1. What exactly do you do?
- What field is your job in?
Restaurant/Hospitality/Consulting - What is your job title?
Executive Chef - Please provide a brief description of the firm or organization that you currently work for (size and general description of what type of organization it is)
I work for a full service fine dining restaurant that has a staff of approximately 40 people where I work in the kitchen as the executive chef. I also with another chef on an as needed basis for the catering events he does the staff varies in size depending on the event it can be as little as 2 to as many as 200. I also have a consulting business where I consult with other restaurants on how to increase their profits, fix their menus, and find the problems within their company. The consulting business has a staff of five.
- How long have you been employed in this position?
I have been employed in this business for 16 years and as an executive chef for 5 years. - How many hours do you work a week on average?
80 - Please provide a BRIEF description of your duties and responsibilities. (job description)
80 - Please provide a BRIEF description of your duties and responsibilities. (job description)
I am responsible for staffing, menu analysis, hiring, training, sanitation supervision, cooking, prep, plating, baking, event planing, profit and loss, creating menus, planning events, staffing events, inventory and ordering.
- What was your gross income last year? Please include any bonuses or incentives received.
74000 - What is your expected gross income for this year? Please include any bonuses or incentives you expect to receive.
80000 - Please list any benefits you have (Please include number of weeks vacation, sick leave and type of health insurance, retirement plan 401k)
I have health insurance and one weeks vacation per year. - Do you feel you are under/well/over compensated at your current position?
I feel under compensated in the monetary sense but well compensated on the fulfillment of what I do because I love what I do.
2. Work environment!
- Does your job entail you working with others on a daily basis? Is this something you like/dislike about your job? Explain
Yes, I am constantly working with others whether it's staff or someone that has hired me to do a job for them. This is something I enjoy because I love working with people and I love feeding people. I also like sharing my knowledge of food and my industry with others especially rising talent in my field.
- Do you work collaboratively with supervisors/managers?
Yes - Do you work collaboratively with your co-workers?
Yes - Describe your work location (e.g., office, home, theatre, in the field) and what you like/dislike about working in it
I work in a few locations, home office, restaurant, event halls, peoples homes and in other people's restaurants. I like working in all these places because I'm not in one place too long and I have the flexibility of not being in the same place all the time. I enjoy ever aspect of working in these various places because I love my field.
- Please rank in order of importance from 1-8 (1- most important 8- least important) Assign each number once.
- 4 Income
- 2 Work Environment - co-workers
- 3 Work Environment - supervisors
- 8 Benefits
- 7 Hours
- 6 Level of responsibility
- 1 The actual "work" you do at your job
- 5 Job Title
3. How should someone new to the workforce get a J-O-B like yours?
- If someone wanted to go about getting a job similar to yours, what would you recommend for him or her to do?
Get as much experience as you can in the field and find a chef to mentor you. I would also recommend going to culinary school because the lessons learned there are invaluable. You will learn both the food an the business side here and it will also help you move up in your career faster. I would also recommend getting a hospitality management degree because there will be a day when you want to step out of the kitchen and do more.
- What skills do you think a person should have if they want to pursue a position like yours? Please be specific and explain why (e.g., social skills, organization skills, technical skills)
Proper sanitation skills, knife cuts, knowing mother sauces and cooking terminology, you will have to know how to interact with customers, managers, and coworkers because communication is key. You will also have to know how to use excel and restaurant management software, do inventories, keep a track of profit and loss, know how to order food and cost it out. This business is all about chasing the penny.
- Do you feel that you need a certain level of education or training to be successful in your job?
Yes and no training can only take you so far, but if you just want to work in a kitchen and education is not necessary. If you want to advance into management positions education is necessary. - What advice would you give to someone who was about to start work in your position/ line of work?
Develop a thick skin because kitchens are not the nicest environments, be prepared for long hours, hot environments, you probably won't get any benefits initially, you will have to work on holidays and weekends, and make sure you have a passion for what you are doing or this profession will eat you up. You will have to work your way from the bottom up.
4. How did you get your J-O-B
- How did you find your current job? (e.g. newspaper, internet, referral, etc.)
I found my current job at a job fair when I was attending college. - What was the application process for your job? (e.g. submitted resume, paper application, electronic application, all, etc.)
I submitted a resume and spoke with the consultant at the job fair, then I filled out an application at the restaurant the day of the interview. - Did you have to interview for your current job? If yes, what did the interview process entail? (e.g., number of interviews, who you interviewed with, group interview, individual interview, etc.)
Yes, I did interview. The interview process at the job fair was individual with whomever wanted to attend at the restaurant for my second interview it was one on one with the own. I had two interviews total. - If you can remember, what questions were you asked at your interview?
I was asked where I had worked before, what kind of position I was looking for, what kind of salary I was looking for, what I was looking for in an employer, and if I had transportation. - Is this the job / field you planned to work in?
Yes - If your job is in a different field from your original plan how did you get here? Explain (Plan can be from high school/college/post college/personal plan)
5. Background: Are you qualified?
- Was there training for your current position? If yes, what did it entail?
There was training for my position from the owner and the current kitchen staff. They trained me on the preparation of the menus, where the food was located in the kitchen, where all the tools were and the general operation of all the equipment. - Do you feel your employer properly prepared you for your job? Explain
Yes, this is more training than you get in most kitchens. Often you are thrown into the fire and you learn as you go this kitchen properly trained you before you began working by yourself or on the line. - Do you feel your educational background prepared you for your job? Explain
Yes, the education I received definitely helped me because you have to know kitchen terminology and knife cuts in order to work in fine dining. Without these skills commands being yelled out to me would not have made sense. I also would not have been able to do the paperwork part of working in a restaurant without the training on excel spreadsheets and the training on preparing certain paperwork. - If applicable, do you feel your internship experience helped you prepare you for your job?
