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Culinary Career
The US Department of Labor reports that there should be plenty of job openings for chefs, cooks, and food preparation workers through 2010. Many current cooks are reaching retirement age or are leaving the workforce, causing a great need for talented employees. In addition to needing new chefs and cooks to replace retiring workers, employment in the food service industry is expected to expand, as more Americans spend their leisure time in restaurants rather then cooking themselves, and travel more, staying more nights in hotels.
The largest demand for skilled cooks and chefs is expected in sit-down restaurants, which offer more varied menus. As the population ages, people are less willing to put up with fast food restaurants, and seek a more personal experience.
In addition, as hospitals and schools attempt to make their menus and service more attractive, they are outsourcing cooking and serving in their cafeterias to third parties, resulting in fewer institutional and cafeteria chefs and cooks.
If you enjoy meeting people, relish daily challenges, and have the energy to succeed, a culinary career could be good for you. The popularity of cooking shows on television, and the perception that chefs are artists has caused applications at culinary schools to rise.
While it's certainly possible to begin your culinary career by starting at a low level job and working your way 'up the ladder', most studies agree that with formal training at a good culinary school, you'll get paid more, and reach the top faster.
Students at culinary certificate or degree programs spend most of their time learning how to prepare food, including baking, broiling, and pastry making. Time is also spent on the use and care of kitchen equipment. In addition to learning about food preparation, students study health and sanitation requirements, portion control, cost management, food purchasing, selection and storage, and menu planning. Many schools also teach general management skills, including accounting, employee relations, and other topics. It can take from a few months to up to two years to complete a degree or certificate courses.
A degree from a culinary school trains you for a variety of careers, including restaurant management, hotel management, pastry chef, and other related positions.
For someone still in high school and contemplating a career as a cook or chef, the best advice is to complete high school, making sure to select, if possible, courses in mathematics and business. If a school offers internships or training programs in food preparation, they should be taken, as they provide a sense of what a culinary career could provide. Particularly when seeking a career as an executive chef or other managerial job, a further education at a college offering culinary degrees or at a culinary institute will provide more career opportunities with less on the job training. You may need to spend between eight and fifteen years as a cook before becoming a chef.
While chefs and cooks share similar duties, chefs typically have more training than cooks, including culinary degrees. The exact duties performed by a chef, cook, or food preparation worker often depend on the type of establishment that employs them.
In addition to being divided by food specialty, chef and cook job titles are sometimes determined by the type of institution that employs them.
Institutional cooks work in hospitals, cafeterias, and other establishments that typically serve a regular clientele. Short order cooks work in restaurants that emphasize fast service, and are trained to prepare a wide variety of items quickly. There is a small market for household cooks, who have the entire kitchen responsibility, including cooking, cleaning, and menu planning, for a family.
The wages of chefs, cooks, and other food service and preparation workers may vary depending on geographic location, but one thing is clear: working in an elegant restaurant or hotel generally produces a higher salary. This is partially because these types of establishments are likely to have executive chefs, and other highly trained workers.
The reputation of a fine restaurant may rely on the head chef, but the food service manager is often responsible for many of the behind the scenes activities that keep the establishment going. Food service managers have responsibilities ranging from ordering food and supplies, selecting menu items and determining their prices, and ensuring the high quality of food preparation and service. They are frequently responsible for administrative tasks, including human resources.
A major part of the food service manager's job is selecting each day's menu items. Factors influencing menu selection include the past popularity of the item, the availability of ingredients, the number of customers likely to order the item, and creating a variety among the menu offerings. After selecting a menu item, the manager must determine the food and labor cost, and then establish the price the customer will pay.
After determining the menu, the manager is responsible for estimating the number of customers for a given day, and ordering the food necessary to prepare the meals for them. In addition to food, the manager must plan for and order needed supplies, including table and glassware, cleaning supplies, kitchen tools and supplies, and other items. The manager also coordinates outside services, including trash removal, pest control, and maintenance and repairs needed. Managers frequently meet with sales and service representatives of suppliers to learn about new offerings, and to check the quality of items received, particularly fresh food.
In order to advance in their career, food service and restaurant managers may need to relocate. Sometimes, more senior positions open up as new restaurants are created within a chain. Other more senior positions may be located at the firm's regional or national headquarters. Some managers will start their career at restaurants, and then move to a hotel or resort, where they can use their experience to gain a more senior position. There are a number of certification programs that managers can complete to further indicate their skills. For example, the Certified Foodservice Management Professional designation is given by the Educational Foundation of the National Restaurant Association following completion of a series of courses and a written examination.
