Career as a Chef
Chop the veggies, mix the salad, add a little spice and touch it up with love - you will probably be cooking the best dish in town.
If you feel you have the knack to cook up something delicious each time you enter the kitchen, then being a chef could be a good choice !
How to reach my goalStep 1: Complete Class 12 in any stream of your choice.
Step 2: Enroll for a graduation degree in a reputed hotel management institute
Step 3: Training at a hotel management institute will teach you various aspects of cooking.
Step 4: Most of the reputed institutes have campus placements and you start as a trainee and then move up the ladder and become a sous chef ie. a person who is second in command to the executive chef.
Do you have it in you- Creative ability to churn out new dishes with same or different ingredients
- Eye for detail
- Good management skills as when you rise up the ladder you would be required to handle a team
- Ability to handle stress and pressure
PerksAs a trainee, you get something between Rs 10,000 to Rs 15,000. As a sous-chef you can get anything between Rs 30,000 and Rs 70,000.
Pros and Cons of Being a ChefPros- Very creative field and job satisfaction
- Good pay packet
- Opportunity to serve international who’s who
Cons
- Long hours and physically stressful job as most of the time you have to keep standing
- Serving new dishes each time can be quite a difficult task
Where you can work- Restaurants
- Specialty Restaurants
- Hotels
- Holiday Resorts
- Start your own business
Hotel Management Institutes in India- National Council for Hotel Management and Catering Technology
- Institute of Hotel Management, Catering and Nutrition, Pusa Road, New Delhi
- Indian Institute of Hotel Management, Aurangabad, Maharashtra
Visit our Career Center section for details on Career as a
ChefFAQs
Is formal training necessary to be a chef?No it is not compulsory for formal training to be a chef. However, training always helps to brush up your skills and you can also learn new styles of cooking.
I am a vegetarian. Do I need to turn to a non-vegetarian to cook non-vegetarian dishes?No. You can cook wonderful non-vegetarian dishes being a vegetarian yourself. You will find many such chefs around you.
Can I specialise in any style of cooking?Yes if you want to you can perfect yourself in any particular type of cuisine. You can also specialise in deserts and be a pastry chef.
