Three aspects are important to survive being a Chef. One is Knowledge, the second is skill, but most importantly one needs a correct Attitude. The first two are easily achieveable but the emphasis of food service education is on learning, attitudes which are more important because a good attitude will help you not only to learn skills but to also persevere and to overcome various hurdles you will face in your careers. Gaining Knowledge is an ongoing process which never ends.
A good chef follows an unwritten code of behavior and set of attitudes we call professionalism. Let us now examine some of the qualities a good chef must possess.
Positive attitude towards the job
In order to be a professional chef, you must like your job and want to do it well. Being serious about your job does not mean you can’t enjoy it. But the enjoyment comes from the satisfaction of doing a job well and making everything run smoothly.
Every experienced chef knows the stimulation of the rush, when the adrenaline starts to flow! When it gets to the busiest part of the evening and the orders come rushing in and you can hardly keep track and when every second counts, then there is real excitement in the air. But this excitement comes only when you work for it.
A cook with a positive attitude works quickly, efficiently, neatly and safely. Professionals have pride in their work and want to make sure that the work is something to be proud of.
Staying Power
Work in the kitchen requires physical and mental stamina, good health and a willingness to work hard. Undoubtedly, it is hard work. The pressure can be intense, the hours long and the work grueling. The hours of work are anti social. You may be working evenings and weekends when everyone else is relaxing and enjoying him or herself. And the work can be monotonous. You might think it real drudgery when you have to hand shape three dozen dinner rolls for your
class, but wait till you get to the industry and you are required to clean 60 kgs ofshrimp or to peel 50 kgs of potatoes!
Ability to work with people
Few of you will work in an establishment that is so small that you are the only person on the staff! Kitchen work requires teamwork and it is essential to be able to work well as part of a team and to cooperate with your fellow workers. You can’t afford to let ego problems and petty jealousy as well as departmental rivalries and personal problems get in the way of doing a good job. In earlier days, many chefs were known for their temper tantrums. Fortunately, self control is more valued these days.
Eagerness to Learn
There is more to learn about cooking than you will learn in a lifetime. The greatest chefs in the world are the first to admit that they have more to learn, and they keep working, experimenting and studying.
Our industry is changing so rapidly that we must be open to new ideas. No matter how good your techniques are, you may always learn an even better way.
Experience
There is no substitute for years of experience. Studying theoretic inputs from books in the college is essential to start you off. But if you want to be an accomplished chef, you need practice, practice and more practice.
Dedication to Quality
There is good food and there is bad food and very often we end up paying more for the bad food! Whether you work in a fancy restaurant, a 5 star hotel or an industrial canteen, you can do your job well or you can do it not so well. It is up to you. The choice is yours. High quality doesn’t necessarily mean high price. It costs less to cook French beans properly than to overcook them! In order to produce quality food, you must want to. It is not enough merely to know how.
Good Understanding of the Basics
Experimentation and innovation in cooking are the order of the day. Brilliant chefs breaking boundaries, utilizing unheard of before ingredients, inventing dishes that would be unique and strange of a couple of years ago. There seems to be no limit to what can be tried.
However, the same chefs who are so revolutionary, are the first to insist that a proper understanding of the basics is very essential. In order to innovate, you must know where to start.
FIRST YEAR
GROUP-C
IHM MUMBAI
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