© 2005, BEST BUY UNIFORMS a division of COMMERCIAL TEXTILES CORPORATION.
All Rights Reserved.
The names, logos, taglines and icons identifying Best Buy Uniforms Online products and services are proprietary marks of BEST BUY UNIFORMS. All other trademarks and servicemarks are property of their respective owners
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A More Uncommon Type of Culinary Career
Dietitians are experts in food and nutrition. They help promote good health through proper eating. They also supervise the preparation and service of food, develop modified diets, participate in research, and educate individuals and groups on good nutritional habits. The goals of the dietary department are to obtain, prepare, and serve flavorsome, attractive, and nutritious food to patients, family members, and health care providers.
Nutrition professionals include registered dietitians (RD) and dietetic technician, registered (DTR). Some RDs or DTRs call themselves nutritionists. However, some people who may call themselves a nutritionist are not registered dietitians. Sometimes the word dietitian is spelled as dietician.
Only certain countries, such as America have dietetic technicians. Dietetics technicians are not the same as dietitians in terms of responsibilities and qualifications.
The majority of dietitians are clinical, or therapeutic, dietitians. Clinical dietitians review medical charts and talk with patients' families. They work with other health care professionals and community groups to provide nourishment, nutritional programs, and instructional presentations to benefit people of all ages, and with a variety of health conditions. This is accomplished by developing individual plans to meet nutritional needs. These plans include nourishment, tube feedings (called enteral nutrition), intravenous feedings (called parenteral nutrition) such as total parenteral nutrition (TPN), diets, and education. Clinical dietitians provide individual and group educational programs for patients and family members about their nutrition and health.
A qualified registered Dietitian can undertake roles such as;
Clinical dietitians work in hospitals to provide medical nutrition therapy to patients according to the disease processes provides individual inpatient and outpatient dietary consultations to patients and their family members and also conduct group educations for other health workers, patients and the public. They work as a team with the physicians, physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech therapists, social workers and nurses to provide care to the patients.
Community dietitians work with wellness programs and international health organizations. These dietitians apply and distribute knowledge about food and nutrition to specific life-styles and geographic areas. They coordinate nutritional programs in public health agencies, daycare centers, health clubs, and recreational camps and resorts. Some community dietitians carry out clinical based patient care in the form of home visits for patients who are too ill to physically attend consultation in health facilities.
Foodservice dietitians or manager are responsible for large-scale food planning and service. They coordinate, assess and plan foodservice processes in health care facilities, school food service programs, prisons, cafeterias, and restaurants. They direct and manage the operational and nutrition services staffs such as kitchen staffs, delivery staffs and dietary assistants or diet aides.
Research dietitians are mostly involved with dietary related research in the clinical aspect of nutrition in disease states, public aspect on primary, secondary and sometimes tertiary health prevention and foodservice aspect in issues involving the food prepared for patients. Research Dietitians normally work in a hospital or research facilities. It should be noted that some Clinical dietitian's role also involve research other than the normal clinical workload. Quality improvement in dietetics services is also one area of research.
Administrative, or management or Director of Dietetics Department or Nutrition Services, sometimes also known as Manager instead of Director depending on the size, number of dietitians in the department and also the organizational structure adopted by the Health facilities or Hospital. Director or Manager acts as head of the dietitians. They also hire, train, direct, supervise employees and manage dietary departments
Business dietitians serve as resource people for the media. They work as sales representatives for food manufacturing companies that provide nutritional supplements and tube feeding supplies.
Consultant dietitians work under private practice. They contract independently to provide nutrition services and educational programs to individuals, nursing homes, and in health care facilities.
Apart from qualified registered Dietitians, other nutrition workers in a Nutrition department are;
Dietary Aides or Dietary Assistants are responsible for assisting and carrying out the medical nutrition therapy prescribed by the Dietitians and to ensure that food for the patients as instructed by the Dietitians are carried out correctly by checking menus against recent diet orders before tray assembly begins and being physically present in the kitchen plating-lines at meal hours. Dietary aides in some countries might also carry out a simple initial health screening for newly admitted patients and only inform the Dietitians if any screened patients require a Dietitian's expertise for further assessments or interventions.
