Today, I’m beginning at the beginning… For those who are serious enough to make cooking their vocation… I’ve posted an abbreviated version of the start of one of the chapters. For the rest of you, I will not leave you out… later, I will post excerpts from the book that apply to all of us as well!

So you want to be a chef!
The culinary arts are a great choice for a career. It helps if you have a previous interest in cooking.
Most people deciding that they would like to explore the great field of the culinary arts already seem to have the predisposition for it. Of course, that is not always the case.
Some chefs come into the profession later on in life.
If you want to be at the top of your field, you should at least know that there are quite a few things that you should ask yourself first.
What it comes down to is that not everyone can be a chef. Before you even consider going any further, you should ask yourself the following questions…

• Am I creative?
• Creativity is necessary if you want to stand out as a chef. Often a meal is made all the more interesting by the way it is presented on the plate.
• Am I prepared to study the craft?
• The only real way that you can become a good chef is to put a great deal of effort into improving yourself; not only as a cook, but as a person as well. To do this, you must study the craft.
• Do I have the motivation and desire to learn to be a chef?
• Being aware of the amount of time and study that it takes to become a chef, you need to keep yourself motivated if you are to complete your study with the credentials you want.
• Can I multi-task?
• You will often be required to do many things at once, so be prepared. As you will learn, working in a kitchen is a fast paced environment. It helps if you can keep up.
• Am I good at making split second decisions?
• When cooking more than one thing at once there is always the possibility of a disaster. You need to be able to think quickly in order to avoid any complications.
• Do I handle criticism well?
• Unfortunately you will encounter some people who will not like your cooking for some reason, and they may send their food back. It helps if you can take the criticism in stride.
• How is my business sense?
• Cooking is a business; you will need to know the basics of business in order to run a kitchen on your own, whether it’s your kitchen or someone else’s.
• Am I a people person?
• Being a chef requires you to be in touch with many people during the day, you will need the ability to deal with them in a diplomatic manner.

So, given those questions, you are better prepared for the long, tough task ahead; becoming a Chef. I wish you the best, and I’m here to help you in any way I can.

Those of you who are still reading this post but are not interested in becoming a Chef, I want to thank you for hanging in there, and I’m adding 30 more recipes to the Vault today…. Enjoy! (see the vault under “Free Recipes”)

Tags: kitchen_gadget, sous_chef, cook, chef, , cooking_equipment, kitchen, cooks_supplies, cooking, fry_cook