I used to run an advertising and marketing design agency
before I came into chef recruitment. They are very similar, creative yes but
also a lot of long and antisocial hours with lowish incomes. If you want a long
and profitable career you need to start right and carefully manage your career
and your CV.
GO TO A GOOD CHEF COLLEGE TO GET THE BEST CHEF JOBS
So where do you start and how do you ensure that you have
a long and profitable career?
I would always advise people to do an NVQ course. You can
start directly as a Kitchen Porter or maybe a Commis Chef somewhere. You may
even prosper and become quite accomplished but there are going to be things
that you miss that a college will teach you and those gaps in your education could
severely restrict your career as time goes by or restrict what type of dishes
you are able to prepare. If you want to experience the buzz of working in a
kitchen from the start, you can always arrange to do stages ( Working unpaid in
an establishment to get the experience ) or find part time work while you are
studying.
It is worth trying to spend a little time sweeping up or
something in a butchers, so that you can get a chance to learn how to butcher
properly. That will save waste later on and give you the best chance as a head
chef to protect your GP ( Gross Profit ), especially now meat prices are
starting to rise but before you start practising please make sure that you get
a chain mail glove!! A lot of establishments buy in certain cuts and a lot of
younger chefs simply do not know how to set about butchering a carcass.
SO YOU ARE ALREADY A QUALIFIED CHEF SO HOW DO YOU LOOK
AFTER YOUR CAREER AND ENSURE THAT IT IS A LONG AND PROFITABLE ONE?
It is understood that you will want to learn as much as
possible in the early years but try not to move positions in less than one year,
unless there are extenuating circumstances, as most establishments are looking
for chefs who will become at least a semi permanent part of the team.
If you want to experience other methods arrange to do a
stage at different places.
Entering competitions will enhance your career because
you only go in for competitions if you feel that you can win them and that
confidence speaks volumes about you before you even go to a trial or meet
anyone.
LEFT, RIGHT, LEFT, RIGHT
No I am not going mad, nor am I advocating that you join
the army. I always advise my candidates, in alternative positions to improve on
your quality and improve on your position
So you might be a Chef de Partie at a 1AA Rosette, then
it is worth going back to a commis at a 3AA Rosette for a period. At Gladstone
Park Chefs we often get chefs who are head chefs who want to get into a
Michelin Starred establishment. We advise them that they will probably need to
go back to being a commis on a very low wage. Those that take the challenge
invariably go on to make their name in the profession.
If you are a chef de partie at a Michelin Star
establishment you will find it easy to get accepted as a sous chef or even, at
times, a head chef at a 1 or 2 AA Rosette establishment.
Whilst it is mostly a young person’s game and many fall
by the wayside, look at the top names in the industry. Nobody argues about age
when you have a high level of skills. Would you employ one of the Roux
brothers? You bet you would, even though they may be old enough to be your
grandfather.
LOOKING AFTER YOUR CV PROPERLY AND YOUR CV WILL LOOK
AFTER YOU
Your CV is your calling card. It introduces you before
they ever meet you.
You may keep your station clean and your Whites washed
but if your CV is untidy it will infer that you are scruffy and have poor
hygiene.
As already mentioned, try to stay in your positions at
least one year and if possible two or three years. That way your CV will stand
out and employers will want to see you first. If you move in less than a year
most of the time you will find it extremely difficult to be considered for the
best jobs. A lot of the top chefs join a Michelin Starred brigade to start with
and will stay years until they have exhausted what they can learn.
Always put your last position first.
Always put months as well as years on your CV
Do not just put your name, your position and the
establishment.
Put where the establishment was. There are hundreds of
‘Black Lions’ or similar so where was the one that you worked at.
Tell prospective employers as much as you can, for
example, the size and quality, any accolades etc.
If you have any menus or photographs of your work that
you are proud of attach them to your CV.
If you left anywhere in less than one year then explain
why but do not end up with a list of reasons why you have not stayed anywhere
for long. You will be the reason, not where you work.
So I hope that has been useful to you!
John Bowman-Baker
Managing Director
Gladstone Park Chefs
Managing Director
Gladstone Park Chefs
For more information about Gladstone Park Chefs, check the website out at:
