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An A-Z Guide to working in the back of the house

 


 The importance of treating and
 paying your Dishwasher well.

The dishwasher is a significant and integral part of a well run and organized kitchen. Dishwashing is often the lowest paid, most maligned and derided position in the kitchen, but absolutely essential to basic functioning. The dishwasher is abused by cooks and wait staff alike, given the dirtiest jobs and the longest hours and is expected to show up with complaint.

The wisest chefs and owners treat their dishwashers with kid gloves, giving them the choicest tidbits and decent pay. Nothing will bring a kitchen to a grinding halt faster than a busy restaurant where the dishwasher has gotten fed up and walked out or has pulled a no show (not shown up for work) because he was working for slave wages and has been abused.

The Chef, the cooks and sometimes the wait staff and owners are then left trying to play catch-up with the dishes and pots and pans along with trying to carry out their own jobs. It creates an atmosphere of animosity. "It's not MY job"- and when a kitchen only has a certain amount of sauté pans and the cooks have to wash them as they use them on a busy night, it slows everything down. This effects the food getting cooked, as well as it being served and presented in a timely manner to the customer.

Treat your dishwasher well and you will avoid having to deal with the angry chef griping that he was there untill 2:00 am mopping the floor because there was no dishwasher to do it for him.

Treat your dishwasher as the integral part of a well run and organized kitchen that they deserve to be and your operation will run like the well oiled machine it is supposed to.



 How to Decide Whether to Train as an Apprentice or be Formally Educated

Apprenticeship versus Formal Education:

Having a formal education are wonderful things to be able to put on a resume. Training under an experienced Chef can also teach you just as much practical information. There are pro and cons to both. Culinary schools are more structured environments. Apprenticeships are more unstructured environments. If you have the opportunity to do both, I would recommend it.

Culinary Schools Pros:
Culinary schools look good on a resume.
Culinary schools give a more structured environment to learn in.
Culinary schools give broad examples and teachings that cross different types of cuisines and styles of cooking.
Culinary schools have valuable resources and the opportunity to research independently.
Culinary schools give a person the opportunity to make future industry contacts.
Culinary schools give what you get out of them.
Culinary schools teach basic skills along with business basics.

Culinary Schools Cons:
Culinary school classes can be unrealistic. Six people working the grill station in a restaurant is not the reality of what is like in the industry.
Culinary schools can be very expensive. Evaluate whether you want to be paying off college bills for many years.
Culinary schools may give students unrealistic expectations. Not everyone is going to become an Executive Chef after graduating from a school.

Apprenticeship Pros:
Apprenticeships give a person a taste of what really working in a kitchen is like.
Apprenticeships can give you the opportunity to work under many different types of Chefs and work one on one with them.
During an apprenticeship, you make money while you are learning.

Apprenticeship Cons:
The lack of formal education may hurt you in some hiring environments.
As an apprentice you may not learn as much about the business aspects as you will need to in order to become a Chef.
Apprenticeship may lack fundamentals that a formal education can and will teach you.




 How To Evaluate if You want a Career as a Chef

Being a Chef or Executive Chef is often glorified by the media. You may see Chefs striding around on TV in tall white hats ordering people about to and fro. The reality of being a Chef is it is extremely hard work. It is also a very stressful job. Being a Chef can be very rewarding. But be prepared to make sacrifices in your life. This list is not meant to scare people off, but to instead take into consideration what being a Chef truly means

Do you love food? If you love food, being a Chef is a terrific position to be in. You get to practice an art form. There can also be downsides though. The higher up in the ranks you go, the less time you will spend cooking and the more time pushing paper.

Are you prepared to be a slave to your passion? The best Chefs are passionate about the food they cook. Do you dream of food? Does your mouth water when you describe a dish you've made or tasted? Do you talk about food to the exclusion of anything else? If so, you are headed in the right direction.

Are you prepared to spend more hours away from home then in any other industry? Unless you have a position as a Corporate Chef, be prepared to work very long hours. 50-60 hours a week is typical and it can be much higher. Be prepared to rarely be home on weekends or holidays. These are the busiest times for a restaurant and as head of the kitchen you will be required to be there.

Can you take high stress situations? As a Chef, you need to be a good manager as well as being a talented cook. The days when a Chef could scream at staff and be bad tempered are over. If you can keep your cool while being in the weeds while the Health Inspector is visiting during service hours, you are probably able to take high stress situations.

Are you physically able? Being a Chef is a physically intense job. Standing on a 95 degree line and being on your feet for 12 hours straight requires some stamina. Can you lift a 50 lb. bag of carrots? Can you take a 30 quart pot of stock off the stove to strain it? Can you work 12 days straight in a row?

Do you mind not having much of a social life? As a Chef, your social circle will pretty much be the people you work with on a daily basis. Your hours as a Chef will not match normal business schedules of 9-5. The weekends and holidays you spend with family members may have to be sacrificed.

Are you good with people? As a Chef you will be managing a wide variety of staff. You may also be called upon to socialize with customers. If you do not feel comfortable doing these things, you may need to take some management or public speaking classes.

Are you computer literate? In the current age, being computer literate is a necessity. You will need to know and learn how to use Point of Sale systems. You may need to use a computer to compute your food costing or to write menus.


 Culinary Associations

The ACF offers educational programs and opportunities for both the culinary student and professional culinarian. The ACF is the premier professional chefs' organization in North America, with more then 240 chapters nationwide and 19,000 members.

The ACF Chef & Child Foundation's mission is to educate and assist the family in understanding proper nutrition and to be the voice of the American Culinary Federation in its fight against childhood hunger.

The Chefs Collaborative is a national network of more than 1,000 members of the food community who promote sustainable cuisine by celebrating the joys of local, seasonal, and artisanal cooking.

The Foundation was established in honor of James Beard, the late cooking teacher, journalist, and food consultant who is widely considered the father of American gastronomy. The Foundation’s mission is to celebrate, preserve, and nurture America’s culinary heritage and diversity in order to elevate the appreciation of our culinary excellence.

IACP is a not-for-profit professional association which provides continuing education and development for its members who are engaged in the areas of culinary education, communication, or in the preparation of food and drink.



 Helpful Related Links

This page offers career resources including articles and related links; a directory of schools providing quick and easy information about their programs, organized by location; and links to related career categories.

Culinary School
CookStreet.com offers a wide variety of culinary courses for everyone from the aspiring professional chef, to the backyard grill master.  http://www.cookstreet.com