Becoming an executive chef requires a lot of training and experience; however, there are also many natural skills that are necessary to become an executive chef.  Some of these skills can be improved upon during chef training in a reputable culinary arts school; therefore, it is important to select your culinary degree carefully to ensure your training curriculum will meet all your requirements.

Overview of Executive Chef Skills

• Love and Knowledge of Cooking – This is the most obvious skill that you must have. If you don’t have a true passion for cooking, you will surely never make it.  Chef training from a reputable chef school will cover all the basics of food preparation and the different techniques required to produce appetizing food, but a love of cooking is what distinguishes a real chef.
• Sharp Sense of Taste and Smell – Chefs, especially those who go on to become sous-chefs or head chefs, will require the training they learned in culinary college but must also have natural talents of being able to taste and smell food properly.  This will help with menu planning and meal creation.
• Originality and Creativity – An important aspect of being an executive chef is meeting the challenging of coming up with new and innovative culinary creations.  An original yet still appetizing dish will go far towards becoming a chef and impressing restaurant critics. Truly great chefs treat their craft as an art.
• Safety and Sanitation Skills – It is imperative that chefs understand the importance of keeping a kitchen clean and safe.  This requires common sense as well as knowledge of how to use industrial kitchen equipment safely.  Chef schools and culinary colleges will all cover these basics in their core curriculum.
• High Degree of Professionalism – Having to deal with vendors, clients, restaurant managers, and V.I.P.s makes it essential for chefs of all levels, especially executive chefs, to have a high degree of professionalism.
• Good Communication Skills – For a kitchen to run smoothly and meals to be served in a timely manner, it is necessary for all the chefs to communicate well.  This involves acknowledging receipt of orders and instructions as well as giving them clearly.
• Ability to Take Direction – While executive chefs tend to give the orders, it is important to be able to take direction when appropriate. Maintaining a humble spirit will help you listen to the restaurant owner and even other kitchen staff.  The prima donna that has to have it their way will most likely have a life of moving from one job to another because they simply can’t take direction. 
• Ability to Supervise – Moving up the ranks to a position of executive chef will come with the added responsibility of having to supervise the chefs and kitchen assistants.  You must be able to do this by giving clear instructions and acting as a mentor for those with less experience than yourself. If you rule the kitchen like a tyrant, you will be forced to deal with constant staff turnover which in the long run will hurt the quality of the food that your kitchen puts out.
• Ability to Be a Team Player – Whatever your position in a working kitchen, you will need to be a productive member of the team, willing to help out with a variety of different tasks depending on what is needed of you at the time.

These are the basic skills required to be a successful executive chef.  To be a cook in a fast food chain or a local restaurant you may not require them all, but not only will these skills make your job more enjoyable, but it will also make it easier for the kitchen to work a team.  Your skill set will grow and change with the more experience you gain, and you will then find that courses in business management, employee relations, and mathematics become more useful than culinary techniques.  On top of these skills, employers will also check to make sure you have an up-to-date health certificate stating that you are free from communicable diseases.

As you can see, there is much more to being a successful chef than meets the eye. Practice honing all of these skills and you will certainly be a top executive chef.

Seeking to capitalize on the public’s fascination with celebrity chefs and all the different chef shows on the Food Network, HBO has introduced a new special on Chef Paul Liebrandt. The show is called  A Matter of Taste: Serving Up Paul Liebrandt. By most accounts it’s an interesting show. He considers himself to be a food artist and not just a celebrity chef, and as most artists, he can be a bit quirky which  can lead to entertaining moments.

The show chronicles his life from apprenticeships in London and Paris through his rise through the ranks in the New York restaurant scene. His path is somewhat different than say the more normal course that we discuss in our article about culinary arts schools, but it does underscore the importance of apprenticeships and learning in the fire of the kitchen so to speak.

