What to know before you become a chef

I remember when Jamie Oliver came on to the scene with The Naked Chef cooking shows and every second kid wanted to be a chef with their own t.v show. Unfortunately fame rarely comes that easily.

I went to Chef's school six years ago to become a chef. Everyone was talking about the latest Jamie show. My chef was dead against it. The first word's we got was not to become a chef if you want to be like Jamie Oliver.

I love being a Chef. I wouldn't exchange it for anything. It's definitely not a 9 - 5 job. It’s filled with activity from kneading dough for an Indian style bread, shaping spanokopitas for a big function or making good old mac and cheese for 70 hungry people. It’s also probably one of the most challenging jobs around.

At Chef's school we were taught by the best, learning new techniques and styles of cooking every day. We were also taught about stress, juggling four pots at once, sweating under heavy chef's jackets. Pressure was big.

What we were not taught was how to cope in the real world. Standing at my Chefs station, the chef shouts, "Go find me some almonds, run, I don't have all day!". This was pressure that I had not experienced before - not what I was expecting. I was also not expecting to be on my feet for 12 hours a day either or dealing with pure arrogance and bad attitudes amongst the kitchen brigade. Was this worth the measly chef salary that everyone starts off with?

You will find chef’s are pedantic about their knives. If you touch their knife it would be the same as driving off in someone’s Porsche for a joy ride.

Mise-en-place is probably one of the first words you get to know when you start your culinary career. It is a synonym for the preparation of food. A good chef sets all his items out beforehand so there is less to worry about during service. Chopped garlic, Breadcrumbs, crushed peppercorns and softened butter are just a few examples. If you were to touch someone else’s prep there would be outcry in the kitchen.

If you are someone who is of the sensitive nature think hard before embarking on this journey, be prepared for some mighty challenges ahead. Answering “Yes, Chef!” to every request that he requires of you and doing exactly as he says without improvising will help you along the road. There maybe even a few tears in the process, but you will definitely come out as a stronger person on the other side.

Saying this, I'm reflecting back to what my chef said to me before I left his chef school, "The world is your oyster", which is so true if you think about what you can do with your life as a chef. How about working on a private yacht or as a private chef for a family, which in my experience can't be beaten. Working around the world on different resorts is a good way to travel. We are in a recession at the moment, but wherever you go people will always need to eat.