hour, work long shifts in hot and wet--and frequently very dangerous, by the way--environments. as i've mentioned above, your coworkers will be a colorful breed, to say the least. don't expect too many smiling faces, either. about half way through a shift every night, one thing will be on everybody's mind-- "why the fuck did i choose this career?"
rasellers0 at 11:28PM on 07/09/09
If that is the case, I would take classes in a more restaurant management or travel/tourism area.
blizcheetah at 12:07AM on 07/10/09