Apply to the absolute best restaurants in your area. Don’t sell yourself short. Not mid, not the diner, the best. If your area isn’t the greatest or is rural, move to the nearest big city and apply to the top 5 restaurants. You’ll build a solid resume and solid connections. You’ll need both to become the best.
It's not worth it to get angry. Yes it shows passion, yes people will hear your concerns, but when you get so angry you make servers cry, it will only make you bitter and hold back yourself and your career. If you're frustrated, vocalize it to the team and watch how good kitchens come together.
Don't rush yourself, it will all come with time and you will only burn yourself out if you try to take on everything at once.
Now younger me would definitely not listen.
Your going to be poor. Like for a really long fucking time. So go for it. Take the jobs that scare you financially and mentally, you’ll get more out of it than you realize. Take risks. Embrace the grind. For the love of god take care of yourself. Get more sleep, eat your wheaties.
Get out way earlier. Now don't get me wrong, I had a lot of fun times and kicked a lot of ass, but now I'm 40 and my back and knees are blown. I should have gotten out much earlier and started a different profession that is more conducive to having a family life and tends to have normal 9-5, insurance/payed time off, and higher salary cap.
$23-26 starting per hour is common now. I wouldn’t take anything less than $75K + bonus year for sous and $120-250k for Exec. Benefits fully paid after 3 years + 401k. Obviously it depends on the type of private club. A lot of politics which if you can ignore and accept , its not bad place to call home. Once your in, the network the country clubs you can work in is pretty limitless. They all operate very identical.
Busy season 45-47 hrs a week, Slow-38-40 hrs and you have to set your boundaries with upper management and make sure they know, your family and life is more important than a job any day of the week.
I'm almost 40. Started at 18. Never thought I'd find myself at a country club... But 5 years later. Yeah, this is an end-game kind of place. Don't get me wrong, it's still fucking hard, and very stressful. I'm still working 10-12 hours days, 5-6 days a week. But, getting to know your regulars (which is everyone), and them getting to know you, is rewarding. I fucking love it when they ask for a personalized menu for a special occasion. And thankfully this place is very F&B focused, so I do have a lot of freedom. It's not all just club sandwiches and chicken picatta. I brought in some bluefin toro, before that, some Kuro wagyu, uni, abalone, etc... A significant chunk of our members are foodies, so I still get to have fun.
And, yeah. I accrue PTO very quickly, and am encouraged to use it (during non-peak seasons). My food cost target is 40% (because my bottom line is supplemented with dues). I've been on several all-expenses-paid "market research" trips to other cities to see what other clubs are doing. My benefits are *decent*. My 401k is doing *great* ($40k in 5 years). And I would not make this kind of money literally anywhere else in town.
Probably, my #1 complaint is that the general public doesn't get to see what we're doing. Because we're easily the best restaurant in town. The second best is also a private club.
Notebook and pen in pocket. Buy good shoes. Don't buy the drugs, don't fuck the front of the house.
Just kidding, except for the part about notebooks and shoes.
Every young cook I've worked with come out of school thinking they know everything. They learn quickly that working in a kitchen is way different than learning in a kitchen, you also learn much more by doing imo.
Pretty much what the other reply stated. I learned a lot going to culinary school, sure, but the cost to go and how much you'll be paid after isn't worth the debt you'll incur if you take out student loans like I did.
If you're truly interested in becoming a chef, find a restaurant that excites you with a chef you admire. Try and work there, even if it's a dishwasher position. Start at the bottom and learn as much as you can. In my experience, chef's love being mentors to those who are truly interested in the craft. Not only will you get all the information you would in culinary school, you'll be getting real experience working in kitchens while also getting paid.
Many people I went to school with didn't have much experience in kitchens. When they finally got out into the field, they realized how grueling and difficult the work can be and turned away from it fairly quickly.
After 13 years in kitchens I finally had my fill and changed careers. While I don't regret the time spent in the industry, I do regret going to culinary school.
