Career as a chef

A chef is the person who prepares food in a hotel, restaurant, and fast food joint or catering establishment. Earlier cooking used to be a daily chore or was meant for special occasions only. Today, cooking is an art; a craft to be acquired, that would give one a competitive edge. It is no longer a habit with people to dine out only when the cook does turn up or hen one comes back late from office. But dining out, and that too in style, has become a lifestyle statement- a status elevating activity. The demand for professional chefs is on high scale. 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.

Scope: With the fast-paced growth of culinary industry in the country, cooking has been brought out of the four walls of the household kitchen. No longer is it considered a woman’s preserve.

A chef, in the contemporary sense of the term, is as an artist who needs to be equipped with specialized training to master the craft of cookery.

In such a situation, professional chefs are in high demand by from food outlets, both large and small. A trained chef not only comes out with innovative dishes that are highly palatable, but also make a fortune by serving his customers with a cordial smile.

Job Prospects: Sky is the limit in terms of career opportunities in the profession as a good chef is welcomed by hotels, restaurants, air catering units, food processing companies, catering in confectioneries, cruise liner, corporate catering units etc. Chefs will not be affected by the fluctuations in the industry, as good food is one thing people cannot live without. Own entrepreneurship ventures can also be considered.

Besides food preparation, the chief chef of an eatery is also assigned with the task of planning diversified menus that suits the tastes of customers. It is he who orders the required foodstuff that goes into preparation and also supervises the other kitchen staff. Above all, a chef essentially needs to be an ardent lover of good food.

The quality of a chef is determined by the quality of food that he prepares. He needs to be familiar with all the different cuisine variants such as Chinese, French, Italian, Continental, banquet, pastry or butchery and their modes of preparation.

Extreme care should be taken while choosing the area of specialization such as cold kitchen, hot kitchen or bakery confectionary.

A definite hierarchy is followed in the growth of a fresher to the role of a main chef. A kitchen trainee starts blooming from the level of comiss 3, comiss 2, comiss 1, demi-chef-de-partie, chef-de-partie, sous (deputy) chef, senior sous chef, executive sous chef and finally becomes the executive chef.

Eligibility: Graduation degree in hotel management requires 10+2 as the minimum qualification. One needs to pass class X for procuring a diploma in food craft. Food production and food service is the core subjects taught under this stream.

The National Council of Hotel Management and Catering Technology conduct entrance examination through which candidates are selected for the degree program in hotel management.

Various institutes offer short-term diploma courses in food production; bakery and confectionery and food and beverage services. It is advisable for students to opt for working on a weekly basis in some hotel or catering units, since such an experience would give an added advantage in the job market. Professional culinary institutes often include apprenticeship programs in their course pattern.

List of institutes: Here is the list of leading institutes that provide professional training to interested students in hotel management.

• Institute of Hotel management, Catering Technology and Applied Nutrition, Andhra Pradesh
• Institute of Hotel Management, Catering Technology and Applied Nutrition, New Delhi, Ahmedabad and Goa;
• Indian Institute of Hotel Management, Aurangabad;
• The Welcome Group Graduate School of Hotel Administration, Manipal;
• The Oberoi Center of Learning and Development, New Delhi;
  Government Institutes of Hotel Management and Catering, Dehradun and Almora;
• The Oriental School of Hotel Management, Mumbai, Delhi and Vadodara;
• National Council for Hotel Management and Catering Technology, New Delhi;
• Delhi Institute of Hotel Management, New Delhi;
• State Institute of Hotel Management And Catering Technology, Thuvakkudi
• Amity School of Hospitality, Noida

Remuneration: A chef needs to be adaptable to culinary changes. He should get the vibrant cultural waves in the food habits of people at large.

A kitchen trainee gets paid between Rs.10, 000 to Rs.15, 000 per month. Once he starts his journey up the hierarchy ladder, he pockets Rs.40, 000 to Rs.50, 000 per month. An executive chef in a five star deluxe hotel earns between Rs. 1 lakh and Rs. 2 lakh per month. Some of leading players of hospitality industry even pay their chief crew around Rs 50 lakh a month.

So, a friendly face beneath that classic white cap together with innovative tips to tickle the taste buds is all you need to get going to a gratifying career.