6. The Future and Beyond (FINAL SECTION)
- If someone were to observe you at work, what would he or she say is "fun" about your job?
They would say it's fun to create beautiful food and see how happy and amazed people are by the simple as well as more intricate food you create. They would also say the kitchen is a fun environment because it is unlike any other work environment people joke a lot and you learn so much because there are always many different cultures working side by side. - What is (are) the most fulfilling aspect(s) and least fulfilling aspect(s) of your current employment? (e.g. fiscal, spiritual, type of work, hours, commute, compensation, etc.)
The most fulfilling part of my job is cooking and making people happy with food. Also helping other people gain knowledge in food and passing it down so the next generation of chefs can be better then the last. The least fulfilling part of this job is that you have to be willing to still wash dishes an do all of the menial cleaning tasks while not making a lot of money or getting any benefits in some of the lower end positions. - Is your current employment part of your career plan? Why or why not?
Yes it has always been my career path because I love to cook and no matter what other job I've done I always find myself going back to cooking. I love what I do and I'm very passionate about it. Food is my life and I love sharing it with people. I love seeing people happy because of what you have created. I always envisioned myself working up the ranks and become an executive chef even if it took a long time. I have a natural talent for it an I'm glad I didn't waste it just to do something for money! - What are your current career goals? (Can be broad or specific)
My career goals now are to move up into management positions and to also open my own restaurant and when I retire from actual cooking I want to become a culinary educator so that I can influence the next generation of chefs and train them to be the best they can be in the field. - Is there anything else you would like to share about your career?
If you don't have a passion for this and you're just looking for money this is not the career for you. You have to have a hard work ethic to make it in this business. Also every job is your job in the kitchen even when you're an executive chef you will still have to wash dishes, sweep floors, mop, and take out trash trust me when you do these things your whole staff will respect you so much more!
7. A Day in the Life Of...
- 7 am - 8 am
Opening of the kitchen all prep work for breakfast has already started and been completed by this time. We have a staff meeting at 7:30 every morning to discuss how breakfast is going to run that day and we also discuss the specials of the day. We also have a family meal during this time which is a meal the kitchen prepares for the whole staff and everyone eats as a family. - 8 am - 9 am
During this time is breakfast service. I monitor everything that's going on making sure plates are going out correctly and that all of the orders are in the correct order. This is when we get the rush which is back to back orders and this is our busiest time of the morning. - 9 am - 10 am
Breakfast service slows down during this part of the morning as most of our diners have to be at work. During this time I make phone calls to the people who provide our food. I called several different people to find out who has the cheapest food and I placed orders for the following day. - 10 am - 11 am
The kitchen during this time cleans up and the first set of staff leaves. I also had a meeting with the owner to discuss what is going on in the kitchen as well as what is going on with the front of house staff. We also discussed menu changes and staffing schedules. - 11 am - 12 am
I did profit and loss statements which are what you sold, the waste and what you have made on these items. I also made phones calls to a few clients I'm consulting with to schedule the dates and times they need me to come to their restaurants and work with them. - 12 am - 1 pm
- 1 pm - 2 pm
Second shift staff begins to arrive and I let them know what needs to be prepped that day as well as what we're out of and the dinner specials they will be running tonight. - 2 pm - 3 pm
During this time we have another family meal with the staff that comes in to do dinner service. We discussed any problems that are going on, we also discussed some scheduling conflicts and I informed the staff of what specials would be running during dinner service. - 3 pm - 4 pm
The kitchen during this time cleans up and the first set of staff leaves. I also had a meeting with the owner to discuss what is going on in the kitchen as well as what is going on with the front of house staff. We also discussed menu changes and staffing schedules. - 4 pm - 5 pm
Dinner service starts. During this time I help wherever needed and expedite,send out, plates making sure everything is correct. - 5 pm - 6 pm
During this time I spoke with customers and met with the second shift manager to discuss new seating arrangements and some of the new staff that has recently been hired. During their probation period we consult back and forth on a consistent basis. - 6 pm - 7 pm
I expedite plates as well as train the new grill cook. I show him the proper temperatures as well as the proper way to put grill marks on the meats and vegetables. - 7 pm - 8 pm
I expedite plates as well as helped one of my sous chefs make a dessert that she was unfamiliar with. - 8 pm - 9 pm
I made the order for next days dinner service as well as expedited plates and made sure everything in our refrigerator was within the dates it needed to be and not spoiled or too old to serve. - 9 pm - 10 pm
I helped the dishwashers run dishes through the machine as well as helped the staff begin to clean their stations and label the food we will be using again for tomorrow. - 10 pm - 11 pm
This is the final break down of the restaurant. I help put away food, clean and get the kitchen set up for the next mornings service. - 11 pm - 12 pm
While the staff is finishing cleaning I do the rest of the paperwork for the day. I run reports off of the machine where the servers key in orders and make a spreadsheet of how much of everything was sold and the waste in the kitchen. I also inventory the food for the next morning and made the schedule for next weeks staff. I also made notes on things I want to talk about at both of tomorrows staff meetings. I do a final check of the kitchen and lock up for the night.