http://www.cooking-schools.us
http://www.educationdirect.com
http://www.ichef.com
http://www.chefassociation.com
http://www.personalchefnetwork.com
http://www.culinaryed.com
http://www.culinarybusiness.com
http://www.yourcollegelife.com/Articles/4.php

Books

The Professional Chef (Author: The Culinary Institute of America)

Professional Chef’s Knife Kit (Author: The Culinary Institute of America)

The professional Pastry Chef: The Fundamentals of baking and Pastry (Author: Bo Friberg, with Amy Kemp Friberg)

Soul of a chef: The Journey toward Perfection (Author: Michael Ruhlman)

Culinary Artistry (Author: Andrew Dornenburg & Karen Page)

Garde Manger: The arts and craft of the Cold Kitchen (Author: The Culinary Institute of America)

On Becoming a Professional Chef (Author: Michael Baskette)

Culinary Schools

Atlantic Culinary Academy, New Hampshire
California Culinary Academy
Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Academy, Nationwide
Cooking and Hospitality Institute of Chicago, Illinois
Pennsylvania Culinary Institute
Sullivan University, Louisville
Western Culinary Institute, Oregon
Texas Culinary Academy
Kendall College
Orlando Culinary Academy, Florida

Please note: The schools mentioned here are some of the best schools in the United States. They are by no means the only culinary schools nationwide, but they are the best. All of the information that you will require from these institutes can be found online just by typing their names. By searching online you will learn the tuition costs, the level of degree that can be attained, and enrollment opportunities. One site you may search is http://www.culinary-art.org to help you get started. Bon Appetite!

· What it takes to be a chef
· What type of training you need
· What the working conditions are like
· What equipment that you will need
· The different specialties there are as a chef
· What you will study in college or university
· How much money you can expect to pay for tuition
· How much money you can make as a chef
· Why you should become an apprentice first.

With this comprehensive guide to becoming a chef, you should by now realize whether or not if it’s right for you.

You have learned what it takes to be a chef, how much work it takes to become a certified chef, and what the benefits of being a chef are.

You have also learned what it’s like working in a kitchen environment. If all of this sounds good to you, then all you need is to choose from any of these resources to help you get started.

I have listed Schools, online research links, and more books to help you along the way to becoming the next “Wolfgang Puck”. Happy cooking!

You should:

· Research any schools in your area that train chefs
· See that the tuition is affordable
· Ensure that there is financial aid available if you need it
· Determine what transportation you will need
· Find out how much it will cost to commute.

You will want to make sure that the school or training facility will give you the kind of training and/or credentials that you are looking for as well.

You need to check enrollment dates and requirements as well as a list of equipments needed. You can get a lot of this information at http://www.cooking-schools.us

Next you will have to enroll at the training facility of your choice, and brush up on your cooking skills. You will want to check out your local restaurants, hotels etc. for future employments opportunities and apprenticeship programs. You can never be too prepared.

It would also be an asset if you learned the nature of fine wines, and cheeses.

It may seem like a trivial thing right now, but a good chef always knows which wines to recommend with a meal, and a simple white or red doesn’t really work.

As with all foods, wines are made with special ingredients and flavors. Some wines have a distinct hazel flavor in them and some don’t. A good chef always knows the basics of wine.

Have you ever heard the old saying “A movie star is only as good as his next movie”? The same is true if you are a chef.

A chef is only as good as his next dish. The best way to start you on the road to making great cuisine is by using the right tools and always having them handy.

You tools will be different depending on what type of chef you are planning to be. There are of course, the regular tools of the trade, but some chefs prefer to use specialty items as well.

Here are some of the tools you will need to get started.
· Full set of good and sharp knives, including butcher knife, paring knife, and de-boning knife.
· Comfortable pair of shoes. You will be on your feet most of the day
· Smock or apron
· Hair net or hat
· Pots and pans (This is not necessary. It is more of a specialty item. Many cooks prefer to use their own pots etc as it makes cooking more dependable)
· Knife sharpener
· Reliable books that can help you in a pinch such as cookbooks etc.
· Spot towels

On-site training is basically when an employer trains you to be a chef in their establishment. The best thing about this type of training is that you generally get paid to do it.

The down side to this is that you are only trained to work for them and you are not accredited. This means that you are not a certified chef. You will not be recognized in the field as a chef either.

Another bad point to this type of training is that if you lose your job, you are back where you started.
Training on-site doesn’t make you a chef, it makes you a cook. Without your chef certification, you are not eligible for a chef’s wages either. As a cook, you will earn a cook’s salary.

A benefit to this type of training is that you will already have a job waiting for you that could elevate you to the pay of a head chef eventually, without having to do all of the studying for it.

Just know that trying to change locations will not be a good idea unless you already have a position lined up.

Training on-site can give you plenty of hours in the culinary field if you happen to live in a state that requires a certain number of hours of experience before starting the certification process.

Online Training

These days, just about every profession on the market has courses that you can take online. Some of the courses claim to make you accredited, but be very careful and research it thoroughly before parting with any money.

Some of these courses can be as cheap as $19.99, which is an obvious bargain.

Of course you must consider that the courses can’t really be of any use. You simply can’t use an online course manual to learn how to be a chef. You don’t get the obvious benefits of hands on learning, and there is no one available to help you if you have any problems.

You don’t really have a way to know if you’re even preparing meals properly, or I they’ve turned out right. You might have better luck just reading a cookbook for your qualifications.

