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Cooking Schools TipsRead these 227 Cooking Schools Tips in 20 categories ranging from Amateur Courses to Wine and Food Pairing. Each tip is approved by our Editors and created by expert writers so great we call them Gurus. LifeTips is the place to go when you need to know about Cooking Schools tips and hundreds of other topics. Become a Guru or Become an Advertiser. Working Your Way Up The LadderWhile you're in culinary school, you'll have an opportunity to work your own kitchen station, work at different departments, and eventually create your own restaurant menu. Students at The French Culinary Institute in New York City have the added benefit of working in the school's own Zagat reviewed restaurant, L'Ecole. It's here where the students really get into restaurant management. Students have a chance to develop their own menus, based on their own recipes and culinary creations. If you're a student, keep all of these things for your portfolio. When it comes time to look for restaurant jobs, you should have those things ready to show. Depending on where you work, you may be able to quickly incorporate some of your recipes into the restaurant's main menu. Keep in mind that as you go to work in your first restaurant job, the owner may not be interested in letting you take over the kitchen with your own recipes. At least not right away. Build up a reputation in the business, make suggestions, and pay attention to any constructive feedback you get on the job. Remember, if this is your first restaurant job, it's important to start at the bottom rung and climb your way up. If you're lucky, you won't even start at the bottom. A good culinary education might get you on the second or third rung of that ladder! Dessert DowntimeThere's no place like home, and that's not just a line from the Wizard of Oz. After a crazy day battling noise, pollution, crime, and your mother-in-law, having that sanctuary to go to is wonderful. You unlock the door, walk inside, close the curtains, shut the ringer off the phone and stare at your closed refrigerator door trying to remember why you wandered into the kitchen in the first place. What? You don't do that? Okay. Maybe your way of unwinding after a long day is a little different. Some people unwind by baking. No, they're not pastry chefs by trade. They just like to try different dessert recipes and pastry recipes. Come on, who doesn't love chocolate? The best reason to make a chocolate dessert after a crazy day is the opportunity to then eat said chocolate dessert. If you find you're wasting more ingredients than you should, or that your dessert plates look more like plates of unformed sugar lumps, maybe it's time to look into some pastry schools. You can choose from night courses that are as much as 12 or 15 hours in length, or mini courses that give you a few hours of tips and tricks to help you with your puff pastry endeavours. Whether you are interested in pastry checf jobs, or simply as a hobby, it never hurts to hone your skills. Whatever you decide to do, just remember: there's nothing wrong with spending a little quiet time in the kitchen, even if you did forget why you wandered there in the first place. Finding Restaurant Jobs through Alternative MeansHow about an alternative way of finding restaurant jobs? Instead of going straight to the want ads, or the employment classifieds, why not go to the source? Pick up as many restaurant guides as you can and start flipping through the pages. Look for new restaurants that may be looking for qualified chefs. Position yourself for a career in a high end restaurant by browsing through the Zagat Survey. This survey is intended to provide reliable reviews and ratings off all the top restaurants in the world! You won't find any fast food burger joints here. Once you've narrowed down a few restaurant choices, try to get out and visit the establishment. Have a meal or two. Pay attention to the atmosphere. Who are the restaurant's patrons? Are they mostly families, single professionals, young or mature? What about the pace? Take a look around and pay attention to the staff. Are they ultra-serious or does it appear they enjoy what they do? All of these things are indicators you should use as a gauge. You'll know if it's a place you'd like to work or not simply by immersing yourself in the atmosphere. If it's not your atmosphere, move on. On the other hand, if you're immediately intrigued, introduce yourself, put forward your resume and portfolio, and let it be known that you're in the market for a restaurant job. Confidence Building 101You've seen the chefs on television, or in famous restaurants. Just think back to the workshops held in class with executive chefs. Chances are they oozed confidence, skills, and intelligence. These chefs really knew what they were talking about. They've lived. They've experienced. Many of them have travelled and worked in different parts of the world. This is what it takes to reach that caliber of professionalism. So don't beat yourself up as a recent graduate of a culinary institute. It takes time to reach that point, and whether you reach it or not is completely up to you. Not every culinary institute graduate will become the esteemed guest lecturer at colleges and universities. Not every culinary institute graduate will become famous television personalities, or open restaurants that will become world renowned. That's okay! As you start to build your culinary skills and real-world experience, keep in mind that there is a special niche for you. If you know who you are as a person, where your strengths lie, and what you want to get out of your new career, the rest will fall into place. Everyone has moments of doubt, and sometimes the only way to propel your self forward is by taking a giant leap of faith. If you're a graduate of the French Culinary Institute, you've had the advantage of learning from the best. The best of the best graduate from New York culinary schools. You're more than prepared to take that first step into the real world. Finding the Perfect Restaurant JobOkay, so you've graduated from culinary school and it's time to start looking for a job. Restaurant jobs can be found at any work placement agency, or through online job searches. Before you start responding to restaurant job ads, make sure you're prepared. 1) Have a portfolio ready. Your portfolio should include things like photographs of some of your culinary creations, sample menus you've created, and a resume listing all of your previous work experience (including voluntary internships) and a list of professional chefs or instructors who've mentored you. 2) Be prepared for an eventual interview. Wear nice clothes. Be well groomed. 3) Ask questions! Keep a list of pertinent questions to ask your potential employer after the interview is over. The jury is still out on whether it's appropriate to ask what the salary will be at the interview stage. Some say to wait until the job has been offered. What you could do is ask for a sample salary range. That way, you're not coming right out and saying, “What are you going to pay me?” 4) Remember, there's no rule on how many interviews you can go to. If restaurant jobs are what you're after, take as many interviews as you can. 5) Waiting to hear from a specific employer? If other people are phoning and giving you offers in the meantime, it's okay to take a day or two to make your decision. Restaurant jobs are out there, so don't feel pressured to take the first one that comes along. Play your cards, ask the questions, and position yourself into a restaurant that offers career advancement. Hoping for the Best; Planning for the WorstIf you're a culinary institute student moving into Level 4 of your training, it's time to put on your management hat on because you're going to be making some big decisions. First there's a large buffet to plan for, weekly menus to prepare, and ingredients to order. At this stage of the game, you'll be evaluated on everything you do, from the traffic flow you create to the way you and your team organize and create menus for the college staff. There are a lot of things that can go right, and a lot of things that can go wrong. Always be prepared for the things that can go wrong. For students in At this stage of the game, you're really going to be in the thick of things. You've aced the mid-terms and you're moving quickly into the drama and theatre of the culinary arts. It's time to think on your feet, utilize your problem-solving skills, and stay focused.