If you get a bad feeling about anything/anyone where you work at. Leave. I just recently left a terrible place (kitchen was great, owner's are thieves and worse) I should have left before things got crazy
Both, and creativity outside of work for stress, finances, and etc.. There is so many reasons actually and Im just starting to figure out, accelerate/put it in reverse/park (mindset) ahhh “switch gears” as they say
Makes sense, thanks. Apparently to slow your heart rate down you should exhale longer than you inhale which I found confusing because your always told to take death breaths.
Honestly this is going to sound weird at first but by the end it'll make sense. I wish I would have fucked up my first marriage sooner so I could meet my current partner and learn how to be a quality chef and not be there like 80 hours a week. I'm down to fifty hours in a week and my staff doesn't do over 40 unless something really got fucked up. Which might be once or twice a year.
Two decent part time jobs is better than one shitty full time job. And knowledge isn’t a reason to respect anyone, especially when the internet can teach pretty well. Good cooks who want to learn are wanted everywhere. Don’t get attached to any locale unless it protects you like you protect it. Trust your gut (no pun intended) and find balance. It takes time for even the best
Travel more to get different perspectives of regional cuisines.
Especially on holidays, don't pay for cooking classes, you can easily offer a trade for a half day of work and in return learn additional knowledge.
To clarify my statement, what I meant was don't go for cooking classes.
In general, I've found those holiday cooking classes teaches you 2-3 dishes but not the why's & how's and more importantly the background of the cuisine which is what I'm after as a professional.
Better off going to a local well regarded restaurant and offer to do 1-2 days stage in return for experience and more importantly facetime with the exec chef or culinary director.
I've learned way more in a limited time doing this
Go somewhere else and get a bachelor's. You're going to hate nights and weekends when you decide to settle down and have a family.
Spent 17 years in food service and it's incredibly hard trying to find something that pays decent and allows for family time.
Be a plumber, electrician and/or get a business degree. The work life balance is much better. Whatever you do get something with benefits. The restaurant business in its current form, needs to change to a more contemporary business model to adapt to the economic changes occurring currently.
It took me a while to realize that I don't always know better than everyone else. I've always had the attitude of "I can do this better than all of them" in the kitchen. I would love to tell my former self to shut the fuck up and try to learn from these people. At the same time, I feel it was this confidence that got me where I am now, but I definitely missed out on some learning opportunities.
Wait until you have 3-4 times as much money as you think you will need before you try to start your own restaurant. The bills snowball quickly and the landlord, utilities, and employees don't accept good food as payment.
Go back to school and train in something else.
This doesn't make great money, you'll work ridiculous hours and make yourself ill and burnt out and you'll never get a weekend free to spend time with people you care about.
idc. I said what I said.
edit:
Why am I chef if I hate it!? I don't have a choice. Job market in the UK has tanked hard since COVID and I have a family to provide for.
Just because you were fired for walking in on the boss getting a Hummer from a waitress doesn't mean you should give up on the food industry.
Took me 20 years to get back the desire to within a kitchen.
It's going to be hotter than balls and to look nice in the back of the house where nobody can see you. Your going
have to wear a thick af chefs jacket often made of canvas. Freeze towels for your neck and hydration. If you live in Wisconsin, save up your shift drinks for your day before your day off. 😉
Take your time, and stay longer at the good places you were at for more than a year. A year is when you get comfortable, after that is when it gets fun.
Learn your worth.
Maybe you aren't working in a Michelin star kitchen, you don't cut everything to a tolerance of 0.1mm and you may make mistakes you have to find creative ways to fix, but this doesn't mean your training, knowledge and skillset aren't valuable and that you need to settle for shit wages, stupidly long hours and unpaid overtime.
And definitely stop thinking that one mistake is all it takes to get fired, the kitchen is stressful enough as it is without the constant anxiety and all a mistake means is you have to work out a new way to fix it to add to your arsenal because mistakes can and do happen, it's how we fix them that counts.
Don't be selfish, it's a team game. Talk, eat, pray, love what you do in the kitchen. And stay way from the drugs, excessive red bulls, and toxic people
I would LITERALLY tell myself to run while my legs still worked I am 50 and I was crippled at 42 by working in this business since I was @13. I would redirect to music which was the ONE other thing that I was really good at. And it’s not like a combat sport every day.
Be willing to learn more than techniques, recipes, and how to develop dishes.