Dietary clerks perform clerical tasks such as entry and maintenance of dietary requirements to a database. They also track financial information, such as the number of meals served each day.
Dietary managers are responsible for retail, catering, and tray lines. If an operation is large, there may be one or more managers to help in directing the dietary workers.
Dietary workers prepare the food and meal trays in the kitchen. They check for accuracy and completeness. They also maintain the storage area for food supplies and ensure practice of sanitary procedures. Dietary workers are trained on the job and can work in any commercial kitchen.
Dietary hosts or hostesses deliver and bring back the meal trays to patients. They distribute and collect menus and help the patients to make complete selections.
A Dietitian's education in Health science involves significant scientific based knowledge in Anatomy, Chemistry, Biochemistry, Biology, Physiology, Nutrition & Medical Science. It is these strong foundations in advanced scientific knowledge equipped with counseling skills and aspects of psychology which enables a Dietitian to assess, analyze, intervene and educate a patient in relation to the diet and disease.
It can be said that in an Interdisciplinary team (consisting of the Physician, Dietitian, Speech Therapist, Physiotherapist, Occupational Therapist, Social worker and Nurses), the Physician and the Dietitian are the two health professionals with the most well rounded knowledge on human biochemistry and physiology.
There are a few different academic routes to becoming a fully qualified Dietitian;
A professional undergraduate Bachelor degree in Dietetics which requires four years of studies or A Bachelor of science degree and a Postgraduate diploma in Dietetics or A Bachelor of science degree and a Masters in Dietetics.
Besides academic education, a Dietitian has to undertake an hospital internship before they are qualified as Dietitians.
All the above qualifies a Dietitian on the same professional level upon graduation. Different grades or level comes with experience and working as a Dietitian for periods of time.
© 2005, BEST BUY UNIFORMS a division of COMMERCIAL TEXTILES CORPORATION.
All Rights Reserved.
The names, logos, taglines and icons identifying Best Buy Uniforms Online products and services are proprietary marks of BEST BUY UNIFORMS. All other trademarks and servicemarks are property of their respective owners
*e-mail steve@bestbuyuniforms.com for permission to use this article. |
Your Culinary Career by Melissa Steele
When you graduate from Culinary School, you might choose to work in a restaurant, at a resort, or in catering. The job choice you make can set the direction for your career. Working in a restaurant is very different than working in the catering business for instance. There are different skills required for these jobs, and working in one field does not give you qualifications for the other. Keep this in mind before deciding which Culinary Career you intend to pursue. After you graduate, you have the opportunity to review the skills you have and decide from there what food service venue you want to focus your career on. During the first several years of your culinary you will spend a lot of time practicing your skills and then finding your niche.
One of the basic skills you will utilize throughout your Culinary Career is your technical skill. This set of skills includes cooking methods, knife skills, and line cooking. Another skill is that is learned is culinary. Budding chefs train to make food taste good. Chefs will learn seasoning, flavor combinations and plate presentations to
The most basic skill, the one that schools are designed to teach, is the technical. These skills are the basis of every chef's talent - knife skills, cooking methods, timing, mise en place, and (the ultimate technical skill) making cooking on the line graceful, even during the rush. The other skill taught in school is culinary. Most chefs have a good palate to begin, but training for the nuances of flavor and seasoning, new flavor combinations, creative plates and presentations, delving deep in to a cultures cuisine all take training and practice.
The other two skill sets are what distinguish a cook from a Chef. A Chef is concerned with more than his/her own piece of the kitchen - they have the whole kitchen as a responsibility. With this in mind, organization is key. The chef has to stay organized, run the kitchen smoothly and efficiently, and conduct business.
Hand in hand with directorial skills are managerial skills. A chef understands how to work with people and get them to work for him/her. These skills are the highest level because they involve sharing knowledge and skill with those working for you. The most often-seen method is training, but ultimately being a mentor to a cook and to develop their career is the highest skill a chef can accomplish.
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Jackets and Toques The History and Evolution of the Way We Dress
(This article was originally published in the National Culinary Review)
Chefs, for the most part, wear their uniforms almost every day of their working lives, replete with toque, checked pants and double-breasted jacket. Though these uniforms are ubiquitous in the foodservice industry worldwide, they are often taken for granted and worn without much thought. However, many may find that the origin and reasons behind traditional chef's attire are as interesting as it looks.
