How to Become a Chef Virtuoso

Inspired by all the cooking shows on TV? Here's how to become a virtuoso chef yourself. It all begins with a solid chef school education.

by Eneida P. Alcalde
eneida.alcalde@cooking-school-search.com
Cooking School Search Columnist

Lately, chefs have been receiving lots of publicity thanks to well-known celebrity chef TV shows like Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations and Emeril Lagasse’s The Essence of Emeril. You may watch these shows, but do you know how to become a chef? If you’ve caught the inspiration to pursue a culinary career but don’t know where to begin, here’s a helpful description of how to become a chef.

Chef Training

To receive your chef training and boost your cooking credentials you can train at a vocational program or a two-year or four-year culinary college program. At chef school you’ll spend most of your time learning to prepare dishes through hands-on practice and courses such as:

• Menu planning
• Food cost control
• Food storage

Chef schools also include nutritional training to help you determine the calories in your dishes and other important nutritional data such as fat and cholesterol content.

Additionally some schools offer exciting study abroad programs that’ll allow you to experience the flavors and styles of foreign countries’ cuisines. Just imagine living and cooking in Italy or France for a semester or year!

Launching Your Culinary Career

By graduating from a chef school you’ll improve your chances of starting your career as a chef instead of spending time in lower-skilled kitchen jobs. Also, after graduating from chef school it’s recommended that you continue your chef training with an internship and/or apprenticeship. You’ll receive real-life chef training in a restaurant setting that’ll allow you to further improve your cooking skills while giving you a competitive advantage.

Now that you have an idea of how to become a chef, enroll in a chef school today to get a jump-start on your career. Once you graduate you’ll be prepared to advance in this popular and dynamic profession.

Sources

Bureau of Labor Statistics
TV.com

About the Author

Eneida P. Alcalde works in Washington, DC and has written several grants, educational manuals, and promotional material for development organizations. Eneida holds a B.A. in international politics and Spanish from the Pennsylvania State University.

Posted on May 3, 2007 at 12:19 PM

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