Forketers © 2015 - 2019. In order to become a great chef, you will need to be open to constant learning. You and the rest of your team have to work together well in order to deliver this. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. This is a testament to the need for dexterity and endurance, as this time is spent largely using utensils, mixing ingredients, and moving. Our sixth skill comes from Victor, who has over fifteen years’ experience as a classically trained chef before setting up his own business in commercial kitchen design. Anyone can become a chef, but if you are just starting out you must get some experience of working in a kitchen to put on your CV. Honing your techniques and having more confidence decreases time in preparing ingredients and plating orders, allowing for less stress overall. When you are more established in your career, these experiences will help you mentor and manage new starters. These are some of the personal qualities that are needed in applying for a head chef position. You see a lot of chefs that are technically very good cooks but as soon as it gets busy, their section gets messy and they really struggle. If there’s a few you feel you need to work on, take the time to practice incorporating these skills into your work, it will benefit you and your product in the future. Some of the best chefs allow their personality and creativity to shine through in every dish that they create, something that you should also consider. The Head Chef has the responsibility for the kitchen, and so they have to be able to give direction and have it followed immediately. Chefs need to have good organizational skills and must be able to work in fast-paced, high-stress environments. Now think, that plate belongs on a table with three other mains, plus sides. You might liken cooking to both science and art working together simultaneously. Below we've compiled a list of the most important skills for a Head Chef. Stamina You will need to learn cooking techniques and skills, yes, but to excel you’ll also have to have plenty of creativity. Running a Restaurant Successfully in 2020. If you seek to be a top chef, that is going to come with these same leadership requirements. The ability to multitask is a required skill to become a chef because a single dish may consist of foods that need to be cooked different ways. They may also need to mentor and coach junior staff members during service, whilst ensuring everything runs smoothly. 1. You need to take note of the matters that require your undivided attention and ensure that you are tending to these to the best of your abilities. There can be many elements of food on one plate to make up a complete dish. Do you have a dream of opening your own restaurant? In order to become a great chef, you will need to be open to constant learning. Being a chef requires many skills outside the kitchen as well. This is where having a cool head amid immense pressure is an invaluable skill. You might not realize just how crazy and hectic it can be to work in a busy restaurant. They are. However, this goes beyond just having a recipe book. Presentation is equally important in the world of dining, which is something that you should also allow your bold personality to take point on. In higher volume restaurants it is not uncommon for chefs to spend upwards of 12 hours a day preparing food for patrons. All right reserved. As a head chef, you should have some personal qualities that would convince the employer to hire you for the job. Some of the best chefs allow their personality and creativity to shine through in every dish that they create, something that you should … You are never going to be alone in the kitchen. Be sure to layout your services very clearly – it will help you avoid confusion or disappointment down the road. Becoming a chef can be a hands-on learning experience, and like they say, practice does make perfect. Creativity. If you are unsure which Food Hygiene course is right for you, you can visit our Choose a Food Hygiene Course page which will help you decide. Plating and presentation also require a chef to be a bit of a perfectionist. Being a good leader: A good team leader is the one in a restaurant who takes responsibility for cooks, wait for staff, the front of the house staff, inventory, kitchen, bartenders, and more. Protecting and encouraging your passion for all things culinary will keep your artistic flair alive, and help you enjoy your work. However, this is also something that you need to be prepared for as well. 2. This can be even trickier with added responsibilities like stock management, budgetary oversight, employee scheduling and more. Your ability to work will all of this added assistance can make or break your rise to top tier success. For those who are keen to progress to managerial roles, or perhaps have dreams of running a business as well as being a chef, some understanding of business management, accounts, and how to use social media to market your business could further help you in your career. You will find that being a chef comes with ingrained responsibilities to oversee the other staff at times and help to motivate them for the entire restaurant to be successful. Degrees Holding a culinary arts degree is not required to become a chef in most cases. What skills do you need to become a chef? You have longer hours than other professions, so having a deep rooted passion for the craft is essential to your success. You might liken tasting to studying the recipe used to create the dish. Many chefs continue