But whatever the age, one of the most basic things that all chefs need to have is training. No, you do not have to go through an actual culinary school to be able to succeed in the industry; in fact, a lot of well known names have never had formal culinary training at all. As mentioned earlier, cooking is more of a passion than work. But still, training (formal or informal) is very important because there are plenty of techniques that need to be perfected, and senses that need to be tuned into tasting certain kinds of food.
Aside from that initial training, good chefs also need to have a drive for self-improvement. Even after you have learned the basics, know that there is still so much to know about the world of food - from the different cuisines, presentations, cooking styles, new techniques and even new cooking gadgets that you can use in cooks jobs. There are many ways to do this as well. You can invest in books and even enroll yourself in trainings, classes and seminars that feature new cooking techniques and information. The more you know, the higher your price in the job market.
Good chefs need to be creative as well. This is something that you can never learn in the four corners of a culinary class. Rather, it is something that you have to have, cultivate and develop. Yes, you can learn new techniques and ways of cooking but being able to create a culinary masterpiece from scratch is what makes well-acclaimed chefs in the industry. Being creative can mean coming up with new tastes, new recipes and even new ways of presenting food.
For those of you who are still in culinary school, it is very important that you get the most amount of exposure that you can. This is because experience is everything in the business. A restaurant may take notice when you come from a good school, but they can be impressed even more when you have a good number of experiences on your record.
As a beginner, know that you will not always end up cooking in the kitchen on your first day. As rookies, you can be assigned elsewhere - from recording kitchen stocks and supplies, creating prices and menus and even supervising the cleanliness of the workplace. But never complain because all great chefs have gone through the very same path.
Just remember, going up that ladder is not that hard at all. In no time, you will eventually be cooking and even whipping up new dishes for the restaurant. And if you are more than good enough in cooks jobs, you can even find yourself owning your very own restaurant and serving your own culinary creations.