The show also highlights the hard work necessary to become truly known for your craft. Through the course of the special, we see a young chef devoting most of his waking moments to his restaurant, working 17 – 20 hour days, often 7 days a week. Can you say burnout? While that number could be somewhat exaggerated for television, I think it does highlight the work and commitment necessary to become an executive chef at a prominent restaurant. It truly has to be your passion.

If you are interested in more information on Paul Liebrandt, here’s a CNN interview with him. There’s also a trailer for the HBO special in that interview. One interesting comment in the interview is when he discusses his talk in front of 600 students at the Culinary Institute of America. He tells them that 95% would not be in the industry in 5 years. That is either very depressing or very motivating. Which is it for you?

I’d like to go beyond a general chef job description and look more closely at what some specific types of chefs do during the day. Chefs are thought of as people who prepare and cook meals, hiding out in the kitchens of restaurants or hotels, but in reality a chef has many more responsibilities and duties than just that.  Depending on the level of chef, you could be responsible for all aspects of running the kitchen.  Culinary degrees from reputable culinary colleges or culinary arts schools should include a range of courses in their curriculum to meet the needs of a chef who may one day become a sous-chef, a head chef or an executive chef.

Head Chefs – Not only do head chefs work hard, but they also put in very long days, commonly arriving at 9am and leaning well after 10pm.  A typical day would start by doing a quick inventory and reviewing the menu.  After a staff meeting with the other chefs and possibly even the kitchen staff, food prep for the lunch and dinner services would start.  In addition to supervising in the kitchen to ensure that standards of quality are met, head chefs must also take care of paperwork and attend meetings with vendors, clients, managers, etc.  During lunch and dinner times, the head chef will not only inspect plates on the pass, but may also cook meals themselves and liaise with customers, handling any complaints that may arise.  At the end of the evening, more paperwork must be completed such as staff schedules and reviews, bills, menu alterations, supplies orders, etc.  Finally, the head chef usually ensures that the kitchen is properly cleaned and prepared for the next day.

Sous-Chefs – As sous-chefs report directly to the head chef and are considered to be their right hand, their daily schedule is very similar.  The sous-chef may be responsible for arriving earlier to ensure that the kitchen is properly cleaned and be in charge of the daily inventory to ensure no supplies need to be ordered immediately.  They will then assist the head chef with his daily duties and also be responsible for cooking meals for members of the kitchen staff.  Some restaurants may even have two sous-chefs: one who is responsible for the day shift and one for the evening.         

General Chefs – The chefs in charge of each station generally show up for the staff meeting to discuss and changes to the menu or issues with schedule.  They will then be responsible for preparing their station then cooking for the lunch and dinner shifts.  They should maintain a high level of cleanliness and hygiene at all times, and should ensure that their work station is thoroughly cleaned in between the lunch and dinner rushes, and again once the kitchen is closed at the end of the night.  Depending on the restaurant, their may be different chefs catering to the lunch and dinner crowds, or full-time chefs who remain there for the whole day.  If more prep for the next day is done after dinner, chefs may leave work very late.

The job of being a chef can be very rewarding but it is also very hard work.  During your chef training, you will learn the skills necessary to become a chef but no chef  or culinary arts schools can replicate the stress and pressure you will have to deal with when working in a real kitchen.  For those who are passionate about their work, it is a wonderful job and the satisfaction they get from it is well worth the long hours they spend in the kitchen.

Basic chef training prepares those who want to become chefs to work in a kitchen and prepare and cook appetizing food.  However, many culinary arts schools offer training programs which are much more comprehensive and cover a variety of different skills required by all aspects of the industry.  As a result, a trained chef is capable of doing much more besides cooking.  There are opportunities in restaurant management, diet and nutrition, and health and safety, to name a few.  These types of opportunities may appeal to chefs who have quite a bit of experience in the kitchen and who now wish to branch off into something slightly different while still building on the skills and knowledge that they learned at chef school.

