Overrated Career: Chef

December 11, 2008 RSS Feed Print

The Appeal: You envision yourself concocting delectable delights for a clamoring clientele at the newest and hottest restaurant. Maybe you'll even become a celebrated chef on the Food Network.

The Reality: Most chefs don't work in froufrou restaurants or even blaze trails in the kitchen. Instead, they're assembly line cooks, cranking out dozens of the same items, night after night. And those are the executive chefs. For each executive chef, a few assistant chefs—the most typical job—spend much of their time chopping ingredients and assembling salads. Plus, chefs typically work until the wee hours, especially on weekends, while most people are enjoying themselves. As a result, chefs often end up hanging out with the same restaurant staff after the patrons have finally left.

An Alternative: Personal chef, cooking for busy or wealthy families.

Learn M ore: American Personal & Private Chef Association.

Tags:: careers

Reader Comments Read all comments (16)

Add Your Thoughts Comment Name State Email

Please enter the two words below into the text field underneath the image.

Your comment will be posted immediately, unless it is spam or contains profanity. For more information, please see our Comments FAQ.

Firstly, Gordan Ramsay is an out-of-this-world chef. He has worked extremely hard to be where he is now and the culinary world would be a very different place without him. He has the upbringing of the old school chef, a misfit in society, and now he is caught in the television crazed celebrity chef business.
I am an apprentice chef and realise the numerous difficulties that surround a chef lifestyle. First few years its bad pay, bad hours, no social life and no hope for any contact of the real world outside hospitality.
I do not want to quit however. If you have a real passion for food you will be addicted from the start. My life revolves around food, and now that i have been employed by an excellent company that looks after me I am able to be payed correctly, have a healthy relationship and look after my own household.
It depends what you are looking for. If you want to work in the 3 Hat (aus) restaurants, go for it. But usually they are privately owned and very hard work, and strong chance you will fear for your own life at times.
To the other comment. Soul food writer.
Dont get me wrong Im all for cooking from the heart and producing good soul food from whether it be organic, seasonal, free range produce but there is a definite line between a home cook and a professional. You know some people (me) dont have that family background and food knowledge before they step into a commercial kitchen. Once again Im not attacking you, I am envious you are so lucky to have that upbringing but once again people should really read into the professional work of a chef as it very different to home cooking. The only reason I decided to begin this journey is because no one in my family cooked and I want to pass my knowledge onto my children.
Anyway there is a lot to be said about this matter and I absolutely can not deal with people calling a brilliant chef like Gordan Ramsay an imbecile. You try running numerous 3 Michelin Starred restaurants and lead a balanced life.

Cait 1:28AM January 22, 2012

You make it sound horrendous, while it is hard work, we also have fun and besides all of that being a chef is a labor of love, its a calling and while at first you may not be running the show you will eventually get there, as with anything you have to earn the right to be in charge, you jave to work your way up.

Ange 4:17PM January 03, 2012

I agree that being a Chef is an overrated profession. Before I continue - I have to say one thing - what inspired me to become an chef, is everyone on my family my grandmother/father,father, mother, sisters, bothers, can cook. But after becoming a chef, I realized that this profession is not what it's cracked up to be. Most likely a person who goes through Culinary school will wind up cooking for a loud-mouth know-it-all who expectations are as ignorant as a bloated sheep. They want you to cook the same ole same ole, and what inspires them is about as innovative as a fashion show in the back alley's of France ( when's the last time you saw someone wearing the freakish-drug/food-depraved inspired costumes they come up with every fashion season.) I say, if you can cook some real down to Earth "Soul-Food" ( indigenous -- relative to one' culture) that's all that matters. All of these TV "CHEFS" have lost their way. Take Hell's Kitchen for example, I bet, for the sake of ratings, the producers only invite the worst of the best of the so-called chefs that audition to become contestants on the show. The bottom line is this, if someomne can capture the traditional tastes, which is the soulful goodness/comfort food that embraces all of your senses of the culture that you grew up in, and the cultures that you want to explore ( that's another topic all together) food that's like a warm blanket on a cold night, who needs the pretentious melodrama of a Ramsey-like chef. My grandma, and everyone else in my family could cook circles around any so-called chef/culinary graduate anytime/ anyday. So if you want to become a chef, learn the basics from the elders of your family, don't listen to another person's critic, keep the tastes local, and first and foemost, don't give in to a pretentious-schooled chef as a mentor. Cooking comes from the soul, not school.

Ed of NC 5:15PM July 28, 2011

Overrated Career: Chef

Related News

Reader Comments Read all comments (16)

Jobs That May Interest You

U.S. News Rankings & Research

Latest Video

Subscribe

Editor's Picks