You can make a career out of just about everything in modern times. People can post a video on video-streaming platforms and get money off it as content creators. If someone in your neighborhood needs to pick up their laundry or walk their dogs because they don’t have time to, you can perform those simple duties for them. Someone can even pay you to line up at the theaters or a store on a mega sale tomorrow. Almost everything can be a career as long as you are good at it.
However, there are a few career choices where your skills need to be more than just the average person. Cooking, often a simple day-to-day household chore, can be a profitable career opportunity. If you have a passion for making delicious dishes, you can become a chef. However, culinary artists are skilled professions, which means it can be a competitive environment for people who want to make a career out of it. You’ll have to improve your knowledge and skills to shine in the industry.
Here are a few things you need to become a professional chef:
The Academic Certifications
Being a chef can start as a hobby. You might find yourself assigned to cooking duties by your family because they love your meals. As a result, you spend more time in the kitchen than in any other area. You can experiment with your recipes and feed more people than your family. Those situations might give you the confidence to turn the hobby into a career. However, becoming a professional chef from that point is a massive leap.
Being an aspiring chef puts you in a competitive industry. Many restaurants want to hire the best of the best to succeed. Unfortunately, your resume might not be as attractive as other applicants. As a result, your journey might not be off to a good start. If you want to boost your resume, you can take culinary classes. The academic journey can help you receive certifications and licenses that make you an attractive candidate. It might take years before you get those qualifications, but the knowledge and skills you’ll learn in culinary school can make you a professional cook.
The Career Journey
Learning the craft from culinary school might be attractive, but being a chef is more than a glaring resume. Like most professions, you must put your skills into practice. No restaurant will hire you if they do not know what your meals and cooking style tastes and looks like beforehand. As a result, you’ll need to get testimonials. Cooking for your family and friends is a good start. They can promote your skills online or to their friends, landing catering gigs for you.
Some restaurants might even take the risk with you, especially when they already know your specialties. If you have the budget, you might even open a small restaurant or cuisine with you as the head chef. There is no telling what your career holds for you in the future. However, you must start from somewhere. It will be a long journey before you achieve your dreams, but knowing you are doing it as a professional chef can be worth it.
The Reliable Recipes
Many chefs are working for different restaurants and food establishments. Unfortunately, that means you have a lot of competition. It can be challenging to stand out from the rest of your local rivals, especially when you have nothing new to offer. Fortunately, you can create a menu of your go-to dishes to make a good impression.
Those reliable recipes will make you stand out, even if other chefs are capable of creating them. Your home’s kitchen can be a good practice point, allowing you to develop your skills in specific meals. You can start with the local favorites in your area or deliver something unusual from a foreign culture. Those dishes can make you stand out in a competitive environment, making it necessary to practice as much as possible.
Marketing Tactics
It can be fun to land your first main gig as a professional chef. You can now create branding for yourself and your cooking skills. However, it remains a challenging journey to become a household name. While it might not be possible to command the same respect as the Gordon Ramsays and the Julia Childs of the world, you can grow a small fanbase if you know how to market yourself. That starts with putting your name in front of everyone.
You can start with adding your name to the restaurant menu or attending a few local cooking competitions. Name-engraved knives could also be an ideal marketing tool as they symbolize your career as a professional chef. It might be a small strategy, but getting your name out there can help you reach the levels of success you desire.
Being a professional chef will require you to invest in plenty of equipment and utensils. You might even have to customize your kitchen. However, you can ensure a smooth journey by securing these things first in your career as a professional chef.
