Things to Know BEFORE Becoming a CHEF! | Chef James
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Things to know before becoming a Chef, if you don’t know what it takes to be a Chef then you will find out today! We are going to …
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Would you be willing to consider doing a "cooking battle" with another chef on YouTube?
CHEFPK is always ready for a challenge.
Thanks for the video
I stopped pursuing this career after a few years but I really enjoyed, I did events, hotels, restaurants but I just couldn't stand the long hours. I was really immature then so I didn't really push myself to be better and I didn't understood that in order to grow into a better position it would take me more than just a few months. Today I'm really grateful for the experience and still enjoy cooking and trying diferent things at home. Nice vid James, it would have helped me a lot when I started.
I had a good friend who was a chef. My uncle was thinking about changing careers back in the early 2000s. He wanted to become a chef and open a restaurant. My friend told him that the real money in being a chef was in your cut per head for hotel banquets. Most restaurants, even successful ones, eventually go out of business, most chefs won't become celebrities, but people will always go to conventions and have banquets.
I was the youngest Chef de CUISINE in the west end for Mayfair Catering/Gunters. I enjoyed it immensely despite the hours longer than you feeble restaurant
slaves. The perks were nice, eg when i cooked at the THAI embassy i got a litre of Gilbeys export gin! As head chef the suppliers were very generous!
I cooked for four PMs plus Philip and Anne ..but not our lovely queen.
i went in and out of the MoD under my predecessors name for two years! I discovered i bad actually been vetted when getting pissed with my soon to be ex boss as he told me things about me he should not have known! He was a great lad, a CHANGI GOAL surviver.I cooked the meal forBarnes Wallace GOLD medal presentation at Royal Aeronautical Soc.
My point for budding chefs is that restaurants are not the be all and end all. I ate the best food, drank wines nobody else will ever drink from the Gov Wine cellar in Lancaster House. Bet RAMSEY aint been there!
love your presentation mate. you did not m mention that you will join a world wide brotherhood.
8 hours is a half day? What a joke
Is it too late to start at 27?
I recommend you react some menu
1.stir soft shell crab curry
2.massaman curry
Maybe you could try them later
This is the best video that introduces the kitchen. I love it and will be sharing it to others. I am also passionate about cooking and even had the wonderful chance to work in catering and kitchens before I had the chance to go to a cooking school. Sadly my dad forced me out of the school and I had to live on my own. I just want to say that working in the kitchen can be very high stress, full adrenaline and it makes the time pass so fast, a day will feel like a few minutes. I also saw a lot of cooks break and quit. It was something else. This job is not for everyone and it is not for the faint of will. Though, it was the most rewarding job I have ever had. That includes writing and painting. I know that I am too old to go back to school… But I would if I could. 😍
Chef's table becomes a thing here in my country, especially for those who love cooking but hate to work in a restaurant or not want to cook throughout a day, 7 days a week. I do love cooking a lot but never want to open a restaurant because I have a friend who opens a restaurant and be aware of how stressed and pressured he gets every day. That being said, he still loves what he's been doing ❤️
Great content Chef, love how you pulled the curtain back and explained the industry… Top notch content Chef, keep it coming. Cheers. 🍻
Hi chef, looking back now I kinda wished I went down the path of becoming a chef. However like how you addressed in this video, the hours are long and when I heard from my older brother that a friend of his broke down due to burn out. I chose a different path. Now I’m way too old to pursue something like this. If was 10 years ago maybe.
I´m starting culinary school after years of studying on my own here in Colombia. I´ve had a lot of experiences, mainly with barism but I hope to be an international chef some day, thanks for all the advice!
This video is A+ advice for any young lads and lasses watching this video.
Im a programmer nowadays, but doing the dishes and later becoming a prep chef/apprentice at a VERY busy place in Stockholm when i was young gave me an insane work ethic and has been helpful throughout my whole life, from being in the military to what i do now. Everyone should try it AT LEAST ONCE.
And im a really lazy guy by default, so that workhorse mentality never came naturally to me (still have to reach for it), but it sure was ingrained into me by working in a kitchen.
Hello- my name is andrea and i am 15 years old- i am a boy who has loved cooking since i was young and want to become a chef in the future but I don’t really get the idea of apprenticeship,i live in albania and haven’t seen people do that,after finishing 9th grade at 15 they enter culinary school about 2-3 years,if you can,please make a video about apprenticeship and how to get as much experience as possible? (I love your videos and the reaction videos are hilarious 😂 ❤)
very educational. im not looking to become a chef but i always appreciate a deeper look at another industry.
Great video James! As a former chef de cuisine, I'll likely be sending this video to anyone who asks me what to do to be a chef from now on.
"Success does not consist in never making mistakes but in never making the same one a second time." -George Bernard Shaw
All this time i thought the CIA recipe book was made by the security organisation. Today i learned the existence of Culinary Institute of America 😆
I'm by no mean a professional chef, just really skilled in the kitchen,I started in a dish pit a 9.50an hr, worked in to a prep line, then line cook work, I preferred the prep line it's where I learned the most,
I remember working from Sunday to Saturday starting with 16 hrs on Sunday and working that down to 8 hrs by Saturday
EXCELLENT ADVICE!
Im glad to be able to work with you in hotel arts ! you are amazing chef !
With 28 yrs experience it’s a passion… but in my experience it’s being open to change, trends change, people change… I love this career but I also know that the hrs I dedicate to it isn’t a norm… I find the biggest issue I face is the trials and tribulations I faced my commis chef just aren’t willing to go through
As someone who works in food business/jobs, so I do know some of what I means to be a chef; and I’m happy to see your perspective. Of course I don’t go that far, but I agree with a lot of what you said. Also this is why I have a lot of respect for chefs like Gordon Ramsey, and you; although not Jamie even though he’s probably been through the brunt of it as well.
