The choice of becoming a chef can be very rewarding in spite of it being time-consuming. You must understand that cooking is different from being a chef. You must appreciate the fact that when you are preparing meals for customers in a setting of a restaurant, for instance, there is no room for error. As you prepare food for others, you will need to prepare meals to perfection. If you are considering becoming a chef, you need the following:
· Training & hands-on experience
To become a great chef you require the necessary training from a credited institution of learning. This way, your certificates will be accepted when you make the decision to apply for a job. In addition, you need at least 5 years of experience, having worked as a cook in a restaurant.
· Have a good sense of taste and smell
If you are to become a successful chef, you no doubt need to have a good sense of taste and smell. It is likely to prove difficult preparing good meals if at all you cannot make the difference between different spices. In addition, you need to know which spices work well together and which ones do not. In addition, you will need to present the meals in an enticing manner.
· Be physically active
Becoming a chef entails joining a physical profession. You are expected to remain on your two feet almost constantly. In addition, you will be expected to keep on chopping foods, kneading and stirring.
· Keep up with the customer demands
You will need to keep up with the pace of orders being made by hungry customers. You will also need to consider carefully the comments made by critical customers without feeling offended.
· Keep up with the heat in the kitchen
The kitchen is normally scorching hot throughout the year. Therefore, you need to be prepared to keep up with these demands. Even when it is cold outside, the kitchen is normally as hot as 95-degrees centigrade or higher. You need to learn how to put up with high temperatures even as you seek to ensure the rest of the staff members are happy.
· Know how to multi-task
For you to become a good one, you need to be able to multi-task. You will be expected to cook different meals all at the same time. In the meantime, you will be expected to chop different foods that need to be prepared. In some instances, when there is a shortage of staff, you will need to place items in the dishwasher, to do some dishwashing.
Martin Swan