their education to stay up-to-date, learn about new equipment and cooking skills. The good news is, there are lots of ways you can do this: If you apply for a more senior role, all establishments will want to see that you have experience of working in kitchens. Multitasking Skills. Our list, and advice from our chef friends, should give you food for thought when considering your own feelings and actions in the kitchen. They generally work in commercial kitchens; these can take on a wide variety of forms, from fine dining restaurants, to cafés, to foodtrucks. We ranked the top skills based on the percentage of Head Chef resumes they appeared on. The creative reputation of a chef is often what brings customers through the door, so don’t be afraid to experiment with your creativity! I help small entrepreneurs to boost their visibility on the Internet through effective and budget-friendly strategies. Cooking is often considered to be a blend of science and art. Chefs must hone their communication, motivation and conflict management skills to balance the personalities of multiple team members in a high-stress environment. Being a great chef takes a lot more than well-honed technical culinary skills and a touch of creativity when it comes to food. This same desire is going to push you to continue honing your skills and improving, seeking out new techniques and recipes to stay on top of ever-changing trends. To succeed as a restaurant manager, there are few managerial qualities and skills required by the managers which are discussed below. Many chefs opt for dark tastings, which begin at the simplest of ingredients to eliminate all distractions except for the taste and inflections of each ingredient. Being aware of the key skills needed to be a chef is a step in the right direction. Every single chef you have ever seen or recognize commits themselves to this high grade of expectation every time that they step foot in a kitchen. Becoming a chef is a dream for many people. You will find that there are always going to be aides and helpers aplenty from the very first day to the last. While several factors play into the successes of any single chef, several traits do stand out as universal. They have to be able to give direction to their team and maintain an amicable atmosphere in their kitchen. With every player on the team working together for the same goal, and doing their individual job the best they could, the team found success. Chefs are always changing their recipes and techniques to accommodate constructive criticism that is founded. We know that kitchens can be a very busy environment to work it, and so it is essential that you have the ability to always work clean and tidy. Do you aspire to be a world-renowned chef? Even the greatest chefs in the world have something to learn still, and this is accomplished through processing criticism. This does not go against the need for creativity and changing your style by any means. There is no great chef anywhere on the planet that does not seek to provide their best dishes each and every time they prepare something. Being able to think about everything at once, and to understand and know what each section of the kitchen is working on, is a skill that is very hard to master. Below you will find these top 10 traits you need to become a great chef yourself. Is There a Difference Between a Chef and a Cook? The smallest of details from garnish to a singular rogue hair present in food could ruin a perfect dish for someone. You might liken cooking to both science and art working together simultaneously. Choosing to start a career as a chef is something anyone can do at any time in their life. As you progress in your career, having excellent organisational skills will ensure you manage staff effectively and help you to control every aspect of the kitchen, from the flow of work to the plating of dishes. 2. A Chef is a professional cook, trained in all aspects of food preparation. This means you can be master of your own career direction, something which appeals to many budding chefs! From choosing the finest ingredients to the latest techniques, quality is king. Seán Hughes, Sous Chef at Shears Yard, Leeds. There is a science to cooking, and if recipes aren’t closely tended to, they can easily go awry. If that table had starters as well, that’s possibly four other previous dishes that need factoring in to how and when this one dish comes together. The life of a chef is demanding as the busiest working days are often those when other people are out celebrating – Christmas, Valentine’s Day or Mothering Sunday to name a few. While it might be easy to get overwhelmed, you have to command the emotional aspects of a stressful work environment. Since the culinary profession is so difficult to break into, you are going to need some of these same characteristics if you hope to find yourself on the top of the heap one day. From the creation of a dish to the plating of the food, attention to detail is a critical component. The sous chef oversees the kitchen when the head chef is away, they work closely with the other chefs and can confidently assign tasks. This is where instead, you will utilize your creativity to still get the finest ingredients but present them in a way that does not press on the ceiling of your financial overhead and still dazzles the patrons. Being a chef in a kitchen is like being a cog in a machine, every person has a role to play for the success of the service. Having a good understanding of kitchen safety, food hygiene and awareness of allergens and their importance in the kitchen would also be beneficial. 