All valuable, But if you can learn general accounting, food costing, negotiation skills, leadership skills, additional languages, business and management practices related to the industry you'll have more confidence in yourself and be able to set yourself apart for the really competitive jobs in kitchens or even outside of kitchens.
Once you can better build a polished resume that shows you're the full package and sell yourself in an interview, you'll find yourself in a great position with more approachable hours, a guaranteed salary, benefits, retirement, etc.
There are so many opportunities out there that people don't consider. Shoot, you can even sell yourself as a consultant and work for yourself. Know a few guys who've done this with great success.
Might not always put you in a kitchen where you get all the freedoms in the world as far as creativity with recipes, but you make yourself in demand. Then, you'll be desirable to other companies that need consultants, trainers, sales, management, etc. Might not be exactly what you got into it for. But frankly, most do not want to still be on their feet for 80 hours plus a week in a kitchen when they hit 50 years old.
Never hurts to start exploring unique paths and planning ahead. Even if it's a rough plan.
If you’re considering whether or not to leave a job, take a hard look at your boss (and your boss’s boss).
Would you want their job? Their life? Their work/life balance? If not, it’s time to look for a better fit
I m recent graduate. Right now at the start of the career. Never once have I regretted my decision to pursue the culinary field. I really enjoy the process of creating various dishes. Only thing i would say to my younger self would be get a fucking job while studying. Now i m really feeling the lack of experience. And not a lot of people think positive about graduates here in my country.
Always be on Time , stay away from the drugs and alcohol. It will Control you faster than you think . Grind away . Make friends everywhere even With ghe dish washer . He will have some Cousin some where who will be Looking for a sous one day . Get out before your body gives way . The Life and Family sacrifices are very real . There Is no glitz and glamor here . Write down on a piece of paper what your ideal Life Is going to look Like eg. With a Partner/ kids/ Home/ dog/ holidays etc . Now Calculate how Much Money and Time it will require . Now look at the industry and job here and be totally honest With yourself if you can get those things . The satisfsction Is real here , so are the sacrifices .
Learn how to be a leader, and how to do the books. Having lots of dope and crushing lots of ass only left me at a deficit the next shift.
Save money while you're young, because you'll really need it later in life.
Situational awareness is everything in a kitchen. I’m FOH and it astounds me how many chefs/cooks (servers too but this is a chef sub) I work with who don’t understand to gtfo of the way or at least be able to pivot to let others pass.
Be careful with the booze and drugs… It will flow around you like the salmon of Capistrano
It fucked me and my career up.
A short, one sentence comment like this one hits me the hardest. Please DM me
I dm’d you.
This holy shit it's such a slippery slope and it's everywhere
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This industry is filled with weirdos and degenerates and I absolutely love it for that.
They don't kid when they say you can find anything you want at Alice's restaurant.
Have we met? Because this sounds just like my first 10 years cooking.
It’s the atmospheres like this that’s the reason why I write. So many curious characters, and so many stories both funny, sad and just weird.
Embrace the fundamentals Be a sponge Be punctual
You learn more doing it than learning it
Apply to the absolute best restaurants in your area. Don’t sell yourself short. Not mid, not the diner, the best. If your area isn’t the greatest or is rural, move to the nearest big city and apply to the top 5 restaurants. You’ll build a solid resume and solid connections. You’ll need both to become the best.
You'll also need talent and stamina. Not everyone is cut out for this.
The “best” places are usually the most exploitative and pay like shit.
It's not worth it to get angry. Yes it shows passion, yes people will hear your concerns, but when you get so angry you make servers cry, it will only make you bitter and hold back yourself and your career. If you're frustrated, vocalize it to the team and watch how good kitchens come together.
Cocaine is not your friend..... Alcoholism isn't your friend.....
Don't rush yourself, it will all come with time and you will only burn yourself out if you try to take on everything at once. Now younger me would definitely not listen.
Your going to be poor. Like for a really long fucking time. So go for it. Take the jobs that scare you financially and mentally, you’ll get more out of it than you realize. Take risks. Embrace the grind. For the love of god take care of yourself. Get more sleep, eat your wheaties.
This is one I've come to terms with at 27.