Chef Training Opens the Door to Other Choices:

• Restaurant manager – Many chefs, after advancing to head chef, decide to build on their reputation and either manage or own their own restaurant.  This may not suit everyone as being in charge of a restaurant is a demanding position that requires hard work and long hours. However the call of being your own boss can often be a strong motivator for some.
• Personal Chef – Working as a personal chef uses the skills taught in chef school to prepare quality meals in people’s homes. Also you can avoid much of the stress that comes from working a busy kitchen.
• Caterer – Owning a catering company or working as a chef for a catering company requires a high level of organization, the creativity to design menus, and the ability to take direction.
• Instructors in vocational programs – Those who are have received chef training at a reputable culinary college but who do not wish to deal with the pressure of working in a kitchen, may enjoy sharing their knowledge and experience with those studying to be chefs themselves.
• Contributor to culinary magazines – Chefs can contribute to culinary magazines with recipes, articles on health and nutrition, or information on specific foods.
• Host of culinary programs – Those who enjoy the spotlight may like being the host of one of the many cooking shows or cooking contests that are on the television, or that take place at various event shows and trade fairs.

After receiving a certificate or a full culinary degree from a chef school or other type of culinary institute, there are a variety of different career options that will be made available to you.  The stress of working in a kitchen is not for everyone but the knowledge and skills acquired during chef training will ensure that it is possible to work as management or even run your own business.  A trained chef can do many things besides just cook, but it will probably always be what they are most passionate about.

There are many different culinary arts schools that offer a variety of culinary degrees to suit the requirements of different levels of chef.  It is important to choose not only a reputable culinary arts school, but one with a course having a curriculum that includes all the aspects of chef training that are of interest to both yourself and potential employers.  Training curricula can vary depending on the level of educational institution, the length of the course, and the accreditation that it may have.  That being said, even a basic chef training curriculum should include elements of food preparation, health and safety sanitation,  kitchen management and hospitality management.

Chef training at good culinary arts schools should equip you with the basic theoretical and practical culinary skills for you to immediately start working in the foodservice industry.  The curriculum of a good culinary degree in a chef school or culinary arts school should combine a mixture of in-class instruction and hands-on work in culinary labs, or in the campus restaurant.  Work placement is often included in your diploma or degree program to allow students the opportunity to gain real life experience in a professional kitchen.  If completed successfully, this could lead to full-time employment after graduation.      

A Typical Curriculum Offered By Culinary Arts Schools

A standard 2-year chef training course will generally be divided into four semesters, comprised of the following courses:

• Semester one – The students will be cover key elements of maintaining a safe and healthy work environment, and start learning about business tools of kitchen management.  There will also be an introduction to basic culinary and baking techniques.
• Semester two – As well as continuing with kitchen management, students will also focus on health and nutrition to accompany classes on menu planning and meal portion determination.  Students will also continue adding to their culinary skill set with hands-on workshops in the kitchen.
• Semester three – The students will know use their knowledge and skills by being involved in all aspects of running the restaurant on campus.  Courses on profit management will add to their abilities to control costs, minimize waste, and monitor inventory.  Wine and beverage appreciation classes help with menu planning and food pairings, while an introduction to convention and meeting planning makes students aware of the catering possibilities that may be available to them after graduation.
• Semester four – The final semester of chef training includes elective courses of specialized techniques for those who wish to focus on becoming a pastry chef, saucier, entremetier, etc.  Students will also continue learning about restaurant management, human resources, and marketing.

This outline of a general chef training curriculum covers all aspects of culinary management, including  food preparation, menu creation, and kitchen management.  When you are choosing among various culinary arts schools and deciding where to pursue your culinary degree program, ensure that it also offers a work placement opportunity to allow you to practice your skills in a real working kitchen.

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!

There are many different levels of chef training, but regardless of your initial ambitions, it is always best to start off with a solid base of cooking knowledge.  By earning your culinary degree at one of the reputable chef schools in the country, you will demonstrate your determination to succeed in the kitchen.

Many people love being in a kitchen and preparing food for themselves or others, but being a chef takes more than a simple love of cooking.  Hard work, determination, and unquestioned skill will help good cooks progress upwards through the ranks to become true chefs.  There are many different levels and types of chef training which will qualify you for a variety of different positions.