Thank you James for an interesting & informative video.
Another good option is volunteering as a dishwasher, kitchen hand or cook.
I wanted to be a chef when I was in highschool. After numerous chats with someone who was slightly older than me & training to be a chef, I'd changed my mind because of the hours / split shift & too much stress, so I didn't pursue it. The thought of losing my love for cooking was something I did not want to risk.
Instead I'm a home cook & volunteer within the community. I'd started as a dishwasher / kitchen hand & now one of the cooks. It's always a good option because it's a little less stressful & is enjoyable.
Dear Chef James, I have a question. I am studying Biology and I am going to have a scientific career (which means masters, PhD, postdocs etc.).
But if someday I change my way and decide to work in culinary industry, will my degree in biology be a privilege while trying to get a job? (I mean, will it be a "plus" in my CV, on the interviews etc ?)
Thanks!
id love to see you react to Davie504's carbonara video lol Davie504 is not a chef, he's a bassist channel but he made REALLY GOOD Carbonara 🙂 better than Ramseys lol
Great video James! I dream of a 40 hour week LOL… Had a guy I hired recently come in, 59 years old, outstanding resume, worked in the absolute best restaurants in Florida, he buckled and crumbled after two weeks in my kitchen. …and I was "nice" to him hehe. I had asked him why he didn't still work at those places and he couldn't give a solid answer. So I made an example out of him to the crew who is used to working w me. 70, 80, 90 hours a week, at 7 days a week is what to expect especially if you run the restaurant in the U.S.A. under this clown administration and incentivizing people to just stay home receiving unemployment. Work 5 years in a restaurant and if you still like it, then go full throttle. Be ready to be mentally assaulted (it's for your own good). Listen to what James said here.
I've worked as a kitchen hand for my first ever job and I chose not to pursue it further as well. It's too stressful and the pay is quite insufficient. Another thing you didn't mention which I've experienced is that some chefs/co-workers can be quite aggressive (it's because of the work). I am happier with cooking when it's a hobby 😁
I've worked as a dishwasher then became an F&B admin. in the cruise line industry. I did not become a chef, but I'm part of the team and all the learnings and experiences from the cooks, Executive Chef's, bar dept. restaurant dept. etc. have elevated my standard in all the things I do in life till now and even teaching it to my daughters. Thank you, chef James for this video, it brings back memories.
very interesting. I never knew that chefs work such long hours; particularly fine restaurants only open for dinner and very limited seating.
I am Argentinian. In the '90's my best friend decided to become a professional cook. He went to a very expensive culinary school (created by the legendary Argentinian Chef "Gato" Dumas) and after several years and a fortune he finally got to work in a good restaurant… he quit less than a month later. He said the kitchen was small, uncomfortable, dangerous, and he had been horribly mistreated. (If only "Kitchen Nightmares" had been on in the '90's he should have known better than that!!)
I do miss the kitchen, and cooking is still a true passion for me. My career path took me a much different way and it's been a good 20 years since I have set foot in a working kitchen. I finally discovered that I can scratch that itch a bit by doing competitions and occasional catering gigs. Keep up the solid work, I really do enjoy your content.
Hi, James. I'm a chef myself. Wise and true words, sir. Often, people don't know what they're letting themselves in for when they set their foot in a kitchen for the first time. After a while, I adapted to operating on 4hrs sleep; my then girlfriend didn't tho' – I was so tired I couldn't get an erection. We only got paid for about half the hours we worked (usually 82). Worse thing I've ever witnessed in a kitchen was the Head 'Chef' putting a side of rotten salmon in a combination of water, tarragon, lemon, and…wait for it…bleach. I kid you not! Don't get me wrong, I've committed some food crimes in my time in moments of desperation (against the better of me), but I draw the line at THAT.
Enjoyed your post, dude 👍.
Great video
Talk about a smack-face dose of restaurant reality!!!! Geez, why would ANYONE really want to work in this business!!!!!
This video gives good insights to those who want to make a career in the culinary industry. It is a tough job the way you presented it here. Im glad you find the time to create videos for this channel despite your rigid schedule. I really appreciate the effort you put in this channel and for your followers.
The hours commentary reminds me of tech work. Except, as you said, you are standing. If I am pressed to work a 26 hour day (e.g. 3am-5am the next day) I am rarely allowed to stand.
Mad respect.
Fascinating view of of this work. Thanks for this.
Hello Chef, great video as always 🙂 You told us about options for young people at the start of their working careers who think of becoming chefs. I have a question about people in their 30's or 40's who think of changing their line of work. I know it's not impossible, but I would like to know if You had any experiences with people like this and what are Your thoughts about it?
Why would you ever want to work at a place for 80 hours a week for low pay. That is not sustainable in the long run for your wallet and your health. And they are complaining why they can't get any staff, wonder why???
Thanks for the details, will share with my son
Could you make a video about discussing criteria for purchasing cooking courses/classes? There is one course I am interested but still not sure if it's worth my buck.
I’m Australian and also a chef with 8 years experience in commercial cookery, and here you’ll find a majority of the time apprenticeships are what happens. Though with an apprenticeship here, you are fully employed by the restaurant you work at, meaning you receive a wage, that will increase with your skill level, and then you will also attend a tafe or college to receive extra training, and it is usually 3 years, though it’s competency based, so it can be extended for longer if you don’t meet expectations.