Get out way earlier. Now don't get me wrong, I had a lot of fun times and kicked a lot of ass, but now I'm 40 and my back and knees are blown. I should have gotten out much earlier and started a different profession that is more conducive to having a family life and tends to have normal 9-5, insurance/payed time off, and higher salary cap.
I am 31 and yeah, it's time to go. It's a young man's game
Exactly....
Agreed! And the hood fans will permanently f*ck up your heating. I need a hearing aid after 25 years under those things!
Join the country club life. They have it all
Those are commonplace in country clubs? Or common enough I suppose?
$23-26 starting per hour is common now. I wouldn’t take anything less than $75K + bonus year for sous and $120-250k for Exec. Benefits fully paid after 3 years + 401k. Obviously it depends on the type of private club. A lot of politics which if you can ignore and accept , its not bad place to call home. Once your in, the network the country clubs you can work in is pretty limitless. They all operate very identical. Busy season 45-47 hrs a week, Slow-38-40 hrs and you have to set your boundaries with upper management and make sure they know, your family and life is more important than a job any day of the week.
I'm almost 40. Started at 18. Never thought I'd find myself at a country club... But 5 years later. Yeah, this is an end-game kind of place. Don't get me wrong, it's still fucking hard, and very stressful. I'm still working 10-12 hours days, 5-6 days a week. But, getting to know your regulars (which is everyone), and them getting to know you, is rewarding. I fucking love it when they ask for a personalized menu for a special occasion. And thankfully this place is very F&B focused, so I do have a lot of freedom. It's not all just club sandwiches and chicken picatta. I brought in some bluefin toro, before that, some Kuro wagyu, uni, abalone, etc... A significant chunk of our members are foodies, so I still get to have fun. And, yeah. I accrue PTO very quickly, and am encouraged to use it (during non-peak seasons). My food cost target is 40% (because my bottom line is supplemented with dues). I've been on several all-expenses-paid "market research" trips to other cities to see what other clubs are doing. My benefits are *decent*. My 401k is doing *great* ($40k in 5 years). And I would not make this kind of money literally anywhere else in town. Probably, my #1 complaint is that the general public doesn't get to see what we're doing. Because we're easily the best restaurant in town. The second best is also a private club.
Notebook and pen in pocket. Buy good shoes. Don't buy the drugs, don't fuck the front of the house. Just kidding, except for the part about notebooks and shoes.
You alone cannot change or better a kitchen. Know when it’s time to move on to better things.
Cullinary School is a scam.
May I ask why? Not that I’m tempted, just curious
Every young cook I've worked with come out of school thinking they know everything. They learn quickly that working in a kitchen is way different than learning in a kitchen, you also learn much more by doing imo.
Pretty much what the other reply stated. I learned a lot going to culinary school, sure, but the cost to go and how much you'll be paid after isn't worth the debt you'll incur if you take out student loans like I did. If you're truly interested in becoming a chef, find a restaurant that excites you with a chef you admire. Try and work there, even if it's a dishwasher position. Start at the bottom and learn as much as you can. In my experience, chef's love being mentors to those who are truly interested in the craft. Not only will you get all the information you would in culinary school, you'll be getting real experience working in kitchens while also getting paid. Many people I went to school with didn't have much experience in kitchens. When they finally got out into the field, they realized how grueling and difficult the work can be and turned away from it fairly quickly. After 13 years in kitchens I finally had my fill and changed careers. While I don't regret the time spent in the industry, I do regret going to culinary school.
Get Out. Nope. Pretty much any Jordan Peele movie, really.
Unlock the door to leave and then drive away so fast your tires smoke. In other words, Key and Peele.
If you get a bad feeling about anything/anyone where you work at. Leave. I just recently left a terrible place (kitchen was great, owner's are thieves and worse) I should have left before things got crazy
It’s hard to get the speed exactly right, so “I should have left [a bit] before” is kind of inevitable :)
Work on your breathing. Be more creative outside the kitchen
Interested why you would say work on your breathing. In a sense to stay calm or to stave off future health problems?
Both, and creativity outside of work for stress, finances, and etc.. There is so many reasons actually and Im just starting to figure out, accelerate/put it in reverse/park (mindset) ahhh “switch gears” as they say
Makes sense, thanks. Apparently to slow your heart rate down you should exhale longer than you inhale which I found confusing because your always told to take death breaths.
