A Chef's Life - could you handle it?

house_cat · ‎03-09-2010

I watched a few episodes of "A Chef's Life" on PBS.

It's a very difficult career. I think it would completely sap my enthusiasm for cooking. As much as I love coking and baking, I'm glad I don't have a food-related career.

What about you?

Have you ever been a professional chef or cook, restaurant owner? Would you enjoy it?

~ house cat ~

IamMrsG · ‎08-29-2010

@house_cat wrote:
I watched a few episodes of "A Chef's Life" on PBS.
It's a very difficult career. I think it would completely sap my enthusiasm for cooking. As much as I love coking and baking, I'm glad I don't have a food-related career.
What about you?
Have you ever been a professional chef or cook, restaurant owner? Would you enjoy it?

House-cat, I don't know the show to which you refer, but I can certainly empathize with your thoughts about being a chef. I once thought it was my life's calling. I even tested for, and, with a perfect score, enrolled in a highly regarded culinary academy. I knew the hours for a chef are terrible. Then I got to thinking about being away from home and family for every holiday. We had a small child then, so with a heavy heart I withdrew my enrollment, and threw myself into being a home cook.

Many years later, with urging from my DH, I started cooking for a friend in his winery kitchen. As small scale as it was, I quickly realized I was too old to work so hard.

Strive for respect instead of attention. It lasts longer.

PenneyT · ‎02-27-2015

I don't think I could stand the stress and chaos, lol! I have real admiration for those who can! :0)

151949 · ‎03-09-2010

I could handle the stress, I had a very high-stress job, but the chaos would make me insane. I am a very organized and tidy person. The hours wouldn't bother me. My hours were equally bad.

Sammijo10 · ‎05-14-2011

I once took an all day class at the CIA in Hyde Park, NY on soups. We made seven soups between 9 am and 1 PM, and then had a wonderful lunch cooked for us by actual students at the school.

After lunch we went back to our kitchen and tasted our handiwork for the day and completed clean up - just like a real restaurant kitchen.

Now, before retiring, I worked many long hour days and weeks, travelled for work a lot and was often 'exhausted', but never was I as tired and achy as after that day long cooking marathon - and that was with a lovely break for lunch!

So, no, HouseCat, although I love to cook, bake and experiment in the kitchen, that kind of career would have killed me at 50. I now have a greater admiration for those that cook in restaurants and are able to do it well.

sandraskates · ‎06-26-2014

House_cat! I wondered if you'd made it over!

I worked in a lovely hotel for a few years that boasted a high-end restaurant and a coffee-shop, There were 3 full-time head chefs that worked very long hours, starting usually around noontime. On the days they worked, they had to come in early for placing orders and working out kitchen staffing. Then they'd leave after the restaurants closed at night.
During my years at this hotel all of them got divorced. It was not pretty.

Although I've sometimes thought it "might be nice" to have a little sandwich shop I think I'd burn out.

feline groovy · ‎07-29-2014

Hell, NO.

And I've never been in that area of service.

But I give props to everyone who has, is currently, and will be!

IamMrsG · ‎08-29-2010

I just remembered something the head of the culinary academy said to me during my entrance interview. He told me that, as a woman, I would need to be better than a male chef to be considered as good as one.

Strive for respect instead of attention. It lasts longer.

Anita Bourbon · ‎06-15-2015

I went to culinary school at the CIA and have worked for years in high end restaurants. I've essentially decided to retire and move to the producing side for some local farm to table restaurants (produce, charcuterie, cheese, stuff I can do on my farm basically). It is without a doubt a mentally and physically draining career and in the end I got really tired of the constant stress, harassment, abuse, and the rampant drug use all around me. The fact that I worked twelve plus hour days at Michelin restaurants for wages better suited to a fast food restaurant irritated me to no end...it's really horrible how badly cooks are treated in fine dining. I've never seen the show the op is referring to (I loathe shows about restaurant life because I just argue with the tv the whole time ), but I bet it doesn't scratch the surface of the ugly side of the industry. It's definitely a rush and obviously I still love to cook, but being a line cook is not anybody's long-term goal.

momtochloe · ‎11-03-2013

@Anita Bourbon wrote:
I went to culinary school at the CIA and have worked for years in high end restaurants. I've essentially decided to retire and move to the producing side for some local farm to table restaurants (produce, charcuterie, cheese, stuff I can do on my farm basically). It is without a doubt a mentally and physically draining career and in the end I got really tired of the constant stress, harassment, abuse, and the rampant drug use all around me. The fact that I worked twelve plus hour days at Michelin restaurants for wages better suited to a fast food restaurant irritated me to no end...it's really horrible how badly cooks are treated in fine dining. I've never seen the show the op is referring to (I loathe shows about restaurant life because I just argue with the tv the whole time ), but I bet it doesn't scratch the surface of the ugly side of the industry. It's definitely a rush and obviously I still love to cook, but being a line cook is not anybody's long-term goal.

First off, welcome to the boards Anita (love the nic!).

Thanks so much for this posting and sharing your first hand, behind the scenes glimpse of what goes on. As tough as they can make it look on shows (I am watching the reruns of Top Chef right now) I can't imagine how hard that job is.

I am not a good cook but love to watch and listen to those that are. Thank you again for sharing!