Jump starts your chef career with proper chef training
by Josh Stone

Chefs are integral part of our society for more than 3000 years. But, frankly speaking chef career is not an easy thing to pursue you needs tremendous hard work and proper training to become a professional chef. To become chef you have to undergo a rigorous training.

They have to cook same dishes thousand times to attain perfection. Even slightest of mistake can cost loosing hard earned reputation. There is lot to learn besides cooking that’s why chef community gets so much respect from people. They always get special places in society’s heart.

The common misconception among cook community is that they can never advance to master chef level, but this isn’t true. There are many hotels, restaurants, professional schools, which offer three-year chef training. Along this there will be “apprenticeship program” which will help in grooming overall personality of chef. Local division of American culling federation manages this apprentice ship program. ACF is the largest and prestigious organization, which aims to provide professional and thorough knowledge of different areas involved in chef career. The goal of ACF is to improve chef’s overall image. So, a lot of stress is given on communication and leadership qualities. This is very important part of curriculum, because chef encounters people from all over the world with different attitudes. Everyone got his own taste and to cater all is tedious job. That’s why chef has to under go rigorous training coz last thing hotel or restaurant owners want is their chef behaving unmannerly to visitors.

The CMC or certified master chef is the highest and most respectable certification level. But, to qualify, 10-day practical test of culinary skills and knowledge has to pass. It involves test of organizational skills like, pace of work, timing of service, sanitation, proper uses of spices and preservation techniques. It’s not an easy test and lots of mental and physical skills are required to get this prestigious certificate.

Qualification requirements-There isn’t much qualification required to start chef training. Some hotels and restaurants wont even ask your qualification. High school graduate is enough to start, but if you are high school graduate, you should know simple mathematics and communication skills. Top chef job is more of managing business rather than cooking, his job is to supervise cooks. So good leadership qualities are must, if you want to be “head chef”. There is 100% job placement after completion of chef training. Hotels and restaurants itself run their own chef training institutes and if you do well in it, most chances are that you will get job in the same hotel or restaurant.

Try it out-Before entering into chef career its better to have some practical experience. Before you enroll in some certificate program, try to meet a local chef, who is already serving successfully in some restaurant. If you are unable to find someone, go to local culinary school and tell them you are interested in this career and want to observe someone for a day. Most likely they will be able to contact someone who would be open to showing you their job. You should be aware of the fact that most restaurants now days are stressful busy and fast paced environments. So, it’s better to experience the environment in advance where you will be spending your entire life.

Skills-Chef training is not just cooking lessons. In training you not only learn more techniques but you are also required to learn advanced level of managing and supervising skills. This is because you are expected to handle a group of cooks. Once you get hold of the edge in chef training you have to be perfectionist in all the fields. There is a limit to number of dishes you can prepare in a day or a week, so you have to compensate that by properly training or checking cook’s placed under you. Its like team work in which you are the captain. If captain fails, whole ship sinks, this just means top restaurant and hotels are dependent on chef soothe hotel owners are very choosy in appointing a chef’s slight mistake can result in loss of thousands of dollars and more sadly loosing a customer.

Physical skills-You’ll also have to be physically fit to survive in this industry, from carrying heavy pots to mixing, chopping there are lots of works which involves physical work over a long period of time. Your body stamina will be tested daily. Beside this you have to know how to properly store and handle your tools like mixers, knives. These are some of extra skills which can give you edge over your colleagues.

Possibilities - Chefs are in great demand today. In this age when food business and restaurants are booming after finishing chef training endless possibilities of earning a smart income is at hand. Becoming a chef can be extremely rewarding and satisfying. The possibilities are endless; you can work in restaurants and in institutions like hospitals, schools, and seniors' homes. You can open your own restaurant or be an entrepreneur and become a personal chef. Even chefs are in great demand for food related shows on television. More amazingly, you can even write book on cuisines and earn thousands of dollars in royalty. So, a lot of glamour can be added in this field, chefs aren’t meant to be inside four walls of restaurant kitchens. There are endless opportunities to work in exotic locations and travel different parts of world and meet great celebrities. Today, each and every celebrity owns a chef, which lives and travels with him or her for most of time. But keep in mind this isn’t for all the chefs, you have to be perfectionist in food preparation only then you can rise to such wonderful positions. That’s why I said there are endless possibilities in chef career. Being prepared and knowing what to expect will help you decide if this career is for you or not.