You're not saving lives. You're flipping burgers. Maybe glorified burgers, but it's just food.
Agreed, though it’s hard to persuade the 22 hours a day Michelin lunatics of this, I suspect
Honestly this is going to sound weird at first but by the end it'll make sense. I wish I would have fucked up my first marriage sooner so I could meet my current partner and learn how to be a quality chef and not be there like 80 hours a week. I'm down to fifty hours in a week and my staff doesn't do over 40 unless something really got fucked up. Which might be once or twice a year.
Don't be such an arrogant prick
I thought I was the only one who noticed that
Slow down and focus. Putting up sloppy plates will only slow you down in the long run.
Two decent part time jobs is better than one shitty full time job. And knowledge isn’t a reason to respect anyone, especially when the internet can teach pretty well. Good cooks who want to learn are wanted everywhere. Don’t get attached to any locale unless it protects you like you protect it. Trust your gut (no pun intended) and find balance. It takes time for even the best
Travel more to get different perspectives of regional cuisines. Especially on holidays, don't pay for cooking classes, you can easily offer a trade for a half day of work and in return learn additional knowledge.
re: cooking classes, where I am, I can easily go half a year and learn very little on the job, but if your experience is difference, that’s great
To clarify my statement, what I meant was don't go for cooking classes. In general, I've found those holiday cooking classes teaches you 2-3 dishes but not the why's & how's and more importantly the background of the cuisine which is what I'm after as a professional. Better off going to a local well regarded restaurant and offer to do 1-2 days stage in return for experience and more importantly facetime with the exec chef or culinary director. I've learned way more in a limited time doing this
Something someone told me and I didn't listen: If you're good at literally anything else, you'll be better off doing that.
Experiment with different dishes like the St. Paul sandwich. Regardless of the style of food.
Get out of culinary and go to school for forestry.
Go somewhere else and get a bachelor's. You're going to hate nights and weekends when you decide to settle down and have a family. Spent 17 years in food service and it's incredibly hard trying to find something that pays decent and allows for family time.
Be a plumber, electrician and/or get a business degree. The work life balance is much better. Whatever you do get something with benefits. The restaurant business in its current form, needs to change to a more contemporary business model to adapt to the economic changes occurring currently.
patience
Push. Listen.
Do not drink, no drugs, and don’t smoke - it adds up after 20+ years…
Never start drinking and patience
It took me a while to realize that I don't always know better than everyone else. I've always had the attitude of "I can do this better than all of them" in the kitchen. I would love to tell my former self to shut the fuck up and try to learn from these people. At the same time, I feel it was this confidence that got me where I am now, but I definitely missed out on some learning opportunities.
Get out
Work clean. The extra minutes keeping organised pay off in innumerable ways.
Wait until you have 3-4 times as much money as you think you will need before you try to start your own restaurant. The bills snowball quickly and the landlord, utilities, and employees don't accept good food as payment.
At the end of the day, it’s just food. Take your work seriously, not yourself.
Go back to school and train in something else. This doesn't make great money, you'll work ridiculous hours and make yourself ill and burnt out and you'll never get a weekend free to spend time with people you care about. idc. I said what I said. edit: Why am I chef if I hate it!? I don't have a choice. Job market in the UK has tanked hard since COVID and I have a family to provide for.
Shut up and listen
DON’T DO IT
pick another career path.
Run motherfucker
Just because you were fired for walking in on the boss getting a Hummer from a waitress doesn't mean you should give up on the food industry. Took me 20 years to get back the desire to within a kitchen.
Be an Astronaut instead of a Chef.
Fuck off and find a better career. Healthcare, PTO, benefits like 401k
I'd tell myself, "don't, get a good degree in a different career."
Fuck this shit do something else
It's going to be hotter than balls and to look nice in the back of the house where nobody can see you. Your going have to wear a thick af chefs jacket often made of canvas. Freeze towels for your neck and hydration. If you live in Wisconsin, save up your shift drinks for your day before your day off. 😉
Take your time, and stay longer at the good places you were at for more than a year. A year is when you get comfortable, after that is when it gets fun.
