Chef Jobs are the jobs meant for those working in Hotels and restaurants. We all love to dine outside in a restaurant. It is one of the better things in our life. We go with our friends, with our family or take our girlfriend on a date. In fact, restaurants are one of the favorite places outside for all of us.
But none of us have ever cared to know the men behind such a delicious meal. The gourmet’s delight. We come to the same restaurant again and again for the same food. We praise it while giving our feedback. Yet none of us have ever seen the man who cooked such a delicious meal for us.
These men are called the Chefs.
Who Are the Chefs?
All the activities related to the kitchen are handled by a professional culinarian known as the Chef. Chef Jobs includes managing the staff to deciding the weekly menu and preparing good quality food. It also includes hygiene in the kitchen.
Chef Jobs
Here are the roles and responsibilities of the chef in the kitchen.
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Supervision
The chef is responsible for supervising staff during food preparation and presentation.He instructs and guides his staff.
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Menu Planning
The menu planning is done by the chef to attract the customers. He instructs the staff on how to plan and prepare the menu.
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Managing the record
It is the responsibility of chefs to keep a record of all the ingredients required in the preparation of the food.
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Managing Staff
The chefs are responsible for hiring and managing the staff. He delegates the task to the staff and sees that they implement his instructions properly.
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Maintaining the quality of food
It is the responsibility of the chef to maintain good food quality. He has to check the quality of the ingredients used when the dish is being prepared. He has the authority to approve or reject a dish after checking its taste.
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Hygiene in Kitchen
A chef monitors the sanitary practices in the kitchen and ensures that all the staff present in the kitchen fools them.
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Budgeting
The chef coordinates the planning, budgeting, and or purchasing of all food items in the hotel or restaurants.
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Food Presentation
The chef is responsible for how to present the food to the customers and create decorative displays.
The Chefs are the King of the Kitchen. The whole reputation of a hotel, restaurant, or any eating joint big or small is dependent on the quality of Chef it has.
Types of Culinary Arts
It is important for one to be aware of various types of culinary art in case he wants to pursue a career as a chef.
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Commis Chef Jobs
Commis Chef is an assistant cook that helps the main chef to prepare food.
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Chef de Partie Jobs
Chef de partie also called line chef or Station chef oversees a section of the kitchen with many chefs working under him in a particular area of production like pastry, butchery, vegetables, etc.
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Pastry Chef Jobs
The Pastry Chef creates pastry, pies, and cakes. He decorates them and then presents deserts to the customers in an engaging manner.
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Bakers Chef Jobs
Bakers Chef are the chefs who have expertise in creating baked food.
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Saucier or Saute Chef Jobs
Saucier or Saute Chef specializes in the process of procurement to delivery of Sauces. They also prepare soups and gravy for a particular dish.
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Sous Chef Jobs
The Sous Chef is second in command directly working under the head chef. He is responsible for executing the planning as per instructions.
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Chef de Cuisine Jobs or Head Chef Jobs
Chef de Cuisine is the master of the kitchen. He is also called the Head Chef. He plans the menu, chooses the ingredients, selects and inspects the cooking materials.
What is Culinary Art?
Culinary art is the talent for cooking required in the chef job..A Culinary artist is the one who studies recipes and prepares high-quality dishes.
Culinary art includes baking, preparing food, supervising the kitchen, presentation of the food on the plate.
In case you have the talent and inclination for cooking, then Culinary Career is the right career option for you. This is an ideal profession for those who want to work in the food and beverage industry.
The one who masters the culinary art is known as the Culinarian, Culinary artist, or Chefs.
A few of the well-known professionals in the world of culinary art are Gordon James, Jamie Oliver, Wolfgang Puck, Sanjeev Kapoor, and Marco Pierre White.
A brief History of Culinary arts
The History of Culinary art might have begun about 2 million years ago when the first meal was cooked on the fire.
With the evolution of man the culinary techniques improved. The introduction of earthenware and stoneware, the domestication of livestock, and advancement in agriculture led to the advancement in culinary art techniques.
The chefs evolved into professional chefs from just being home-based chefs.
They were employed in the royal kitchen of kings and aristocrats. The wealthy employed them.
