Become An Executive Chef & Create Mouthwatering Dishes, Recipes And Food In South Africa

Do these words mean anything to you? ... recipes, restaurants, catering, food, cakes, baking, biltong, and KFC. Sounds like something a head chef would know. Like any other profession, cooking requires a lot of dedication and hard work... and perhaps a pinch of salt as well.

Gone are the days when you would only find an Italian chef only at a five star hotel. Many South Africans are taking up this type of work and are actually becoming very popular and recognized all over the world. Is being a chef right for me?

This website is going to help you find out whether you are fit to become a chef and help you find the best chef school in Gauteng, Western Cape and in any area you live in SA.

Mastering the culinary arts is not as easy as it looks - but it can be done if you get the best training and are natural love for cooking up fine dishes and created new recipes. A lot of people want to explore the wonderful field of cooking but feel that its too broad or too complex. That's far from the truth and I am going to show you how simple it is to start grilling the finest steak and making the best spaghetti bolognaise.

There is also the misconception about cooking in Africa were the men believe that the "kitchen is a place for the woman only" -- Give me a break. I know a lot of male chefs that make over 500k a year working in Hotels close to Johannesburg International Airport or at the Waterfront in Cape Town. Choosing a chef specialty

If you are a guy and you are afraid to develop your cooking skills simply because you think your friends will start thinking that you are not "straight" anymore then you are missing out on all the fun involved in the kitchen (watch e-tv's Kitchen Confidential and you will know what I mean).

Most head chefs make more money than business executive...trust me!

Chefs are highly esteemed in the first world countries such as in England and the United States. They are actually treated as royal subjects by the Queen and always help create a good impression about the royal family when the guests arrive. Some chefs are actually born into a long line of chefs and inherit the good name.  Of course, if you want to be at the top of your field, you should at least know that there are quite a few things that you should ask yourself first.

Not anyone can become a chef. Ask yourself the following questions before you decide to venture into the kitchen.

Are you a creative chef?

People do not like boring and tired looking food. As a chef you need to be very creative if your customers are going to remember the restaurant were you operate . The master chefs know how to prepare a meal by making the plate as attractive as possible. Creativity will help you ideal with staff disputes. As a head chef or executive chef you will be expected to come up with new and exotic dishes. This will be very easy if you are naturally an innovative person.

Most people don't know how hard it is to run a restaurant later on cook perfect food. They don't know that there is a lot that needs to be done to make the best food that goes well with the fine wine. A good chef is good at making everything look easy and keep things running smoothly.

Are you prepared to study hard to become a chef and keep up with new developments?

You will need to study hard and be willing to work long hours before you can qualify to be a chef.  You need to constantly improve yourself; not only as a cook, but as an individual as well.  You must be in a position to study the art of cooking, preparation, and presentation of different types of dishes. You will have to have both theory and practical experience before you can master the fine craft. The chef apprentice

There is nothing called a natural chef.... all the master executive chefs that you know studied a great deal before they could call themselves professionals and bank the large salaries.

Do you possess the desire & motivation to learn to be a chef?

Being aware of the amount of time and study that it takes to become a chef, you need to keep yourself motivated if you are to complete your study with the credentials that you are hoping for.

As with all things that require so much effort, sometimes you really have to talk yourself into continuing. If you can stick with it, you will be happy in the end. And you will be a chef.

Can you multi-task?

You will often be required to do many things at once, so be prepared. As you will learn, working in a kitchen is a fast paced environment. It helps if you can keep up.

You will soon realize that working in a kitchen requires you to do many things at once, and it also requires you to be able to do this with a clear head and decisive manner. I'm Interested in being a chef, what next?

Most jobs require you to be able to do more than one thing at a time, but none so much as working as a chef. It can be quite frustrating at times, but very rewarding at others.

Multi-tasking is never more important than to those that wish to run their own establishment and kitchen. Keep reading if you really want to know what it takes to be a chef.

Are you good at making split second decisions?

When cooking more than one thing at once there is always room for a disaster. You need to be able to think quickly in order to avoid any complications.

Thinking on your feet is a necessity in working in a kitchen as there is always something going on around you. In order to be fully functional, you will need to able to make decisions at the drop of a dime, and they will have to be the right ones.

This may not sound very difficult, but you must consider that a kitchen is almost always filled with people and many things are cooking at the same time.

In this case, there is always a chance that something on the stove can go overlooked and begin to burn, a fire could break out with the simple misplacement of a dish towel, and confusion can easily break out among the staff.

A quick decisive chef will try to keep everything running smoothly.

Think of it this way; unless restaurant serves only one dish, you can have a great many items cooking at the same time, especially on a busy day. Accredited Colleges, Universities & Culinary Academies

As a chef, you will need to monitor everything that is being prepared and still keep up with your various other duties. To do this, you will need to be a split second decision maker.

Do you handle criticism well?

Unfortunately you will encounter some people who will not like your cooking for any reason and they will likely send their food back. It helps if you can take the criticism in stride.

Food critics will also have opinions so be prepared for that as well. If you are not able to handle the criticism of others, it will not leave you much room to improve. Trade or Vocational Schools, On-Site Training, Online Training

A good chef will always know that improvement begins with criticism. In this profession the old adage is definitely true; The customer is always right.

How is your business sense? Can you open up your own catering business?

Cooking is a business; you will need to know the basics of business in order to run a kitchen on your own. It really doesn't matter if you are running your own kitchen or someone else's.

To be a good chef, you must be able to handle the business aspect of a restaurant; especially if you are planning to be an executive chef or run your own place someday.

By the business aspect I mean that you will often be expected to handle everything in the kitchen. That includes dealing with shipments and stocking of food items, the management of other employees, and the direct correspondence with the head honcho or proprietor of the establishment.

Are you a people's person & will you be able to work in food restaurants?

Being a chef requires you to be in touch with many people during the day, you will need the ability to deal with them in a diplomatic fashion.

Many people think that being holed up in a kitchen all day doesn't really require you to be in much contact with the public, but that couldn't be further from the truth.

As the chef, you will encounter many people during the course of your day. You will be talking to delivery personnel, other employees, and often customers will wish to speak to you either in a congratulatory fashion or for criticism.

Its all a part of being a head chef and you will do this every single day, so be prepared for it.

concept of the page ... Recipes, restaurants catering, food, cakes, baking, biltong, bakery and Kentucky fried chicken. all this defines one word, a chef