So for those who want to start their chef career or want to run restaurant or fast food chain successfully? They should follow the above written steps, I am sure with proper training institute and motivation, they’ll achieve highly successful chef career.

© 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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Chef's Uniform
by Josh Stone

In today's modern world, getting a job as a cook may or may not be hard. Of course, that does depend on what type of job you would be interested in and what type of degrees the company is interested in. Whether you work in the neighborhood McDonalds or the state bank, you usually still have a uniform that you must wear. Take a chef's uniform for instance.

For example, when you go to a restaurant and see the chefs cooking they are usually wearing a pair of white pants with a white lab coat and one of those long white hats on their head. No, they do not wear uniforms just to look funny, but because it is a requirement! It is a time-honored tradition, and every chef wears his or her chef uniform with pride. After a chef gets the job at the restaurant that he had wished for, the first thing that is talked about is the uniform that he or she is required to wear. It is always white, and always prestigious.

Depending on where you are hired to work, the restaurant may supply your uniform for you or you might just have to buy it. One of the reasons that you might be given a uniform by the restaurant would be because it may be specially made for employees. It might have the restaurant name, sign and maybe even the motto. Another reason for the employer to furnish chefs uniform is to make sure that all the uniforms are the same. You can't go out somewhere and buy something like that. Usually the chef's uniform and the waitresses’ uniform's will be similar in a way, but will have their differences.

If you are planning on being a chef, always make sure that your chef's uniform stays clean. It is very unsanitary if you washed your uniform every two weeks knowing that you are around food the whole day. If you are a chef and you come out of the kitchen to go use the restroom wearing a uniform that has Wednesday's mashed potatoes and gravy that someone ordered, you are not going to be driving people to the restaurant. The same rule applies to wearing a chef’s uniform that is stained. Customers have a certain image of a chef, and a stained and dirty chef uniform does not fit the picture. The only thing you will be driving them towards is their car so they can go as far away as possible from your restaurant. This is definitely going to be a problem, your restaurant will not get that much business and it might even possibly go out of business.

Your chef's uniform is not the only thing that you should make sure stays clean. The restaurant itself has a great impact on your business and amount of pleased customers you have. This is also another way to either have the ability to attract customers or bugs. Keep the restaurant clean for the customers and the employees.

A chef uniform was designed with a purpose.

The jacket is double breasted, so it can be turned inside out if there too many stains are on it. The jacket itself is made out of a double layer of cotton so it can insulate the chefs’ body against the incredible heat from the stove or from the spill or splatters that may occur throughout the day.

The cloth covered knotted buttons can handle a lot of washes and the frequent bumps with the hot pots and handles and heavy equipment.

Even the pants to a chef’s uniform have a purpose other than being completely unattractive.

The pattern on the pants of chefs uniform is called hounds tooth. It is a tiny black and white square pattern and it is great for hiding stains of any kind.

In past kitchens of the past, a chef would wear a neckerchief to catch the sweat that would pour off of them in the sweltering kitchens. Today, they are worn for aesthetic reasons. They give a chef uniform a more finished look.

The traditional chefs hat is called a toque blanche. It is the most distinguishing feature about the chef uniform.

Chefs uniforms were originally gray, and made of regular material. They can be traced back to the eighteenth century. Chef Carême, a famous chef of the time, decided to redesign the uniforms of all chefs. He designed them in the color white, thinking that it denoted cleanliness. He made them double-breasted and made of cotton. All of these idea were his. The hat sizes were originally made according to the position of the kitchen help. The chefs wore the tall hats and the rest of the kitchen cooks wore the shorter hats.

A true torque has one hundred folds in it and has been rumored that because chef Carême could cook eggs one hundred different ways.

The traditional chef's uniform is a standard for the chefs’ profession, but it is not a law.

As far back as the mid 1980’s, chefs have been wearing their own form of clothing

Some chefs frown on these new-style uniforms as non-professional. They are proud of their chef uniform, and have worked very hard to be able to wear it.

Years of hard work at the culinary academy and then years of back breaking work perfecting their art have earned them the right to be critical.

It is more of a respect feeling that they have toward the uniform and all that it signifies to wear it. They feel that by changing the uniform, it is defiling it in some way.

A chef’s uniform is a very special article of clothing. Some feel that those who change the design of their own uniforms are somehow dishonoring the memory of the chefs before them that had dedicated their lives to creating culinary masterpieces.