The end of the Monarchy in most parts of the world led to the employment of chefs in hotels and inns. Now the culinary art developed into a separate field of study.
The world’s first cooking institution was founded in 1879, in the United States, The Boston Cooking School. The standardization of cooking practices took place in this institution and laid the groundwork for the culinary art schools.
It was in 1929, that the American Culinary Federation was founded with the mission to educate students through apprenticeship and certifications. It became an assemblage of the United States Chef club. The second culinary school, Johnson & Wales University, opened its College of Culinary Arts in 1973.
The Cuisine from the Indian subcontinent consisted of cuisine that is rich and diverse. India’s diverse climate ranging from deep tropical to alpine also helped broaden the set of ingredients readily available to the many schools of culinary arts in the country..
Today we have different cuisine from all 29 states in India with their unique taste and flavor.. A few of the famous Indian cuisines are Kashmiri cuisine, Punjabi cuisine, Rajasthani cuisine, Bengali cuisine, Kerala cuisine, Maharashtrian cuisine, Goan cuisine, Hyderabadi cuisine, Gujarati cuisine, and many more.
How can you become a Chef?
In order to pursue a career as chef you must possess or acquire certain specific skills. With training from reputed institutions in Hotel management and catering technology, a chef can exhibit the right skills in a successful manner and get successful placements in good hotels and restaurants.
Skills for becoming a chef
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Physical Strength
A chef has to undergo a lot of physical stress as he has to stand in the kitchen for hours. He has to focus on cooking and work under pressure.
- Dexterity
A chef has to show both physical and mental dexterity as there has to be a continuous movement both in his arms and fingers while doing his work as well as he has to think smoothly sometimes outside the box and must have a strong presence of mind.
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Time Management
As a chef, you will be under constant pressure to deliver in a short time. You must be able to prepare, present and deliver dishes to your customers in a short span of time.
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Leadership
You must be able to exhibit strong leadership and organizational skills while managing the staff working under you. A chef must be able to delegate responsibilities, give proper instruction and supervise his staff.
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Teamwork
As a chef, you must be able to work in a team. You must be able to communicate and coordinate effectively with your teammates in the kitchen.
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Patience and Resilience
A chef must exhibit both patience and resilience while preparing food, especially during rush hour.
Key skills required for Culinary Arts
- Cooking and Baking arts
- Garnishing
- Knife skills
- Food Carving
- Plate Presentation
- Food Photography
- Restaurant Management
A Step by Step guide to becoming Chef
Step 1:Complete your Post Secondary school (10+2) with a minimum of 50% in any stream.
Step 2:Get a Diploma or Degree in Culinary Arts.
- You can get a Diploma in Culinary arts which may be from one and a half years to two and a half years.
- You can get a BA in Culinary art for three to four years. In case you want to go further, you can go for a postgraduate degree in Culinary Arts.
Entrance Exams for Graduation in Culinary Arts
Here are a few of the best entrance exams for culinary arts which you should take to become a chef:
- Maharashtra Common Entrance Test-MH CET 2021·
- Uttar Pradesh State Entrance Exam-UPSEE 2021
- National Council for Hotel Management and Catering Technology Joint Entrance Examination-NCHMCT JEE 2021
- All India Management Association Under Graduate Aptitude Test-AIMA UGAT 2021
- LPUNEST-LPUNEST 2021
- Quantum University Entrance Test-Q Care 2021
- Vels Entrance Examination-VEE 2021·
- Siksha O Anusandhan University Admission Test-SAAT 2021
- Electronic Common Hospitality Aptitude Test-IIHM ECHAT 2021
- Army Institute of Hotel Management and Catering Technology WAT-AIHMCT WAT 2021
Here are the courses in culinary arts. The eligibility criteria to take these courses vary from college to college:
| Culinary art Courses | Culinary arts tuition fees(INR) | |
| Bachelor of Hotel Management and Catering Technology | Rs 40,000 to 3 lacs | |
| BA in culinary arts | Rs 65,000 to 3 lacs | |
| BSC in culinary arts | Rs 10,000 to 3Lacs | |
| Bachelor in catering technology & culinary arts | Rs30,000 to Rs2,60,000 | |
| PGD in culinary arts | Rs 60,000 to 3 lacs |
Step 3:Get practical exposure through Internship/Apprenticeship
- You have to do an internship or work as an apprenticeship in a restaurant’s specialized department. This practical exposure will help you gain professional contacts and work with other colleagues. This will also sharpen your knowledge and skill.
