Good Things about Being a Chef: 10 Benefits
Mastering the culinary arts is a skill that could take you wherever you want to go. Top quality chefs can be found working all around the world. It's the perfect field for those who demand perfection of themselves, and those who take pleasure in providing the highest quality service and culinary creativity to their clients. As you consider your options, be sure to take into account 10 benefits that are cooking up in the kitchen.
1. Options Aplenty
Chefs have the opportunity to hone their skills in restaurants and resorts, country clubs, and private homes. Those who enjoy travel can pack their bags and find work on cruise lines, or at convention centers, casinos, and many other exciting destinations.
2. Creative License
Chefs are in charge when it comes to determining what goes on the menu and how it is prepared for guests. This creates plenty of opportunities to get creative and try recipe and menu combinations that will set the venue apart from the competition.
3. Every Day is a New Experience
While there are routines in every kitchen, each day creates plenty of possibilities for breaking the mold and trying something new. Whether it's a special event or a special's menu, chefs have the ability to shape the day to their liking.
4. Bonus: Free Food, Free Drinks
Many venues offer chefs free food and drinks as part of the compensation package. You'll save money eating your own delicious cooking!
5. The Student Becomes the Teacher...and the Teacher Becomes the Student
Chefs are responsible for training those in the kitchen to properly prepare the meals in accordance with the chef's wishes. From knife control to quality control, chefs have an opportunity to teach others every day. At the same time, chefs have an opportunity to learn from the line cooks, sous chefs, and others who each bring their own unique skills and techniques into the kitchen.
6. Instant (or near instant) Gratification
Whether it is a special event or a special recipe, chefs know right away whether their efforts in the kitchen bore positive fruit. The smile on a customer's face, the messages relayed into the kitchen by wait staff whose pockets are full of tips, and positive reviews online let the chef know that they're on the right track.
7. Opportunity to Open Your Own Shop
Many chefs hone their skills in someone else's kitchen for years, even decades, before hanging their own shingle. This experience and time in the kitchen teaches everything from inventory management to reliable HR practices. As your skills grow and you learn all of the aspects of operating a restaurant, catering operation, private chef service, etc., you can use these skills to open your own operations and achieve personal success.
8. Becoming Part of a Family
The kitchen is a close-knit family, and chefs spend hours working with one another and socializing with their colleagues after the shift ends and the last customer has gone home for the night. This creates a close relationship that can lead to strong teams and a positive work environment.
9. It is a Title of Respect
Chefs are held in high regard for their knowledge and ability to perform tasty miracles in the kitchen. Chefs command respect, and often find themselves being asked advice on this recipe, that technique, and anything related to the culinary arts. The useful culinary skills you could learn could impress your next date, have everyone talking at the family potluck, or provide the opportunity to host that dinner party you've always dreamed of.
The title of 'chef' is for life, and doesn't require any sort of renewal or maintenance.
Do you feel called to be a chef? If you want to earn an Associate of Applied Science in Culinary Arts, ECPI University's Culinary Institute of Virginia offers this degree program at an accelerated rate. For more information about this exciting program, connect with a knowledgeable admissions advisor today.
It could be the Best Decision You Ever Make!
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