5. He or she must be prepared to jump into any part of the line, for any reason: When the line is missing a cook, to speed up the line when meal service peaks. Managerial experience Just by looking at the responsibilities of a sous chef, they are required to have leadership and managerial skills. These ties can help pull you through particularly stressful experiences. Being a chef requires long hours often spanning from the middle of the morning through the late hours of the night, spending most of that time on our feet. Every day you will rub elbows with prep cooks, chefs de partie, boulangers, potagers, sous chefs, executive chefs and more. The professional kitchen can be a melting pot of people, with many people from different backgrounds coming together through a shared love of cooking. How do you train your palate? 10 Characteristics You Need To Become A Renowned Chef 1. Web Marketing Consultant for small industries in the Tourism and F&B fields. There are fine tuned skills required for inspired cooking, but the applications of these techniques that make impressive dishes. To be eligible for the exam, you must have three years experience as a chef and one year experience as a personal chef. The best chefs in the world are a pivotal part of the success of their respective brands and restaurants, more so than any single person in a parallel hospitality profession. Especially as a new chef, everyone is going to have an opinion about your food and not all of those opinions are going to be good. Careers and Salary Among over 90,000 chefs and head cooks employed in the United States in 2011, the average salary was $46,600 per year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Due to the wide availability of jobs and the positive economic impact it has on local communities, hospitality is an important industry. We’re here to break down the 7 must have skills for a chef career to get you started on your path to Michelin star greatness. Using Instagram for a Restaurant: The Complete Guide, 7 Ways to Use Facebook to Promote Your Restaurant, Restaurant Franchises: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, 5 of the Worst Customers in Your Restaurant That Seem Impossible To Please, 5 Ways You Can Inspire and Motivate Your Restaurant Staff with Lessons of Guardiola’s Barcelona. Chains of restaurants provide leadership training for those that become chefs so that they can oversee the management of the kitchen exclusively. | Disclaimer and Privacy. You have to be able to cope with the long hours and fast paced environment. If your CV is a little light on relevant qualifications, having good quality experience and expertise in a kitchen may make up for it. You can review this list and see if you are missing a critical trait. While there are undoubtedly traits that set the best talents apart from one another, most chefs share similar traits that help them hone and perfect their craft. Leadership skills: It is the chef who is responsible for the kitchen. This might mean taking time to train struggling employees or helping to boost morale when times are at their most stressful. They will also be creative in planning how the kitchen works. Chef and business owner Ira remembers when she started her career: You’ve got to have a thick skin. You need to be inspired to get out of your comfort zone a little bit in the kitchen and try some new things. Find out the top 10 core skills you need to master as a head chef and what hard skills you need to know to succeed in this job. To sit for this exam, you must have at least two years experience as a personal chef. While you might not be imbued with this natural ability, many of the greatest chefs in the world had to train their palate (and continue to exercise it regularly) to hone this skill. Successful chefs know how to focus. This requires a great deal of concentration to pick each piece out separately and discern notes that are faint. Willingness to Learn You can liken this trait to any successful sports team in history. Personal qualities are most important when applying for any type of work. Organizational skills. This skill might surprise you but chefs need to have an excellent level of physical and mental fitness. They need to guide, coach and monitor their juniors so that the operations run smoothly. Genuine Passion The life of a chef is demanding as the busiest working days are often those when other people are out celebrating – Christmas, Valentine’s Day or Mothering Sunday to name a few. An experienced chef will have excellent stamina to remain focused and consistently produce dishes for customers. You also need to develop and master some key skills. What Goes in to the ‘Art of Hospitality’? Creativity. Leadership Skills © 2019 High Speed Training Ltd. All rights reserved. Teamwork Victor highlights the importance of time management; he says this skill has been additionally beneficial to him outside the kitchen. 7. 10. Ability to Handle Criticism If you’ve ever stepped foot into a kitchen you know that not every dish is going to be a crowd pleaser. These experiences will help you mentor and coach junior staff members during service, whilst everything! Between a chef opens up many diverse paths, you will find that the chefs... Make impressive dishes of physical and mental fitness of allergens and their importance in the restaurant:! Obviously improved since then [ … ] Luckily, I am quite naturally resilient continue... 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