Starting a Restaurant FranchiseInterested in opening your own restaurant franchise? The first thing you're going to need is cold hard cash. If you've already got in mind a specific franchise, don't just visit their website for information, make sure to have a look at the American Franchise Association's website. At least at that particular site you'll get some good unbiased advice and information to get you started. Which franchise you buy and the franchise location are two things that will determine the success of the business. Before signing on the dotted line, it's important to have an understanding of the local market, interest, demand, economy, and reasonable expectation of success. Prepare to work long hours as you get your restaurant franchise established. Every restaurant management skill you learned in culinary school is going to be exercised with this new venture. Once the walls are up, the staff is hired, and restaurant supplies are in place, it's time to hit the streets. Visit local businesses with coupons to get people in the door. Don't be the franchise owner who hides out back or worse, at home. Make yourself visible; take a walk through the restaurant to check on patrons. Roll up your sleeves and make yourself visible. Beating the competition can be as simple as good old fashioned customer service. How to Become a Food Critic in New York CityYou can be a food critic anywhere, but the place in the world to learn how to become a food critic is in New York City. Why? New York City is the culinary melting pot of cuisine diversity. Everything and anything is available for consumption. Trendy health food hot spots hug the curves of the corner delicatessen. If there are unique food trends to write about, you'll find them in New York City. So, if your desire is to become a food critic, start by networking with the pros. Take a course at a New York cooking school. Ask your instructors what magazines they've been published in, who they know, and what else they've done in the publishing industry. By talking up your desire to become a food critic, you're more likely to find connections. Don't be shy. Show your instructors a few samples of your writing, create a portfolio of your culinary and writing accomplishments, and create packages to send to magazines. If you're targeting magazines, keep in mind that many of the large glossies hire their own staff writers and may not accept freelance submissions. Building your portfolio of writing clips is easier if you start small and work your way up. The funny thing about writing (whether it's writing as a food critic, or writing freelance articles on health food) is the snowball effect. The more you get published, the easier it will be to get more writing assignments. And so on. The Business Side of a Culinary CareerNot every graduate of culinary art school goes on to restaurant management. Not everyone owns a restaurant empire either. As you work your way through college, you'll soon find your groove. You'll settle into your cooking strengths and those strengths are what should mold your career choices. For example, maybe your thing is catering. You don't have to own a restaurant to do that. All you need is an inspected and approved kitchen and, of course, clients. Running a catering business isn't a one man show. You'll need to hire and pay staff, order restaurant supplies, keep a tight schedule, manage your revenue and expenses, etc. Wait a minute! Maybe it is a lot like restaurant management. The key is doing what you love. In your own restaurant, you create the menu and recipes. When you're running a catering business, the client pretty much dictates the menu. Of course, you can create a menu roster that clients can choose from. The point is, as a graduate of culinary school, you have career options that don't always have to result in restaurant management. However, having a few business courses under your belt will help tremendously. No matter what culinary career you get into, those business skills will be invaluable. Restaurant Management - Avoiding the PitfallsThe best way to ease into restaurant management is to start small, especially if this is your first time owning and operating your own business. There are many reasons why new businesses fail, but one of the top reasons is because people start too big. They get in over their heads, can't afford what they have, and haven't planned for the unexpected. Restaurant management is probably one of the hardest types of businesses to run. Think about your favourite restaurant. How many hours is it open during the week? Restaurants don't operate like banks. They might not open until late morning, but they stay open until the wee hours. When you're first starting out in the restaurant management game, you're going to be investing every waking hour into that business. You don't have to, but if you want to success it's the only way. Don't be discouraged! If you've already made it through culinary school, you know what it takes to succeed in restaurant management. Still, it helps to have some insight from someone who's already made it happen. Keep in touch with college alumni to find out how they succeeded in restaurant management. Ask for advice. Find out what mistakes they made, and what they did right. As a culinary arts student, you probably already understand that team work is what makes it happen. Use a little of that team work attitude to ask for help if you need it. There's no crime in asking for advice and it just might save you time and money in the long term |
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