It could be a good feeling to be dreaming of working in a professional kitchen but is it really interesting. Well from my own experience it is a tough one and very hectic.
Working in the kitchen requires a lot of physical strength. You ought to spend almost the whole of your workday on your feet working. It doesn’t matter if you are the head chef or a sculler, you got to be busy all the time. There is always pressure in the kitchen but it is worse when the day is busier.
The kitchen has to be extremely well organized to make the job easier. Getting everything in place in time before you need to use it is a wise idea. You will find that the head chef would have to be shouting all day long depending on the kitchen setup.
Where I used to work in a restaurant, the waiters would send in the customers orders and the head chef would shout it out and everybody in the kitchen would know what the role they should play to put the order in place. Everyone has to be running or rushing so as to deliver everything in time before the clients complain.
It’s not all about speed but the quality of food must be as expected or even more.
Your physical health has to be stable since you will be exposed to higher temperatures and are still forced to be dressed in complete chef’s attire.
If you are working as a chef then be ready to deal with criticism from your superiors and customers and even your colleges. You should be able to control your emotions and guard your attitude. Keep a positive vibe and try to fix things directly with the customers or whoever is displeased.
Another thing to consider is to weight your passion for working in the kitchen with that of the earnings. Most chefs work hard for long hours but they earn little money. Usually, they are given exactly the minimum wage or salary and nothing more than that. Therefore, your passion for the job should be stronger than your love for money!
On top of working long hours, you are most likely to be called in to work when you are on your off day if the day gets busy. The kitchen work schedule can be changed anytime and usually your contract of employment mentions that you should be available anytime you are needed and be able to work shifts depending on how the business is run.
Well, I’m not trying to discourage anyone from pursuing a career in culinary arts but just keep in mind that your daily life will be always hectic and it will or may take you a couple of years to gain the experience required to get a better post that can earn you a better salary.