Chef Training Schools

Thanks to the many high-profile cooking shows out there, special cooking techniques, exotic ingredients, and celebrity chefs like Jamie Oliver, Ina Garten, and Giada di Laurentiis have become familiar even to those with little cooking experience. While these shows or your own experiences in the kitchen may have piqued your interest in chef careers, it's a good idea to conduct some chef training and career research to discover whether this job is right for you.

Which types of jobs are available for those interested in chef training?

The main goal of a chef or cook is to provide appetizing, quality meals to clients. While successful chefs often love cooking or baking, there are many other tasks demanded of a chef, which vary depending on one's level of responsibility. For example, an executive chef usually rises early, designs a menu for the day, purchases fresh ingredients, manages inventory, discusses the day's menu and plans with the rest of the kitchen staff, and spends part of the day cooking. A personal chef also budgets, checks inventory, plans, shops and prepares meals for clients, but the day's schedule depends on whether the chef works for several families or just one. A pastry chef prepares pastries, candies and other baked goods, while a fry or saute chef is responsible for preparing and cooking fried or sauteed items.

If you love cooking, chef careers can offer you the opportunity to do what you love every day in a challenging, fast-paced environment. It's possible to specialize in a particular branch of cooking, such as soups and sauces, and be creative and original in your job. At the same time, chef jobs are not for the faint of heart. Jobs at higher-end restaurants are extremely competitive, and they require hard work and irregular schedules. Most chefs work weekends, holidays, and late nights, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that many executive chefs work twelve-hour days.

Formal training required to work in a career related to chef jobs

According to the BLS, most chefs and head cooks have some type of formal postsecondary education. Community colleges, culinary arts schools, culinary institutes, and universities offer a variety of chef training programs that last anywhere from a few months to four years. Typically, universities offer two- or four-year chef training degree programs. These typically result in associate or bachelor's degrees in chef training or hospitality. Different courses are required, depending on your specialization, but most programs include training in:

• Nutrition
• Menu planning
• Sanitation
• Baking
• Cooking techniques

The length of training time varies according to your interests and the program you've chosen. While many chefs without training can work their way up slowly from washing dishes, formal training can speed up the chef training process, resulting in faster career advancement.

The typical career path of someone interested in chef jobs

Most chefs work their way up from a particular position in a restaurant. Through additional experience and skills, they might advance to sous chef or executive chef. Some chefs eventually start their own restaurants, become personal chefs or chef instructors at culinary schools, or move into the management side of restaurant chains. Regardless of final career goals, aspiring chefs must be passionate, energetic and ambitious. They must enjoy food and have a good sense of taste and smell, as well as excellent leadership and communication skills.

Job outlook and salary information for those interested in chef training degrees

The BLS predicts that the employment of chefs and head cooks should increase by only 200 jobs overall between 2008 and 2018, an increase of 0 percent. However, because of the high-stress nature of the job, job prospects are still predicted to be good. The employment of private household cooks is expected to increase by 4 percent, and the employment of restaurant cooks is expected to increase by 8 percent. And how much money does a chef or cook usually make? Check out the following BLS statistics on mean annual and hourly wages.

• Chefs and head cooks: $44,240/$21.27 per hour
• Private household cooks: $27,720/$13.33 per hour
• Restaurant cooks: $23,110/$11.11 per hour

A job in the restaurant industry is certainly not for everyone. But for those who love food and cooking enough to enjoy working long hours, it could be a tasty career choice.