Much of the chef's uniform has developed out of necessity. The jacket, for example, is double-breasted so it can easily be reversed to hide stains that may accumulate throughout the day; the double layer of cotton is also designed to insulate our bodies against the intense heat of the stove or an accidental splattering of hot liquid. Even the knotted cloth buttons were fashioned for a reason-cloth will withstand the frequent washings and abuse buttons often take from contact with pots, pans and other heavy equipment. Though executive chefs often wear black pants, working chefs and cooks usually don pants with black-and-white checks-the dizzying pattern of hound's tooth camouflages minor spills and soilings. Today neckerchiefs are primarily worn for aesthetic purposes, to give our uniforms a more finished look, but originally cotton cloths were draped around ones neck to soak body sweat while working in the inferno-like kitchens of yesteryear.
The traditional chef's hat, or toque blanche, is what is most distinguishing and recognizable of the uniform, and also the component which often causes the most debate. Chefs as far back as the 16th century are said to have worn toques. During that period artisans of all types (including chefs) were often imprisoned, or even executed, because of their freethinking. To alleviate persecution, some chefs sought refuge in the Orthodox Church and hid amongst the priests of the monasteries. There they wore the same clothes as the priests-including their tall hats and long robes-with the exception of one deviating trait: the chef's clothes were gray and the priest's were black.
It wasn't until the middle 1800's that chef Marie-Antoine Carême redesigned the uniforms. Carême thought the color white more appropriate, that it denoted cleanliness in the kitchen; it was also at this time that he and his staff began to wear double-breasted jackets. Carême also thought that the hats should be different sizes, to distinguish the cooks from the chefs. The chefs wore the tall hats and the younger cooks wore shorter hats, more like a cap. Carême himself supposedly wore a hat that was 18 inches tall! The folded pleats of a toque, which later became an established characteristic of the chef's hat, were first said to have been added to indicate the more than 100 ways in which a chef can cook an egg.
The cleanliness of the cook's uniform was very important, and that it promoted professionalism. His staff was required to maintain clean and complete uniforms while on the job, and were also encouraged to wear coats and ties while not at work. To this day cooks and chefs around the world wear the same attire that has traceable origins back to more than 400 years. Along with the other conveniences the 1950's brought, paper toques were invented to look like cloth but could be disposed of once they were soiled.
The traditional chef's uniform may be the standard for our profession, but it's definitely not the law. Since the mid-1980's a legion of chefs and cooks have begun to wear non-traditional "fun" chef's attire. These nouveau uniforms run the gamut from pinstriped baggy pants and denim jackets to full blown wildly patterned outfits with chili peppers, flowers, and even the CIA logo. While some chefs may nay-say these new-style uniforms as non-professional, others retaliate that they are more comfortable and give chefs an opportunity to express their individuality through their clothes as well as their food.
Actually, the non-traditional uniforms of today may remind some of the late chef-philanthropist Alexis Soyer, author, inventor and one time chef of the Reform Club in London. Chef Soyer was known to have his entire wardrobe-including his work attire-tailor made. Some of his headgear was as eccentric as a red velvet beret; his jackets were often cut on the bias with large lapels and cuffs. He called his individualistic style "à la zoug-zoug," and the more his contemporaries ridiculed him the more outlandish his outfits became. Like the old adage says, "What's old is new again."
As a professional chef myself, I prefer to adhere to traditional chef's attire-the uniform and its history are something to be proud of. On the other hand, I can also understand a chef's desire to want to be expressive. As the twentieth century comes to a close, these nouveau style uniforms have their place in certain establishments; restaurants today, after all, are considered a form of theater. As with anything, the chef's uniform continues to evolve, who knows what the future has to hold? One thing is certain though, the image of a chef, in a pristine white jacket and toque, is recognized the world over as a professional, and we have our predecessors to thank for this. |
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Culinary Arts - Is It for You by Paul Callis
The entire population of this world like to eat. A high percentage of us have a passion for food and cooking, therefore many of us seek further education.
Culinary arts program applications are basically no different than applying to any other program or course at college or at university. As standard there is a process that you need to follow and you may need to meet with someone in the department to see if it is right for you, as there are plenty of options available.
Considerations with regards to the school's reputation, location, tuition, and financial aid, are essential in choosing what is best for you. You can start by researching online via their websites, contacting them directly through phone numbers, or posting information about your wants via their addresses. Once you have decided to contact them, they will probably arrange a for you to have a meeting with them and discuss your options and they will also show you what the different culinary programs have to offer.