Different levels of chef training

High School –  Chef training can start as early as high school, with some schools offering elective classes in cooking, meal planning and preparation, or health and nutrition.  For those who are serious about their dream and hope to become a chef one day, it would also be advantageous to take classes in business management, mathematics, entrepreneurship, etc.  These classes will not enable you to become a famous chef, but will give you a leg up on the competition when applying to low level kitchen jobs, such as: cleaner, dishwasher, or preparation assistant.

Chef Schools – These are typically privately run, for-profit institutions that offer specialized chef training.  They have become increasingly competitive in today’s economically hard times but while they may seem like good value for money, remember that a chef’s educational background needs to be able to help them stand out from the rest and hopefully move up the kitchen ranks sooner.  A certificate from a chef school will certainly help you find employment as a cook in local restaurants or franchises of larger chain restaurants.

Culinary Colleges – A recognized culinary degree from an official culinary college or culinary arts school will you a definite advantage over the competition when applying for jobs post graduation.  You will benefit from a quality curriculum, faculty expertise, and full facilities, as well as being able to enjoy the full college experience.  Most culinary colleges have an on-site working restaurant for students to practice preparing food for paying customers.  At the end of your chef training, which can vary from 1-4 years in length, you will be more employable as a result of your full associate’s or bachelor’s degree.  While you will not be able to walk straight into the position of head chef, you will be able to find mentors willing to guide you.  It will also help you find a position in a more well-known and higher class restaurant, if that is what you are looking for.

Culinary Arts Schools – There are also a variety of certified apprenticeship programs by professional culinary arts schools.  These schools not only offer a curriculum packed with useful classes, but generally include tours of working kitchens, and a work placement with professional chefs to guide you.  Depending on the reputation of the culinary arts school you attend, it could be favored above some culinary colleges.

Other Types of Training – Some of the larger hotels and restaurants offer their own in-house chef training programs for staff, generally using it as a bonus incentive or having it lead towards promotional prospects.

There are over 500 different cooking schools in the U.S. but the renowned American Culinary Federation has accredited only about 100 of them.  It generally takes 8-15 years of working as a cook before becoming a chef, so if you are serious about pursuing your chef training, it would be wise to research apprenticeship training programs carefully to give you a good advantage and help your resume stand out.

So as you can see, you have a lot of options on the road to becoming a chef. The key will be to think long term about the kind of chef you would like to be, as well as the type of establishment you want to work in, and then match these goals to the appropriate chef training curriculum.

Congratulations on your decision to follow your passion for cooking and discover what you will experience during your chef training. You will find valuable information to help you determine if the life of a chef, be it an executive chef, a pastry chef or even a personal chef, is the right career choice for you. It’s no secret that people today love to eat good food in a variety of settings, so if you choose a training program from a culinary school, especially one that is accredited by the American Culinary Federation there will always be plentiful employment opportunities for you.

Nuts and Bolts of Chef Training

There are many levels of chef training depending on your career choice, and we hope to clarify for you what types of training programs you can expect to see along your journey. There is a ton of information available on the internet on how to become a chef, however, it is not all organized and easy to understand. Our goal is to break down this information into manageable pieces, so you can figure out the various steps and get started as soon as possible on your chef training.  

The most important step in the journey is figuring out if becoming a chef is right for you. You will also need to know what a chef’s duties are, the different kinds of chefs (you can focus your chef training in a particular area of interest) as well as what a training program would like like from the various types of cooking schools. If you are looking for specific information, here are some of the topics we will cover:

• Chef job description – what’s it like being a chef?
• Chef schools to culinary arts schools - what are the different levels of chef training?
• What skills are necessary to become a chef?
• What are the most common types of chefs?
• What job opportunities exist for chefs with a culinary degree?

So as you can see, we will attempt to answer all of your questions on what it takes to become a chef. If your question about chef training is not answered somewhere on this site, please feel free to leave a comment, and we will attempt to help you out.