Why is Formal Training Required to be a Professional Chef in a Top Hotel?
Why is formal training required to be a professional chef in a top hotel?- Indians love food, and they love to eat out and that’s why there is a demand for chefs in the food services industry. But most of us wonder why formal training is required to be a professional in a top hotel. Many dream of being the top chef at a restaurant someday, the one that fits the style and food type they like to cook. How does one become successful as a chef? Aspiring chefs pursue formal training in order to fulfill all the chef qualifications and skills required to make it big in the hotel industry. Though most chefs start their career through entry level positions but it is with years of experience and the instructional advanced training they keep on taking that helps them to reach the top level position. By paying attention to intrinsics, having in-depth knowledge and understanding of the product, the right attitude, the ability to comprehend and compete with current trends are some of the top qualities of professional chefs.
Formal Training : Professional Chef
Aspiring chefs attend culinary school to gain practice, and vital hands-on training in the kitchen. Culinary programs emphasize in-class guidelines and hands-on training in the kitchen. Students get skilled in all aspects of food preparation of all types of cuisines. They receive both formal training from top hotel management colleges, and also learn through apprenticeship with an experienced chef. Some receive a 6 month or 9 month diploma certificate program while others opt for a 2 year or 4 year bachelor’s degree program. They receive a comprehensive education consisting of more than 200 techniques from fundamental basics to cooking as a profession. They get familiar with the art of plating, knife skills, high-volume cooking, and nutrition, food safety and sanitation. They oversee all of the stations in the kitchen and are responsible for designing the menu of what goes in the restaurant. For many chefs, the position is the end goal, so how do you become a chef who is fully professional?
Requirements For Becoming A Chef
Professional chefs normally start in the kitchen as line cooks, but with experience that is gained through formal training, they progress to more advanced positions such as sous chefs and executive chef. Education is not strictly required to become a chef, though to work in a top hotel, you will only be preferred if you have a proper culinary school education. You need to have a number of skills to proceed. These include leadership skills, business skills, creativity, time-management skills, computer skills, experience with kitchen tools, teamwork and a refined sense of taste and smell. You require a time commitment to become a chef. If you're aiming to go to culinary school, it will take two years to obtain an associate's degree and four years for a bachelor's degree. Some restaurants require at least a minimum of a high school diploma. It's possible to find employment without no culinary school education, but difficult to find a job in upscale settings. Investing money along with time into training will benefit both the chefs and hotel/restaurant in the long run.
Read more- Best Culinary Arts colleges in India
Advantages of Formal Training of Chef
Learning the cooking skills- Formal training helps chefs and cooks learn how to prepare, season, and cook a wide range of foods – from soups, snacks, and salads to entrees, side dishes, and desserts. With this skill, they get to work in a variety of food services establishments. With in-hand training and exposure, chefs and cooks learn to measure, mix, and cook ingredients according to recipes, using a variety of equipment, including pots, pans, cutlery, ovens, broilers, grills, slicers, grinders, and blenders. And hence learning from the scratch they get to those top aiming positions in their department. They advise head cooks and other staff ,and order food supplies.These leadership and business skills qualities help them in becoming the most wanted chefs by the employers.
Training keeps you consistent- An organised training and development program ensures that chefs have a consistent experience and background knowledge of their daily activities. The consistency is particularly relevant for them as they may have to prepare the dishes in the menu several times and each one with the same recipe and plate presentation. They also need to be aware of the expectations, procedures and standards of work in a professional kitchen. This includes safety, discrimination and administrative tasks.
Culinary Expertise- The most important skill chefs need is an ability to cook good food including the knowledge of the kitchen. This includes a variety of small intrinsics like knife and plating arrangement skills to tasting skills. Chefs need to cook precisely and proficiently. Formal training helps them in recognizing flavours and the balance of seasonings and toppings as they keep on cooking daily.
Understanding Nutritional Science- Formal training helps chefs not just cook whatever soothes to the taste according to the customer;s demand but also in recognizing the nutritional value of each ingredient. If you pursue your degree from good college then as a culinary student, you’ll acquire strong knowledge and concepts on food sources, nutrients, and the ability of the human body to process them.
Analysing your weak points- You will be competing against other chefs with experience and education in your field. Not having necessary skills will only remove you from the line of getting hired in a five star hotel unless you have some outstanding talent. Students who go through training work in constant supervision of professionals. In case there are any weak links of the student in the kitchen with respect to interdependency of tasks, the supervisors help you in overcoming your weakness. Hence this is how formal training becomes one important aspect.
Read more- Career in Hospitality Management
What do employers look for?