The time tested chefs uniform will continue to be the standard dress for all chefs, but there will always be rebel in the mix.

© 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.

Chef Career
by Josh Stone

Choosing a career as a Chef is a noble and rewarding career choice.

As a chef, you are limited only by your own imagination.

The skills that are taught in culinary school are the basis for the rest of a chef’s career.

A chef does not just cook food. A chef prepares culinary masterpieces using their skill and imagination.

There are different kinds of chef in the culinary industry. All leave school with the art that they were taught, but only a handful has the true spirit of a chef.

A chef can prepare any meal, but there are specialty chefs who prepare specific menus.

When choosing A Pastry chef career, the student is taught the in’s and out’s of every aspect of the pastry world. They are taught how to prepare decadent desserts that are fit for royalty. In some instances, after years of honing their art, they may be chosen for just that.

Choosing to be a chocolatier is another form of chef career. This for some is their calling.

This form of chef creates incredible desserts and works of art out of chocolate. This type of chef career only the imagination will limit what can be accomplished.

When a chef career is chosen, the chef must prove himself or herself before being accepted. Some choose to start out in a small establishment to receive the hands on training that will develop their talents over time.

A souse chef is the position all chefs start out. They do all of the prep work. They chop, dice, boil and anything else that the master chef requires.

Line cooks who prepare just on entrée. This can be where some find their calling. By working as a line cook, the chef can decide which area of the culinary field they want.

Each station has the title of the chef. Grill cook, fry cook, or vegetable cook.

Each chef is stationed at a stove, grill or oven, and has all of the necessary ingredient to cook the entrée that they are assigned.

A chef who works in a five star restaurant is there because he or she has established him or herself and formed a reputation as being the best. They can prepare any dish with ease, and create culinary masterpieces.

They know the best temperature for each dish and what condiments accent each dish.

A short order cook is found mostly in diners and coffee shops. They cook limited items such as pancakes, eggs, burgers and other fast food items. There is really very little creativity needed for a short order cook.

A chef is responsible for everything that that goes on in the kitchen. He or she is not only responsible the food preparations, but also ordering food supplies, cooking utensils, appliances, and instructing kitchen staff on what to do and how to do it.

In mid sized to larger restaurants, the menu’s tend to offer a variety of choices.

The kitchen needs to have a staff that can adequately handle the flow of orders. In mid to large sized establishment there would have to be several chefs, with the master chef being in charge.

In larger establishment, there will also be an executive chef and a head cook. These two positions go hand in hand with the coordination of the kitchen.

Depending on the type of restaurant, the responsibilities of the chef vary.

If the chef is working in a cafeteria, or an institution such as a daycare or nursing home or hospitals, the chef will prepare large quantities of specific foods and very limited menu options.

A restaurant cook usually prepares more of a variety. The menu in a restaurant is more diverse. There are more cultural dishes to be prepared in a restaurant and it is more of a challenge to a cook.

Another chef career choice is a personal chef.

These chefs work in private households planning and preparing meal according to the client’s dietary needs or wants.

They do everything, order food and supplies, prepare the meals, and clean the kitchen and wash the dishes. In some instances, the chef may also serve the meal. There is usually very little appreciation in this type of position.

Restaurant chains, food growers and manufacturers all have research chefs on staff. They have the knowledge of food and science combined to assist in the development of new recipes. Companies such as Frito Lay and Kellogg’s use research chefs.

For the most part, restaurants and kitchens in institutions have up to date kitchens with the most modern equipment.

In smaller, older diners, the kitchens are usually not as standard.

They are designed poorly with inadequate ventilation and cooling systems. Kitchen staff, if any usually work in cramped quarters and sometimes safety is an issue. There are more accidents in smaller kitchen then in larger ones.

Chefs of every style of cooking have a few things in common. One being they all work long hours everyday and often on holidays.

School cafeteria chefs are one of the few that have routine hours.

The restaurant chef usually works a twelve-hour day.

This is necessary because they have to check the food deliveries in the morning for freshness, and then plan the menus, which takes an enormous amount of time.

Because restaurants, big and small, are opened for business very early and close very late, the opportunity for teenagers to gain employment. These types of positions are great for high school and college students. It is also a great opportunity for a culinary student to find out if a chef career is the right move.

Short order cooks require very little training. The skills that are needed are learned on the job.

For those who want to learn the skill and techniques of the masters, there are culinary schools all over the country, and the word. Most people cannot fly to Paris to attend culinary school, for them there are excellent culinary colleges in their own communities.

