| You're known as a whiz in the kitchen. Your friends | | | | Regardless of whether you're aiming for the level of |
| compliment your culinary skills with every new dish | | | | Master Chef or Executive Chef, you'll have to have |
| you create. From classic French baguettes to | | | | some organizational skills to ensure everyone on your |
| elaborate standing rib roasts, each creation is | | | | team is working toward a common goal. What else |
| presented in style and is always met with a "Wow!" | | | | will you need? Physical endurance! |
| from all who eat in your kitchen. With all that to your | | | | If You Can't Stand the Heat... |
| credit, you might be thinking you're fully prepared for | | | | Do you think it gets hot in cities like Houston and Las |
| a career as a professional chef. Not necessarily so. | | | | Vegas? Culinary school graduates and professional |
| Preparing to become a professional chef takes more | | | | chefs will tell you that most restaurant kitchens equal |
| than natural cooking abilities. Unless you have the | | | | or exceed the summertime heat of those places. |
| funding to open your own restaurant, you'll likely | | | | Due to the operation of massive flat-top stoves, |
| follow the typical path of most culinary school | | | | several types of ovens, broilers and other |
| graduates. Whether you plan to whip up light meals in | | | | heat-emitting appliances, plus the rushing of dozens |
| a small café off the beaten path or become a | | | | of kitchen staff members, heat is something you'll |
| world-renowned chef in New York, New York or Las | | | | want to be prepared for. Standing, continuous |
| Vegas, Nevada, cooking school instructors will attest | | | | walking and lifting (food and cookware) are also daily |
| to the fact that formal education is a huge plus in | | | | activities pros participate in. |
| progressing toward your goal of becoming a chef. | | | | Continuing Education |
| Before you decide whether you truly want to | | | | Even after attending cooking school, you'll most likely |
| become a professional chef and attend culinary | | | | continue your education on the job. From perfecting |
| school, you'll need to understand what a professional | | | | chopping skills to mastering the preparation of |
| chef is. In France, a true chef is referred to as the | | | | sauces, experience is a wonderful teacher. Chefs |
| "chef de cuisine" or chief of the kitchen. S/he is not | | | | never stop discovering and learning. |
| only a cook, but also a manager. | | | | Your growth and exploration through the world of |
| A cook, on the other hand, is someone who may or | | | | culinary arts will give you an opportunity to stretch |
| may not be in charge of a professional kitchen. Some | | | | your creative wings and push the limits of your own |
| exceptional cooks (who are admittedly not chefs) | | | | expectations. Whether you become a cook or a |
| are Julia Child and Paula Deen. While Julia had a | | | | chef, by experimenting with flavors, textures and |
| culinary education, Paula never attended cooking | | | | presentations, you may soon have your name on the |
| school. Paula has run a professional kitchen, but Julia | | | | awning of your own restaurant. |
| never did. | | | | |