Chef Job Description – What’s It Like Being A Chef?
Becoming a chef takes many years of chef training at a reputable culinary arts school, as well as working under the guidance of a mentor in a professional kitchen. As such, it is essential to research chef schools carefully before deciding where to take your educational training. A good culinary degree will do wonders towards advancing your career of being an executive chef. Before starting out on the long path of becoming a chef, it is important to understand what the role actually involves. Do you have what it takes to excel in this demanding career?
In their finest moments, chef could be considered artists, although you won’t find the term artist in a chef job description. The combination of textures and flavors can evoke a variety of reactions. Some foods can comfort us, while others can stimulate. When a chef’s signature dish pleases the palate in a profound way, the feeling of satisfaction you experience is hard to describe. These are the moments that cause people with a passion for food and cooking to pursue their dream of creating exciting dishes in a 5-star restaurant. However, there are many more mundane tasks that a chef, especially an executive chef, must master to be at the top of his profession.
Executive Chef Job Description and Duties:
- Creating and planning the menu
- Preparing for the lunch and dinner sittings
- Informing the sous-chef if there is a shortage of any ingredients
- Instructing and leading any assistant chefs or other kitchen staff who are under their supervision
- Maintaining relationships with various restaurant vendors
- Assisting any colleagues who may require assistance
- Resolving customer disputes and ensuring overall customer satisfaction
Contrary to what you might think, head chefs actually spend very little time in the kitchen as a variety of tasks fall under the chef job description. Not only do they hire, train, and manage all the other chefs and kitchen 
assistants, but they also ensure the quality of the food and cleanliness of the kitchen. As well as ordering all the food and planning the menu, head chefs are responsible for pricing and dealing with vendors. At the end of the day, there is little time for cooking and exemptions are generally only made for V.I.P.s who come to dine in the restaurant.
As you can see, a career as a chef is about more than being a fantastic cook. Being a chef requires a lot of patience, hard work, and determination. It is a stressful job that involves long hours standing in hot kitchens to create meals that are tasty, nutritious, and pleasing to the eye. Those who are passionate about cooking, have a meticulous eye for detail, and work well under pressure will be well suited to becoming a chef. So, if after reading this chef job description you are still excited at the prospects of being a chef, then perhaps it is time for you to take a leap of faith and follow your dream!