When aspirants apply for a job as a professional chef, employers look for someone who has held positions at successful restaurants, if the entry level then one who has done various training and is a pass out from top level college. They opt for someone who has held positions of responsibility in their field as extra curricular activities or anything. Someone with references who can speak highly of one’s ability to do all aspects of the job is also preferred. They want someone who participates within the community and someone who is current on trends in the industry and who seeks continuing education opportunities with global skill and cooking sets.
Key points to succeed in this career:
It’s important to remember that you will likely be working nights, weekends, holidays. Most good chef positions are for dinner service, and will work as long as the restaurant needs them. You have to always present yourself with a positive attitude in such cases.
First go in a job as a preparatory cook in a successful restaurant/kitchen to see if you like the lifestyle. In case you like it and want formal training consider a culinary school.
Remember the professional chefs are needed beyond the restaurants. There is a vast scope- cruise ships, airlines and catering services, resorts, private residencies, etc.
- Work for good companies and step up the ladder. Find a great chef from whom you can learn – a mentor who can help you and teach the tricks of the trade that go beyond school and the basic knowledge. Strive to be great and to learn from the best.
Read more- 10 Reason to choose career in hospitality
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Explore Career Options (By Industry)
Food Scientist
A career as a food scientist requires working full-time in the laboratory. He or she analyses data, works on computer programmes, and monitors the processors involved in food production. He or she examines raw materials and surroundings to detect problems. A food scientist is employed in research universities, government agencies, departments, and private entities such as food production facilities in order to do research work in terms of studying food production, storage, and transportation facilities.
Food Inspector
A career as a food inspector comes with the responsibility to ensure the food is healthy for human consumption. A food inspector inspects the food processing entities, manufacturing companies, restaurants, and dairy farms to collect samples for investigating the quality of food ingredients and preservatives being used in the food product to be sold in the market. Continue reading to learn everything you need to know about how to become a food inspector.
Food Engineer
A Food Engineer is a professional who is responsible for processing, packaging, and improving food products. He or she either works in the agricultural or food processing industry holding the responsibility of ensuring higher quality of food products including safety, supply, nutrition, and value.
Food Technologist
Food technologists are responsible for developing healthy and safe food. They ensure the food being produced is hygienic and tastes the finished product. A Food technologist's career requires working in product development and with food product suppliers. This study is a blend of principles of management, science, and marketing to produce or develop quality and hygienic food.
Family Social Worker
In a career as family social worker, an individual help those people who grow up in dysfunctional families and suffer from mild to extreme dysfunction. Some people are able to overcome the obstacles that childhood brought them and have a positive impact on the future. This negative behavior brings great pressure on family members. Sometimes they need help to learn how to deal with certain family situations or problems faced on a personal level. Individuals who opt for a career as family social worker can help restore harmony by providing services to families in crisis.
Chef
Individuals in chef career path work responsibilities include planning the menu, observing the kitchen, and supervising the entire kitchen staff. In the beginning, a trainee chef might be asked to wash dishes, clean the kitchen, and chop vegetables. There is a gradual process of learning and growth to reach the final destination ‘head chef’.
Every restaurant needs a culinarian and the country has a thousand great restaurant chains. So, there are immense career opportunities as well. In this article, we will discuss Chef roles and responsibilities, how to become a Chef in India, Chef skills, Chef eligibility, how to become chef after 12th and Chef qualification.
Linguist
Linguistic meaning is related to language or Linguistics which is the study of languages. A career as a linguistic meaning, a profession that is based on the scientific study of language, and it's a very broad field with many specialities. Famous linguists work in academia, researching and teaching different areas of language, such as phonetics (sounds), syntax (word order) and semantics (meaning).
Other researchers focus on specialities like computational linguistics, which seeks to better match human and computer language capacities, or applied linguistics, which is concerned with improving language education. Still, others work as language experts for the government, advertising companies, dictionary publishers and various other private enterprises. Some might work from home as freelance linguists. Philologist, phonologist, and dialectician are some of Linguist synonym. Linguists can study French, German, Italian.
Event Manager
Event Managers are professionals responsible for planning, organising, and executing various types of events, ensuring they run smoothly and meet the desired objectives. They coordinate all aspects, from selecting venues and managing budgets to overseeing logistics and collaborating with suppliers. Event Managers work closely with clients to understand their goals and tailor events accordingly.
Event Managers manage teams, delegate tasks, and handle unexpected challenges to ensure events are successful. Strong organisational, communication, and problem-solving skills are vital in this role. They operate in diverse settings, including corporate, social, and entertainment events, and may work independently or for event management companies.