The teachers at these schools are all master chefs, and can pass on their knowledge to their students.

© 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.

Chef Uniforms

by Josh Stone

History behind the chef uniform

The practice of wearing chef uniforms started around in 16 th century. Due to the free lancing activities of various groups of people including the chefs were punished by the rulers and to stay away from these punishment the chefs took shelter in churches. As the staff of the church wore hat and long aprons these people also stared wearing the similar dress but of different colors. In the year 1800 the well- known chef had an idea of changing the uniform and he suggested white color so to denote cleanliness and purity. This was the beginning of the chef uniform and later on there were various modifications. It was also suggested to have doubled breasted jacket and the different color and size of the hat to differentiate between cook and the chef. Thus the chefs started wearing tall hats and whereas the cooks started wearing small hats. There is an interesting tale behind the hat that the King Henry the 8 th found a hair in his dish and made compulsory for all the chefs to wear hats otherwise the chef would be punished. Most of the historians say that the wearing of hat started from the Assyrians. During these days the most honest persons were made kings chef and to distinguish they were asked to wear the hats. It is said that the hat of chef had hundred pleats.

Later on in 1950 this attire, the chef uniform, was made compulsory along with the paper kerchiefs instead of cloth kerchiefs. Around 1980 the association of chefs made various changes in the chef’s uniforms and it was also not made compulsory for the entire restaurant. This new decision gave chefs a new look and helped them to express their feelings towards the customers. Mr. Escoffier and Alexis Soyer were the main key persons behind the chef uniform for beginning a new era of the uniform.

The attire

Chef uniform is a combination of various pieces of clothes that attributes to the chefs uniform. But most of the times we find that all the chefs do not wear the complete attires. The various parts of chefs uniforms are a bandanna, a hat, scarf, bow, jacket, set of gloves, apron and the kerchiefs. Normally we find chefs are dressed in white as this color is a symbol of purity and peace and that is required in this business. Even though most of the chefs do not wear complete uniform but scarf, hat, shoes and apron is compulsory in all the restaurants for the chef. As they have to work in hot temperatures in and around the kitchens normally all these clothing’s are uncomfortable for them and due to that they neglect other parts of the uniform. After all it’s the decision of the restaurant management committee to make this uniform compulsory. A bandanna is worn to get rid of excess sweat along with kerchief and scarf. Most of the chefs prefer aprons, as they are comfortable and easy to wear.

To provide rich and fancy look, various famous groups of restaurants supply jackets along with their names and hotel logo. Most of the times we find skullcaps are worn instead of hats that avoid falling of hairs into the prepared dish. It is not necessary that all the chefs in hotel industry have to wear the same uniform but it depends on the owners and most of the time they are specially designed to have a different look. One can find various bright colors of chef uniforms to get away from dirt in the kitchen and above all there is no common or prescribed rule.

In case of chef’s pants, nowadays fashionable loose or baggy pants are worn instead of customized pants that were worn in olden days by the chefs. These pants have darker shades to ensure the cleanliness of the pants and avoid the pants from looking dirty.

The other important part of chef’s uniforms is the shoes and normally they are of flat heels and have sole that protects the chef in slippery areas. The shoes are comfortable in nature, as chefs have to work in kitchen for longer duration.

In some cases the jackets of the chef’s uniform are double breasted to avoid the stains falling on the uniform. But most of the times these jackets are avoided normally in summer seasons. The main purpose of these jackets is to get rid of the direct heat from the stoves and also to avoid any hot fluid falling on to the body.

In well-known restaurants the chefs wear black pants and coats to have a smart and dashing looks. While the other restaurants and hotel cooks wear dark color uniform so that the minor spills and stains are not visible. The buttons of the chef’s uniform are of cotton instead of traditional buttons to withstand heat and the regular washing and at the same time buttons should not hinder while lifting the utensils. Chef’s uniforms are normally made of pure cotton stuff to absorb the extensive sweating.

The neckerchief is made of pure cotton to absorb sweat and it also provides a smart look. These neckerchiefs are also used for various purposes like cleaning the dishes and for the own cleanliness. Normally, the kerchief of chef uniform is of similar color of the uniform. The other important accessories of the chef’s uniforms are belt, gloves, and shoes. All this has their unique purpose and improves the overall personality of the chef. All the pieces of the chef uniform add glamour to the industry and help the restaurant in improving the business.

Conclusion