Many attend culinary arts college to become chefs or work in the food industry in some department, but a majority also attend culinary arts colleges to improve their own home cooking. With the growing population of culinary arts colleges and cooking schools in the country, there are plenty to cater to both groups.
Numerous varieties of people and companies, from ex-chef celebrities, local restaurants and supermarkets, are setting up cooking classes so that anyone can improve their kitchen skills and knowledge. For the aspiring career chef, culinary arts colleges offer the greatest opportunity to hone his or her craft.
Due to popularity there are now over five hundred programs in the United States that offer top educational programs in the field of culinary arts, whether this be at college, university or through private programs. The difficulty lies in how you go about choosing the best culinary school for you.
There are several things to consider when choosing a culinary arts college. You should consider what avenue you want to go down after you have taken the course, such as restaurant managerial work or owning your own catering company. After deciding on this, you can easily narrow your search down for the right program quite dramatically, as there are many courses set of for those specific courses.
You need to determine what is important in a college for you. Do you require the college to be in close proximity to your home, which is important if you have already left home. On the other had if you still live with parents, then living on a campus could be the desired option.
Lengths of the program may be a consideration, and also what qualifications you need in order to be accepted. Course fees need to be considered, as if you are on a tight budget you need to find out about student or college financing as well.
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Online Culinary Schools by Ken Marlborough
Culinary schools are places where cooking is taught. Today, cooking is an art, rather than just cooking. There are several specialties in cooking who can make you an expert chef, either for professional reasons or just for fun. They teach fundamental and traditional cooking while encouraging innovation and novelty. Getting trained at a culinary school may help you become an executive-chef, sous-chef, saucier, garde manager, pastry chef, or a sommelier.
There are also online culinary schools that provide training in culinary skills. These offer several courses relating to pastry preparation, wine tasting and selecting, knife skills, baking and dessert making, holiday cooking, healthy cooking, regional cooking, style cooking, safety and sanitation, cost management, food handling and identification, food and nutrition, special cuisines, gourmet cooking, catering and more. These classes are offered either in a distance education format or as online classes in the regular mode. They are taught by providing video demonstrations, online instructions, recipes and directions through e-mail or websites, web-based tutorials, CD-ROM/video or audio-based tutorials, e-books, threaded discussions, weblogs, online forums, video conferencing, teleconferencing, chat and so on.
Online culinary schools offer certifications that are applicable worldwide. They have good facilities and instructors, food service operations, job placement assistance, good credentials, teaching by experts, hands-on teaching, and so on. There are different kinds of certifications available: diploma programs, associate's degrees, apprenticeship programs, bachelor's degree programs, vocational programs and certificate programs. These programs are also offered in different levels, like level 1 for basic introduction, level 2 for more experienced cooks and level 3 for learning professional cooking. Online culinary schools have their own advantages: you can learn at your own place, time and pace; it has a variety of styles for learning as well as delivery methods; the course can be designed as per the learner's needs; it is cost-effective, as travel costs are eliminated; they are flexible enough for self-learning; and there is greater teacher-student collaboration.
There are many online culinary tutorials that provide courses for beginners, amateurs and professionals. Many professional culinary schools are also offering online courses. Information can be found online or at the websites of these schools.
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Finding The Right Culinary School For You by G. Jones
Have you ever thought about the possibility of going to culinary school to become a professional chef or start a new career in hospitality management? Maybe you want to go to school just to be a better cook at home? The good news is there are a lot of great schools and colleges in every state to help you accomplish your goals.
Based upon the number of cooking schools opening each year, there must be a lot of folks interested in getting into the culinary world. I recently read an article in our local newspaper about the growth in local culinary schools, and the numbers surprised me. It appears that supermarkets, gourmet stores, local restaurants, colleges, ex-chefs, and just about anyone else who has the room and expertise is putting on an apron and opening a school.
Many of these schools are there for absolute beginners who just want to learn how to boil water and get around in the kitchen without hurting themselves. These classes tend to be more fun where you watch a professional chef prepare a meal and then you get to share it with the rest of the class. It's a good way to meet some interesting people, learn a few culinary tricks, and taste some delicious food.
