The Chef

Sieed Marcus Olu’Ajayi
Ms. Thrailkill
English 12
23 April 2013

Sieed Marcus Olu’Ajayi pg1
Ms. Thrailkill
English 12
23 April 2013

Culinary chef No one person influenced me in my culinary desire. However, the view of the television sparked my earliest interest in the food service industry, where I was exposed to an array of culinary shows and also watched my mom cook. The word "chef" is adopted (and shortened) from the term chef de cuisine. The director or head of a kitchen. In English, the title "chef" in the culinary profession originated in the haute cuisine of the 19th century. Today it is often used to refer to any professional cook, regardless of rank, though in most classically defined kitchens, it refers to the head chef. Next, here are four levels on becoming a chef. First off is the head chef that is in charge of all things related to the kitchen, which usually includes menu creation, management of kitchen staff, ordering and purchasing of inventory, and plating design. Chef de cuisine is the traditional French term from which the English word chef is derived. Head chef is often used to designate someone with the same duties as an executive chef, but there is usually someone in charge of them, possibly making the larger executive decisions the Sous-Chef de Cuisine (under-chef of the kitchen) is the second-in-command and direct assistant of the Chef de Cuisine. This person may be responsible for scheduling the kitchen staff, and substituting when the head chef is off-duty; he/she will also fill-in for or assist the Chef de Partie (line cook) when needed. This person is accountable for the kitchen's inventory, cleanliness, organization, and the ongoing training of its entire staff. A sous-chef's duties can also include carrying out the head chef's directives, conducting line checks, and overseeing the timely rotation of all food products. Smaller operations may not have a sous-chef, while larger operations may have more than one as direction of menu, final authority in staff management decisions.
Third, “it’s a chef de partite, also known as a "station chef" or "line cook" is in charge of a particular area of production”. In a large kitchen, each station chef might have several cooks or assistants. In most kitchens, however, the station chef is the only worker in that department. Line cooks are often divided into a hierarchy of their own, starting with "first cook", then "second cook", and so on as needed. Next in line is the commis is a basic chef in larger kitchens who works under a chef de partite to learn the station's responsibilities and operation. This may be a chef who has recently completed formal culinary training or is still undergoing training. Next, Culinary education is available from a wide number of institutions offering diploma, associate, and bachelor degree programs in culinary arts. Depending on the level of education, this can take one to four years. An internship is often part of the curriculum. Regardless of the education received, most professional kitchens follow the apprenticeship system, and most new cooks will start at a lower-level 2nd or 1st cook position and work their way up. Third, “Executive chefs can start off at 40,000 and can go up to 120,000” a year. Wages depend mostly on the workers' skill and on the type and location of the food service business for which they work. According to the “ U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median hourly earnings of chefs and head cooks was $14.75 in 2004”, but many top chefs earned more than twice that amount. Celebrity cooks earn millions of dollars each year. Benefits for full-time employees generally include health insurance and paid vacations and holidays.
The work environment for the Chefs are usually in restaurants, hotels, private households, and other food service facilities, all of which must be kept clean and sanitary. Kitchens are usually hot, crowded, and filled with potential dangers. Hazards may include slips, falls, cuts, and burns, but these injuries are seldom serious. Chefs and head cooks usually must stand for long periods of time and work in a fast-paced environment. Most chefs and head cooks work full time, including early mornings, late evenings, weekends, and holidays. Many executive chefs regularly work 12-hour days because they oversee the delivery of food supplies early in the day and use the afternoon to plan the menu and prepare any special items for dishes. Last but not least, six important qualities chefs should have be able to learn and master while being and becoming a chef, business skills, creativity, leadership skills, manual dexterity, sense of taste and smell, and time management. Business skills. Executive chefs must understand the business of restaurant work. They should be skilled at administrative tasks, such as accounting and personnel management, and be able to manage a restaurant efficiently and profitably. Creativity. Chefs and head cooks need creativity to develop and prepare interesting and innovative recipes. They must be able to use different ingredients and create appealing dishes for their customers. Leadership skills. Chefs and head cooks must have the ability to motivate kitchen staff and develop constructive and cooperative working relationships with them. Because the pace in the kitchen can be hectic during peak dining hours, chefs must be able to communicate their orders clearly and effectively. Manual dexterity. All chefs and head cooks need excellent manual dexterity, including proper knife techniques for cutting, chopping, and dicing. Sense of taste and smell. All chefs and head cooks must have a keen sense of taste and smell in order to inspect food and design meals that will be to customers’ liking. Time-management skills. Chefs and head cooks need to be able to efficiently manage their time and the time of kitchen staff. They must have menus ready when kitchen staff start preparing meals. And when customers are waiting for food, they must keep the kitchen running efficiently. In conclusion my argument is that becoming a chef is a good job if you love to cook because it’s fun and you enjoy making and creating new things then joining the culinary profession is right for you, it is a great start to a new exciting career.

Work cited page

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2012-13 Edition, Chefs and Head Cooks,
On the Internet at http://www.bls.gov/ooh/food-preparation-and-serving/chefs-and-head-cooks.htm (visited April 29, 2013).

® 2012-2013 National Restaurant Association. All rights reserved. 2055 L St. NW, Suite 700, Washington, DC 20036
(202) 331-5900 | (800) 424-5156

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2012-13 Edition, Cooks,
On the Internet at http://www.bls.gov/ooh/food-preparation-and-serving/cooks.htm (visited April 29, 2013).

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Work cited page

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2012-13 Edition, Chefs and Head Cooks,
On the Internet at http://www.bls.gov/ooh/food-preparation-and-serving/chefs-and-head-cooks.htm (visited April 29, 2013).

® 2012-2013 National Restaurant Association. All rights reserved. 2055 L St. NW, Suite 700, Washington, DC 20036
(202) 331-5900 | (800) 424-5156

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2012-13 Edition, Cooks,
On the Internet at http://www.bls.gov/ooh/food-preparation-and-serving/cooks.htm (visited April 29, 2013).

Work cited page

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2012-13 Edition, Chefs and Head Cooks,
On the Internet at http://www.bls.gov/ooh/food-preparation-and-serving/chefs-and-head-cooks.htm (visited April 29, 2013).

® 2012-2013 National Restaurant Association. All rights reserved. 2055 L St. NW, Suite 700, Washington, DC 20036
(202) 331-5900 | (800) 424-5156

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2012-13 Edition, Cooks,
On the Internet at http://www.bls.gov/ooh/food-preparation-and-serving/cooks.htm (visited April 29, 2013).