The last person before me had some good advice, I recommend to anyone who is interested in a caree as a chef, pastry chef or in the kitchen to find a part-time job in a small restaurant or in a summer resort for a good look at the workings and involvments that come with the job. It is and can be a very rewarding job with lots of fun and opportunitys to see and learn, it can also be a career that involves late nights, working on holidays, a high stress, fast paced, work place and if you are someone who is artistic or creative then a job in the pastry section may be more your cup of tea, it is just as rewarding, but not as fast paced nor is the pressure there to harsh, you have to complete your work but it is not as go-go as in the hot or production kitchen.

When you are young look at the local culinary schools even a high school with a trade program, that is were I got the bug in the 1970′s while in High school, it was a technical school and offered a chance to work in a kitchen, bake shop and restaurant situation for a school subjects. Just make sure if you are going to follow this path it is something you really want and are dedicated to persuing, Good Luck, I hope you do great.
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Chefs are managers or owners of restaurants. They do more than just cooking. They run a business and this involves, bookkeeping, inventory, cost control, purchasing, supervising employees, etc. A chef needs to be able to multi-task and have great people skills in addition to being a wonderful cook.

Getting a culinary degree is one way to do it; but you still have to work your way up. No one is ever hired as a manager right out of culinary school. Line cooking is very difficult and stressful. Restaurants do not hire line cooks without experience. You’ll have to learn how to line cook before you can ever become a chef. The entry level postions do not pay well.

This business is very stressful. Because chefs are salaried employees, they are usually expected to work 50-60 hours per week. This includes a lot of night shifts. If you have a family, this could cause some problems.

A lot of people get into this business because of the stuff they watch on the "Food Network". This does NOT represent the true nature of this industry. Being a chef is not a glamorous job.

If you are really interested in becoming a chef, I suggest that you get a job as a dishwasher or prep cook. If you like it, then go to culinary school. This is usually a two year degree. Plan on getting a bachelor’s in Restaurant and Hotel Management and a master’s in Business. In the food service industry, people with all three of these degrees are golden. They can get a job anywhere and recieve the best pay.

You don’t have to go this route. You CAN work your way up without an education, but in this day and age, I don’t recommend it. People with college degrees are having an easier time.

However, I enjoy it and I cannot see myself doing anything else. I don’t get paid much and its a lot of hard work, but I do get satisfaction from customers enjoying what I have prepared.
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chef

A deep dish apple pie with cinnamon, maple syrup and sultanas, tossed with crumbled Lancashire cheese.

350g (12oz) short crust pastry
900g (2lb) cooking apples, peeled cored and cut into chunks
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
75g (3oz) sultanas
5 tablespoons maple syrup
150g (5oz) Lancashire cheese, crumbled
beaten egg to glaze

Preheat the oven to 400F/200C/Gas mark 6. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface and use to line a deep 20cm (8in) pie dish or loose bottomed fluted flan case. Prick the bottom and chill whilst preparing the filling. Reserve pastry trimmings for the top of the pie.
Place the apples, cinnamon, sultanas and maple syrup in a pan. Cover and
cook over a gentle heat until apples just begin to soften. Remove from the heat and fold in the crumbled Lancashire cheese.
Spoon into pastry lined dish. Re roll the pastry trimmings and cut into strips about 1cm (1/2in) thick. Use these to form a lattice pattern on top of the pie and brush with beaten egg to glaze.
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until pastry is golden and crisp.
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Start by doing research on culinary schools. You want one that grants at least an Associate’s Degree in Culinary Arts.

Some of the top culinary schools are Culinary Institute of America (CIA), Johnson & Wales, and Le Cordon Bleu (Paris). There are others, of course, just Google them in your area.
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