career path of a Chef/Cook

Career paths in hospitality

 

A Chef/Cook

A chef/cook is the person who prepares food in a hotel, restaurant, fast food joint or catering establishment. Earlier cooking used to be a daily chore or was meant for special occasions only. If one nurtures the desire to win a million hearts by serving people with good food, a career as a chief is the right answer.

The career path

In the past, one moved from preparation chef to assistant chef to head chef. The large numbers of training programs available have caused the field to become more competitive and only those with exceptional skills become head chef. Specialization is also important for those who want to move up.

According to The Occupational Outlook Handbook, "Chefs and cooks are responsible for preparing meals that are pleasing to the palate and the eye. Chefs are the most highly skilled and trained of all kitchen workers. Although the terms chef and cook are still used interchangeably, cooks are less skilled"[1] (Chefs, Cooks, and Other Kitchen Workers, The Occupational Outlook Handbook, Bureau of Labor Statistics, 1998-1999).

A chef with extensive experience may be promoted to executive chef, a part of the managerial team running a dining establishment. Other members of this team include the general manager and assistant managers. Occasionally, in smaller establishments, the executive chef serves as the general manager. The executive chef is responsible for running the kitchen, and his or her duties include selecting menu items and analyzing the recipes of the dishes to determine food, labor, overhead costs and to assign prices to the various dishes[2].

 

The Reality

Those in culinary arts generally work long hours. The work is very physically demanding -- many hours of standing, heavy lifting, mixing large vats of food, and rolling out many pounds of dough. The unusual hours, which include weekends, evenings, and holidays, do not allow for much of social life. In spite of these negative aspects of the field, there is a high level of satisfaction reported by those working in it. 

As we develop our skills and experience in the hospitality industry our job changes we become mere senior and are given more responsibility. Along with this responsibility come new challenges and increased wages. That’s what makes hospitality so exciting to work in. over the years we build a career path that takes us in new and exciting directions and develops our skills and knowledge along the way.

The hospitality industry employs many people who choose a various and different career paths to suit their own needs.

There are some steps involved in hospitality career:

1. Beginning of career

This is when you are employed in a job without any experience or qualifications

At this level you will expect to :

• Perform basic tasks.
• Not have a lot of responsibility or authority.
• Work under fairly close supervision.

2. At the next Stage

With experience and training you would expect to be performing a greater number of tasks that are slightly more complex or difficult.

At this stage you may:

• Be more responsible for your own actions.
• Require less supervision.

3. Further process

After working for some time, and learning both on and off the job about the work you master a number of technical or customer service skills related to the position.

In addition to being able to work unsupervised, you may now be responsible for :

• Supervising other staff at a lower level.
• Training other staff at a lower level.
• Decision making in areas where you have gained experience.  

 

4.  Supervisor/Team Leader/Shift Leader.

This is when you have earned the trust and respect of not only your employer but also your workmates

This usually has a level of responsibility and authority where you will be required to :

• Supervise staff and administer (organize and do paperwork for ) a shift.
• Provide leadership and motivation for staff.
• Provide coaching, training and perhaps counseling, if required
• Develop strong teamwork in those around you.

5. Management level

When supervisors become managers the are “in the middle”. Middle managers have more responsibility than supervisors, but not as much as senior managers.

This role often has less direct contact with the customer and is involved with making the business grow at a different level. It often involves assisting one of the senior managers or owners.

Duties may involve assistance with the preparation of budgets, marketing plans, financial negotiations, management reports, etc.

Usually middle management  utilizes technical skills such as:

• Finance
• Marketing
• Sales
• Human resources
• Reports
• Communications

Senior managers are often given responsibility for a department or the entire establishment. Senior managers would not normally work face-to-face with customers although many good managers make it a point to do this every so often, so they do not lose touch with employees and customer needs and not lose their own skills[3].

They are concerned with:

The overall vision of the establishment

Forward planning

Cost and revenue matters

Marketing and human resource issues.

 

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[1] Chefs, Cooks, and Other Kitchen Workers, The Occupational Outlook Handbook, Bureau of Labor Statistics, 1998-1999

[2] Culinary Atrs Schools Website, Sandringham Publishing Ltd, Seen on 07 December, 2010 Website URL: http://www.culinaryprograms.com/careers.htm

[3] Develop & update hospitality industry knowledge, Culinary Solutions Australia Pty Ltd, Version 2, March 2009.