Chef
Cheffing & Culinary Arts"I get to create and cook food that looks and tastes amazing and get paid for it."
"Successful chefs have to be somewhat educated. You still need basic maths like ratios and percentages, as well as a basic knowledge in chemistry and biology."
I always loved the idea of doing something creative for a living, and I always loved food. As a kid I couldn't imagine working a normal 9-5. I would get jitters or get uncontrollably sleepy just 20 minutes into school classes. Thus, food is the career that made most sense to me.
I got selected for an internship in France for doing well in Uni lessons. That's how I really started to hone my skills. In terms of social media, a video of me slicing onions got somewhat viral.
My experience in France shaped me a lot in terms of working attitude. Even though it wasn't the most pleasant experience, I wouldn't be grinding as hard as I am today without that experience.
- 7:00 am Wake up and get ready for work.
- 8:00 am Leave house and commute to work.
- 8:40 am Arrive at work and get ready.
- 9:00 am Clock in and start mise en place (prep work).
- 12:00 pm Lunch service and small prep work.
- 4:00 pm 30-minute lunch break.
- 4:30 pm Finish up remaining prep and handover tasks to dinner team.
- 6:00 pm Clock off and commute home.
- 7:00 pm Hit the gym.
- 9:00 pm Dinner.
- 10:30 pm Brainstorm recipe ideas or content ideas, work on projects.
- 12:30 am Sleep.
You're getting paid to do what you love.
Doing what you love also comes with a lot of extra work that you might hate (eg: cleaning, paper work, moving heavy equipment etc)
Yes. I would do it again and over again across multiple lifetimes.
You do not need a degree but it helps. I would argue that an apprenticeship under the right mentor is even better than what you learn at uni.
I would recommend this job only to people who are genuinely passionate and not those who just want to earn a living. It's long hours, stressful environments and you're getting paid equal if not less than the average white collar. Only do this if you genuinely love it.
Someone good at this job does their prep, cooks food during service and goes home. Someone Great at this job plans their prep ahead of time, brainstorm ideas after service, and eventually even learn how to manage a team of misfits.
In Australia, entry level chefs get paid around 60k annually. When you eventually reach head chef status the salaries can reach around 90k annually.
Definitely. Admit it or not, AI will never be as creative as humans especially when it comes to creating food that actually tastes good.
Be ready. It's brutal. But if you love it, you're in for a crazy ride.
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