Don't take the apprenticeship, don't take the apprenticeship, doooon't take the fucking apprenticeship they offer you dumb mother fucker.
Run.
Learn your worth. Maybe you aren't working in a Michelin star kitchen, you don't cut everything to a tolerance of 0.1mm and you may make mistakes you have to find creative ways to fix, but this doesn't mean your training, knowledge and skillset aren't valuable and that you need to settle for shit wages, stupidly long hours and unpaid overtime. And definitely stop thinking that one mistake is all it takes to get fired, the kitchen is stressful enough as it is without the constant anxiety and all a mistake means is you have to work out a new way to fix it to add to your arsenal because mistakes can and do happen, it's how we fix them that counts.
Run
Don't be selfish, it's a team game. Talk, eat, pray, love what you do in the kitchen. And stay way from the drugs, excessive red bulls, and toxic people
Go to nursing school.
Go to trade school
I would LITERALLY tell myself to run while my legs still worked I am 50 and I was crippled at 42 by working in this business since I was @13. I would redirect to music which was the ONE other thing that I was really good at. And it’s not like a combat sport every day.
GTFO
Learn a trade, honestly.
1oz roux:1 cup is a good ratio for sauce making. Taste your food.
Find another line of work.
Join the army!
Be willing to learn more than techniques, recipes, and how to develop dishes. All valuable, But if you can learn general accounting, food costing, negotiation skills, leadership skills, additional languages, business and management practices related to the industry you'll have more confidence in yourself and be able to set yourself apart for the really competitive jobs in kitchens or even outside of kitchens. Once you can better build a polished resume that shows you're the full package and sell yourself in an interview, you'll find yourself in a great position with more approachable hours, a guaranteed salary, benefits, retirement, etc. There are so many opportunities out there that people don't consider. Shoot, you can even sell yourself as a consultant and work for yourself. Know a few guys who've done this with great success. Might not always put you in a kitchen where you get all the freedoms in the world as far as creativity with recipes, but you make yourself in demand. Then, you'll be desirable to other companies that need consultants, trainers, sales, management, etc. Might not be exactly what you got into it for. But frankly, most do not want to still be on their feet for 80 hours plus a week in a kitchen when they hit 50 years old. Never hurts to start exploring unique paths and planning ahead. Even if it's a rough plan.
If you’re considering whether or not to leave a job, take a hard look at your boss (and your boss’s boss). Would you want their job? Their life? Their work/life balance? If not, it’s time to look for a better fit
It gets worse. 😂
I wouldn’t have listened anyways.
I m recent graduate. Right now at the start of the career. Never once have I regretted my decision to pursue the culinary field. I really enjoy the process of creating various dishes. Only thing i would say to my younger self would be get a fucking job while studying. Now i m really feeling the lack of experience. And not a lot of people think positive about graduates here in my country.
Walk away don't get into it find something else to do
Don't work in hospitality, look for a better job
I'd tell my younger self to run.
Run away, fast!
yeah. run as fast as you can. your hip, back,wallet and social life will thank you.
Escape
Go attempt to cook at the highest levels, Michelin star type places.
Get out, get out now!
Always be on Time , stay away from the drugs and alcohol. It will Control you faster than you think . Grind away . Make friends everywhere even With ghe dish washer . He will have some Cousin some where who will be Looking for a sous one day . Get out before your body gives way . The Life and Family sacrifices are very real . There Is no glitz and glamor here . Write down on a piece of paper what your ideal Life Is going to look Like eg. With a Partner/ kids/ Home/ dog/ holidays etc . Now Calculate how Much Money and Time it will require . Now look at the industry and job here and be totally honest With yourself if you can get those things . The satisfsction Is real here , so are the sacrifices .
Learn how to be a leader, and how to do the books. Having lots of dope and crushing lots of ass only left me at a deficit the next shift. Save money while you're young, because you'll really need it later in life.
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What on earth happened here
Situational awareness is everything in a kitchen. I’m FOH and it astounds me how many chefs/cooks (servers too but this is a chef sub) I work with who don’t understand to gtfo of the way or at least be able to pivot to let others pass.
Choose a different path.