Online courses just don’t cut the mustard insofar as teaching you to become a real chef. Without a real teacher there to help you along the way, you will not learn anything that you can really use in the work force.

All an online course can do is to give you the basics. It can’t really help you get your credentials and certainly not the kind of credentials that will be nationally accredited.

All in all, this is a case where you will get exactly what you pay for so let the buyer beware.

College courses offer you are more rounded view of the culinary industry and give you much of the skills that you will need in order to excel at your field.

Employers at finer restaurants are more eager to hire an accredited chef that has a college degree in the field than a graduate from a trade school. This is also a great way to know that you are accredited all over the world as well.

Trade schools may not necessarily grant you the same promise. Naturally, there are some pros and cons to choosing to get your certification from a College or University. Let’s take a look at them.

As you can see, trade schools can help you get your certification, but it leaves out a bit of stuff too.

All in all, trade schools are great for some people as not everyone can afford to invest the money or the time to a full time college, university or culinary academy.

There are many avenues that you could chose when deciding where or how you would like to get your training. It really just depends on what kind of credentials you are hoping to get.

There are a few places that you can go to get your training. You can choose Colleges or universities, trade or vocational schools and an apprenticeship.

To become an executive chef that can work anywhere in the world you generally need an apprenticeship and some credited work behind you.

There are the real differences from all of these choices so that you can make the best one for you.

Naturally a busier area will bring in pretty good money.

The best places to work in are expensive hotels and restaurants. Here is a quick breakdown of the money that you can make that depends on your position.

Head chefs and cooks: You can make anywhere from $7.39-$22.77 hourly to start.

To be more specific; if you are working in recreation services you can make $16.50 an hour; hotels and motels are $15.78 per hour, and eating and drinking places around $11.03 an hour to start.

Restaurant cooks: You can make anywhere from $8.33-$13.43 an hour to start.

If you work in recreational services you can make $9.65 and hour, hotels and motels; $9.97 hourly; eating and drinking places; $8.57 hourly to start.

Short order cooks: You can make anywhere from $6.32-$10.83 hourly to start.

If you work in Hotels and Motels; $8.44, recreation services and other miscellaneous places; $7.94, eating and drinking places; $7.57, Gas stations etc; $6.87, and grocery stores; $6.60 hourly to start.

Cafeteria Cooks: you can make anywhere from $6.70-$12.53 hourly to start.

In schools you can make $7.65; Nursing homes; $8.50; Hospitals $9.37; child care services $7.52 hourly to start.

Please Note that these are the starting hourly rates for the cook that is trying to get their experience. Naturally your pay will increase as your experience grows.

· Training
· Travel
· Books
· Tools etc.

Training in an employer’s establishment is generally covered since you are often training to be a full time employee for them.

Keep in mind that you do not receive any certifications for training with an employer because you are only training to meet their specific requirements.

Formal schooling will train you to work almost anywhere, but may be limited to a particular state or country.

Culinary schools can train you to work in any locale, which is their best benefit. Of course, they are also much more expensive as well and are often located outside of the United States, and require that you cover your room and board at their institutions.

Colleges and Universities offer the most extensive training out there. They will get you a level III certification and will let you meet AQF in commercial cookery. It is the best method next to culinary institutes.

In colleges you can expect to study any or all of these subjects:

· Business: you need to know business as you will be responsible for the ordering of foods, and supplies. It is also good if you plan to someday run a restaurant of your own someday)
· History, cultural studies, and Sciences: The study of the social sciences is a necessity when becoming a chef, because you will often be cooking foods from a different culture. Knowing the history of a country is an asset when trying to duplicate their foods.
· Economics and even politics: Understanding economics is needed in every profession as you will have to keep up with economic trends in the locale that you are working in. You can’t expect an expensive restaurant to thrive in an area that is generally poor.
· Math: As a chef, you will often be required to estimate pricing for foods that balances out with the cost of preparing it. You will also be required to estimate the cost of supplies and ingredients, and must remain on or below your budget.
· Biological sciences: Knowing biology will help you to steer away from poisoning your clientele. It will help you to identify any poisonous or harmful food stuffs.
· Human relations: You must be able to relate to other people on their level if you are a chef because you will be dealing with quite a few of them daily, and none of them will be the same.
· Art and communications: Art will help you to present a nice plate and will help you to effectively blend the right foods together in a way that will be more appealing to the customer.
· Foreign Languages: Knowledge of foreign languages is an asset to a chef. It is quite common for a chef to travel to foreign locations when looking for inspiration for a new dish. It helps to speak the native language.

You will have to study a great deal but it will be worth it.

You need to study all of these subjects so that you can effectively learn to calculate, estimate and organize food stuffs; communicate effectively with your clients and other kitchen staff; know what foods are eaten in what cultures, and how to effectively duplicate the taste.

Advancement as a chef is easier than in most jobs, and can happen relatively quickly as you are always proving yourself. This is the one job where you moving form job to job will actually benefit you.

The reason for this is because you can transfer to a higher paying job, or simply to a better position. Being able to minimize waste and monitor other employees that are working under you can help you advance quickly.

Your ability to accurately estimate how many perishable foods you need is also a good way to start. Many cooks advance to managers, supervisors, and executive chefs that way.

You must train and go to school for a few years to be able to work your way into a fine restaurant or a head chef position. You will also need a few years of experience.

That is why many people begin to work in restaurants when they are in high school. You can also work while taking your scholastic training in the culinary industry. The most popular methods of training are as follows:

This is just a quick breakdown of what to expect from each of these types of training.