Steps To Follow After Taking Cooking Classes

So you’ve taken one or more amateur cooking classes, and you’re as enthusiastic as ever for cooking. However, you are still unsure about pursuing a career in culinary arts. One of the best ways to make this decision would be to go right to the source and get a job working in a professional restaurant kitchen.

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It may not be easy to find a job in a professional kitchen. You may need to set up a meeting with the restaurant owner or executive chef to explain why you want to work in the kitchen. At least one restaurant should allow you to work as an intern, line cook or prep cook especially in their peak times. Whichever job you get, it’s not likely to be glamorous, but that’s actually a good thing. If, after a few months toiling away in the lower ranks, you’re still determined to be a lead culinary professional someday, that’s a good indication that your next stop should be cooking school.

Working in an actual restaurant will be completely different from the cooking classes you have previously taken. You will quickly realize the pace of restaurant is extremely fast and there is no room for mistakes. You’ll probably find yourself chopping vegetables, preparing the kitchen and cleaning up after everyone else, at least at first, but as an aspiring culinary professional, you need experience in all aspects of culinary arts. If you can show the chef you are working for that you have all of the right skills, they may give you the opportunity to work in every kitchen station. This will give you a better feel for life in the culinary arts than cooking classes ever could.

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If this happens to be your first time working in a restaurant environment, you will want to keep yourself under the radar for the beginning months, or until you have a solid understanding of how the restaurant operates. Most chefs wouldn't have a problem answering questions you may have in off-peak hours. By developing a good relationship with your supervisor, you’ll not only improve the working environment, but when it comes time to apply for the cooking classes that count, you’ll have earned yourself a good letter of recommendation.