Career as Chef : Job Prospects & Career Options

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Endless opportunities are available in the culinary sector for those interested in establishing a career in this field. With the upsurge in the hotel and hospitality sector, trained and experienced Chefs are in good demand to run food and beverages departments of industries ranging from restaurants, hotels, corporate catering, food processing companies, resorts, airlines, cruise liners etc. Day by day, specialty and multi cuisine restaurants are springing up in every nook and corner of major cities. The success of these restaurants depend on their unique dishes and its preparation and presentation by Chefs.

After completing hotel management course, one can start his career as an apprentice in any restaurant or hotel. From there he can climb up a slow ladder to the position of Sous Chef, Executive Sous Chef and finally Executive Chef. Executive chef is the top most designation in this field and to obtain this title it may take anywhere from 10-12 years.

Chefs can host television shows, as TV channels are hot places for running cookery shows. Chefs can write cookery books and can also become food Journalists, by writing in newspapers and magazines. Those with a post graduate degree in catering and food processing can join as a faculty member in government or private institutes offering hotel management courses. One can become an entrepreneur by setting up their own restaurant or catering business and can also find job openings abroad as Indian chefs.

Besides these, career avenues are open for chefs in the catering service departments of defence and railways. 10+2 candidates with diploma / certificate course (1 or more years) in Hotel Management and catering Technology which is recognized by AICTE can find openings in the catering department of Indian defence service. The recruitment for the post of Junior Commissioned Officer (Catering) is carried out round the year through an open rally system. The recruitment programme is published in local newspapers, two weeks prior to the conduct of the rally by the concerned ZROs (Zonal Recruiting Officers) and concerned BROs (Branch Recruitment Offices).

One could become stars and celebrities of their own in the culinary art over a period of time. Only hands-on experience over a time span will teach you the tricks of the trade and once your name gets established, then sky is the limit.

While planning to become a chef you need to know about different types of chefs who work in various positions in a restaurant. Generally three categories of staff are involved in food service establishments or hotels namely the Chefs, the cooks and the food preparation workers. Chefs and head cooks are in charge of directing other workers in the kitchen, estimating food necessities, and ordering materials. Their major responsibilities are creating recipes and preparing meals. The food preparation workers peel and cut vegetables, trim meat, prepare poultry and ensure cleanliness.

The terms chef and cook are often thought of as the same. A Chef is trained to master culinary forms, as well as provide creative innovation in menu, preparation and presentation. Whereas a cook is trained to master forms of food preparation, he usually takes close direction from a chef. Usually chefs have further training and higher skills than cooks.

Job titles in this field will tell you about a chef's specialty and level of seniority. Small restaurants employ one chef but larger establishments prefer to have separate chefs in charge of breads, vegetables, deserts etc. and in such cases there will be an executive chef to oversees works of other chefs.

The job titles in the food service establishments can be classified as :

Executive Chef/ Head Chef- Also known as the Chef de cuisine, an executive chef is in charge of all the food service operations of a restaurant or hotel kitchen. Executive chef is in control of everything inside the kitchen and their responsibilities include planning menu, determining serving sizes, ordering supplies for food, management of kitchen staff and supervising kitchen operations to make sure that the food quality and presentation is consistent. Head chef / cook is often referred as someone with the same duties as an executive chef, but there is usually someone in charge of them, possibly making the larger executive decisions such as direction of menu, final authority in staff management decisions, etc. Executive Chef/ Head Chef has the overall responsibility for the food that comes out of the kitchen.
Sous Chef - Sous Chef also known as sub chef is the assistant of Executive chef. They are responsible for the safe running of kitchen in the absence of executive chef. They are in charge of inventory, cleanliness of the kitchen, organization and constant training of all employees. The sous chef may also do some actual cooking, for instance, stepping in to replace one of the line cooks if necessary.
Station Chef/ Chef de Partie - Known by various names, these people are in charge of a particular area of the kitchen like Chinese, French, Italian, Continental, Banquet, Pastry etc. They works at an assigned station which is supplied with the ingredients and equipment needed for grilling, cooking vegetables, making sauces, etc. In small restaurants, station chef is the only worker in that department. But in large establishment, there will be several station chefs and each station chef might have several cooks or assistants.
Line Cooks (Commis) - Commis / Line cooks is the entry level position in larger kitchen who works under Station Chef or Chef de Partie to learn the station's responsibilities and operation. A person who has recently completed formal culinary training or undergoing training can join as a commis. They are assigned specific duties inside the kitchen and are further classified as :
- Pastry Chef / Patissier : They oversee the production of baked goods like pastries, breads, cakes, chocolates, biscuits, desserts etc.
- Pantry Chef / Garde Manger : These cooks are responsible for cold food preparation, such as salads, cold appetizers and other dishes
- Sauté Chef / Saucier : These cooks are responsible for all sautéed items and their sauce.
- Fish Chef / Poissonnier : They prepare varieties of fish dishes and their sauces
- Roast Chef / Rotisseur : They are in charge of preparing roasted and braised meats and their appropriate sauce.
- Grill Chef / Grillardin : Prepares all types of grilled foods.
- Fry Chef / Friturier : Prepares all types of fried foods.
- Vegetable Chef / Entremetier : They are in charge of all types of hot appetizers like soups and starches such as pastas and potatoes and other vegetable items.
Expediter - Expediter, the bridge between the kitchen and the wait staff, is the person in charge of organizing orders by table. They should be familiar with the menu and know what the dishes should look like before being served to guests.