And then there are schools for home cooks who have some experience but want to build upon their skills and learn some new techniques. These schools tend to have classrooms with individual stations where the students learn by doing. Often these classes will specialize in one particular technique or cooking style.
But what about the individuals who wants to make cooking their career and go back to school for a degree in culinary education? They may want to learn about hospitality management to master the skills needed to run a resort, restaurant, or theme park. Or they may want to become professional chefs and cook in some of the best restaurants in the country.
Lucky for them, there are now more than 500 vocational, college, and university programs scattered around the country with more schools opening each year that offer first-rate educational degrees in this field. The bigger question is: how do you choose the best culinary school for you?
Here are a few steps to help you narrow down the field and simplify your decision:
Step 1 - Figure out what you want to do after you graduate.
Do you want to start a catering company, make pastries and fancy desserts, or how about manage a restaurant? Once you have an idea of what it is that you would like to specialize in, you can limit your search to only those schools that offer the necessary classes.
If you have no idea what you would like to do in the culinary field, be sure to go to a school that offers a number of choices in every field of the industry- sort of like taking a liberal arts' approach.
Step 2 - Determine what's most important to you in a school. Some topics you may want to think about before choosing a school are:
Location Entry requirements Length of program and class schedule Costs and financial aid Class size and student-to-faculty ratio Classroom facilities Class schedules The school's faculty and reputation Degrees and accreditations Externship opportunities Location and housing Schools contacts, job placement, and/or internships
Step 3 - Create a list of schools to contact for more information.
You can start with your local yellow pages but if you don't find a school close enough, or one that strikes your fancy, try doing a search on the Internet. Just type in "cooking schools in [your state]", or "culinary schools [your state]", and you will find hundreds of leads to schools worldwide. Type in culinary schools with a city and it will narrow down the field even more.
Once you find a few schools that look promising, read a little about them to see what they have to offer. Most sites will provide a short form that you can fill out for more information. Once you fill out the form and send it back to the school, someone will call you within a day or two to answer your questions, provide you with additional information, and offer to send you some brochures and an application.
Be sure to have a list of questions you want answered when you speak with a school's representative. You might also ask for a list of current students and graduates to contact for their assessment of the school.
This is also a good time to ask about scholarships and what the school has to offer. If financing is going to be an issue, it's better to find out alternatives now rather than wait until you have been accepted. Remember, the school representatives are there to help and most, I've found, don't push too hard--although it is their job to sell you on the school.
Step 4 - Narrow down the field.
Once you look over what the schools have to offer and have spoken with the representatives, start eliminating those that just don't fit in with your needs. Maybe a school is too far, too costly, or just doesn't offer the courses you are interested in taking.
Step 5 - Visit the schools that fit best.
In my opinion, this is one of the most important steps you can do to make sure that you are going to be happy at any cooking school. You want to see the actual classrooms you will be attending, see some of the teachers and students in action, and get a feel for the surroundings to make sure you will fit in.
I once made the mistake of taking a new job on Wall Street with a competitor without ever seeing the offices I'd be working in. Sure the money was better and I thought I would make faster advancement, but when I arrived for my first day of work, I couldn't believe the conditions they wanted me to work in. The office space was old, dirty, and outdated compared to where I was working. I was horrified and only lasted about four months!
So, make sure that the school in which you are thinking of investing your time and money is as good, if not better, than the brochure they send to you.
Step 6 - Apply to your top picks.
After you make your visits, narrow down the field to your top choices and prepare the applications you were sent. Be sure to be neat and complete, and provide the schools with everything they ask you for. If you have any questions about the application, pick up the phone right away and get answers. You don't want to be sending in incomplete forms.
Step 7 - Choose your school.
Once notified by the schools of your acceptance, you can decide which school works best for you. Because you did your homework and followed the steps above, this final choice should be easy.
Be sure to inform the school of your choice that you will be attending, and find out what steps are required to get you enrolled and what you will need to start school.
Although this article was written for those of you interested in going to culinary school, you can follow these same procedures when choosing any continuing education degree. If you think about it, it's just like getting everything prepped and ready to go (mise en place) before starting to prepare a meal.
Copyright © 2005 G. Stephen Jones, The Reluctant Gourmet
About the Author
G. Stephen Jones created the Reluctant Gourmet back in 1997 as a hobby to assist other novice cooks who may find the art of cooking a little daunting. As an ex-Wall Street broker and Stay-at-Home Dad, I try to explore cooking from a different perspective. |
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