Also read: Bachelor of Event Management (BEM) Course
Travel Agent
A travel agent works in the tour and travel industry. His or her work responsibility involves arranging travel for the end clients such as individuals, corporations, or groups on behalf of suppliers such as hotels, airlines, package tours, and other facilities. A travel agent involves working for an independent travel agency or can be a part of a travel agency.
Individuals who opt for a career as a travel agent are involved in planning trips for their clients in their day-to-day life. Travel agents stay updated about the hospitality and travel industry. Students can pursue some travel agent courses, such as BTTM (Bachelor of Tourism and Travel Management), and MTHM (Master in Tourism and Hotel Management) to become a travel agent.
Hotel Manager
A hotel manager manages the hotel staff and services provided to clients and guests. Individuals in the hotel management career path, negotiate on contracts with vendors providing various services in the hotel. He or she coordinates with different departments to ensure that the best services and facilities are provided to guests.
The hotel manager manages the hotel's budget. He or she supervises staff and maintains rules and regulations. The hotel manager handles customer relationships and solves their issues. Here, in this article, we will discuss the details of a hotel management career, and how to get into a hotel management career.
Food Stylist
A food stylist is a culinary art specialist who is responsible for making the food look arranged in a presentable way decked up with accessories for a close shot. He or she works with chefs, photographers and editors.
Bartender
The bartender is the person who mixes and serves drinks at the bar. He or she helps the people to serve drinks at parties which adds to the glamour of the event or the night and makes the environment like a party mood. It is difficult to plan parties without the help of a bartender serving beers and alcohol with all the mixing techniques.
Students can pursue BHM (Bachelor of Hotel Management), or other related courses to opt for a bartender career in India. Here, in this article, we will discuss the details of how to become a Bartender in India, bartending a good job, bartender career growth, bartender roles and responsibilities, bartender courses in India, and bartender skills.
Station Master
A Station Master is also known as SM in its abbreviated form. He or she is an executive employed by Indian Railway Recruitment Board responsible for running trains at a station. The role of Station Master comes with the responsibility of being in charge of running trains at the station assigned to him or her.
A career as Station Master requires to holds the responsibility to operate signals and ensure everything is as per the railway rules and regulations. The primary responsibility of the Station Master is ensuring that all the passenger amenities are fit and fine at his or her station so that travellers do not face any problems.
Linguist
Linguistic meaning is related to language or Linguistics which is the study of languages. A career as a linguistic meaning, a profession that is based on the scientific study of language, and it's a very broad field with many specialities. Famous linguists work in academia, researching and teaching different areas of language, such as phonetics (sounds), syntax (word order) and semantics (meaning).
Other researchers focus on specialities like computational linguistics, which seeks to better match human and computer language capacities, or applied linguistics, which is concerned with improving language education. Still, others work as language experts for the government, advertising companies, dictionary publishers and various other private enterprises. Some might work from home as freelance linguists. Philologist, phonologist, and dialectician are some of Linguist synonym. Linguists can study French, German, Italian.
Travel Agent
A travel agent works in the tour and travel industry. His or her work responsibility involves arranging travel for the end clients such as individuals, corporations, or groups on behalf of suppliers such as hotels, airlines, package tours, and other facilities. A travel agent involves working for an independent travel agency or can be a part of a travel agency.
Individuals who opt for a career as a travel agent are involved in planning trips for their clients in their day-to-day life. Travel agents stay updated about the hospitality and travel industry. Students can pursue some travel agent courses, such as BTTM (Bachelor of Tourism and Travel Management), and MTHM (Master in Tourism and Hotel Management) to become a travel agent.
Travel Journalist
A travel journalist is one who travels to different locations, explores them, and researches their history and cultural heritage. The travel journalist plans and organises the trip and looks after factors such as bookings, routes, destinations to visit, expenses, and other logistics. The travel journalist writes about the experience throughout the journey on various social media platforms, magazines, or even blogs.
He or she might also create travel guidebooks or memoirs to guide other tourists through his or her experience. Here, in this article, we will be discussing what a travel journalist does, travel journalist's salary is, how to become a travel journalist, how a travel journalist is in India, what a travel journalist's job description is, and what is travel journalism.
Travel Planner
A travel planner is a professional who assists clients or people in planning and organising their trips. He or she is responsible for making arrangements for the client's travel requirements such as reservations, booking flights, and arranging transport. A travel planner may also visit the holiday destinations and resorts to help the clients make informed decisions.
In a career as a travel planner, he or she must design cost-effective travel packages according to the client's needs and budget and provide the best recommendations to them. The travel planner oversees the negotiations for the accommodation, transportation, rental companies, tour guides and restaurants for the clients to get the maximum benefits of trips.