Step 4: Get Certification as Chef
- Like any professional Education, you must get a certificate once you complete your formal education in culinary arts.
Best Culinary Art Schools in India
Here are a few of the best colleges of culinary art in India to pursue a career as Chef
For Graduation
- IHM, Aurangabad
- IHM Meerut
- The Oberois
- Culinary Academy of India(CAI), Hyderabad
- Indian Institute of Catering Technology and Hotel Management(IIHMCA), Hyderabad
- Allied Institute of Hotel Management and Culinary Arts(AIHMCA)
- Goa College of Hospitality and Culinary Education, North Goa
- Hotel and Catering Management Institute.
- Welcome Graduate School of Hotel Management, Manipal University, Manipal
- Chandigarh Institute of Hotel Management and Catering Technology, Chandigarh
For Post Graduation
- Institute of Hotel Management Taj, Aurangabad
- Institute of Hotel Management – Ahmedabad
- Welcome Group Graduate School, Manipal
- ITC WelcomeLegionnaire Program
- Amrapali Institute of Hotel Management, Haldwani
- Institute of Hotel Management, Catering & Nutrition – [IHM], Lucknow
- University School of Hotel Management & Catering Technology, Rayat Bahra University – [USHMCT], Mohali
- VELS University, Chennai
- Munnar Catering College – [MCC], Trivandrum
The Career of Chef in India
With the high growth of the standard of living, greater personal disposable income and changing mindset of people in small-town and cities, more and more people are dining in Hotels and Restaurants. Also as people travel outside their home city the requirement of hotels for boarding and lodging as well as demand catering has seen a tremendous surge in India.
Profile of Restaurant Industry in India
As per the CRISIL rating agency, the Indian restaurant industry is estimated at Rs 4.2 lakh crore in both organized and unorganized sectors. There has been a surge of restaurants and hotels of International standard in 2&3 tier cities. Indians are more frequently going out for dining in these cities, approximately 1 to 3 times in a week.
The demand for trained chefs has increased due to the above factors and also people are more conscious of the quality of food and hygiene. Also, the growing popularity of Indian cuisine in the international market and more cross-border traveling of these cuisines have also contributed to the demand for trained chefs.
Culinary Art Jobs in India
Today culinary professionals can find jobs in hotels and restaurant catering departments. In fact, there are plenty of opportunities for these professionals in both private and public sectors as well as there are plenty of chef jobs abroad.
Here are a few of the avenues open for chef jobs in India:
- Entrepreneurship
- Food Manufacturing
- Hotels
- Food Processing companies
- Airlines
- Restaurants
- Cruise liners
- Catering in confectionaries
- Corporate catering
- Cloud Kitchens
Culinary Professionals can also start their own business by providing catering services to schools, colleges, and hospitals. You can also get government chef jobs.
How much does the Chef earn?
The salary and another reimbursement of chefs depend on their experience, specialization, location, and skills they possess. The culinary art salary at the junior level is Rs1,80,000 to Rs 3,00,000 per annum. The mid-level chef earns about Rs 6,0000 to Rs 9,00,00 per annum.The chef at the senior level earn about Rs 12,000,000 to Rs 24,000,000 per annum.
Top Recruiting Companies for Chef
Here are a few of the top recruiting companies where chefs can show their skills.
- Oberoi Hotels
- ITC Group
- Taj Hotels
- Radisson Blu Hotel
- Sheraton Group of Hotels
- Holiday Inn
- Leela Palace
- The Lalit
There is no doubt that the Indian catering industry is changing at a rapid pace. The Industry has been rethinking every aspect from farm to fork to bring the right kind of meaning to its customers.
Conclusion
In earlier days working as a chef was not considered to be a job attached with prestige and pride. It has only a few takers and also has limited scope in a third-world country like India. But today working as a chef is considered a glamorous job with many chefs making a reputation as that of celebrities and stars. Chef is now considered a niche job and those working in five-star hotels and clubs are a coveted lot.