India’s hospitality and restaurant industry is growing by leaps and bounds, thus triggering demand for professional chefs. Today a career as a chef is considered to be one of the most sought-after careers due to its high demand and wide range of possibilities.
Hence, if you find serving delicious, piping-hot food even more satisfying than eating it. If the sizzle of the hot pan is the best music to your ears, a fantastic chef might lurk within you! Is that the case? The question that’s probably on your mind now is how to become a chef in India. To answer all your questions, here’s an article that discusses in detail “what is a chef” and how to become a chef in India.
What is a Chef?
Like the captain of a ship, a chef represents the topmost level of the kitchen hierarchy. A chef is not just a skilled and trained cook! They have a profound understanding of complex flavour dynamics and are skilled in creating the best menus. They also perform management duties and supervise other cooks in the kitchen. Chefs are specialists in their particular fields.
Top picked jobs for youWhat does a Chef do?
Listed below are the 9 key responsibilities of any good chef –
- Developing new recipes.
- Planning menus.
- Interacting with the customers and gathering honest feedback from them.
- Handling customers’ complaints regarding food quality and taste.
- Training the kitchen staff.
- Deciding what (equipment, ingredients, etc.) is needed and when to order it.
- Ensuring that the best quality food is laid on the table. They also take care of the hygiene of the kitchen.
- Strictly following the kitchen safety standards and ensuring that their subordinates follow them too.
- Overseeing food presentations and ensuring inter-department coordination.
How to become a Chef?
If you are passionate about cooking and want to become a chef, you must start early. You can begin your journey of becoming a chef after the 10th board exam by enrolling yourself in any of the following year-long courses listed below –
- Certificate Course in Food Production
- Certificate Course in Bakery
- Certificate in Food Production
- Craft Course in Food Production
After passing the 12th class board exam with 50% marks, you can take a diploma course or an undergraduate course in culinary arts, hotel management or catering technology.
If you wish to pursue higher education, you can undertake a 2-year postgraduate cooking course, provided you have passed your undergraduate cooking course with a minimum of 50% marks.
What skills do you need to become a Chef?
Being a chef is more than merely putting food on the table. To become a chef, you need to master the following –
- Organizational skills
- Strong multitasking skills
- Creativity and an eye for detail.
- Time management skills
- The skill of performing as a team
- Leadership skills
- Resilience and the ability to handle criticism
- Stamina, i.e., an excellent level of mental and physical fitness.
- Restaurant and kitchen management skills
- Strong communication skills
Chef Salary & Career in India
The salary of a chef varies depending on factors such as work experience, confidence, personal skills, specialisation, and place of work. The average salary of chefs working the entry-level position starts at around ₹ 225,000 per year. On the other hand, experienced chefs take home around ₹ 1,600,000 per year. A chef’s average salary in India is around ₹ 400,000 annually. The salary of an Executive chef/head chef ranges between ₹ 0.7 lakhs to ₹ 20 lakhs and the average salary of a head chef in India is around ₹ 6 lakhs per year.
In a professional kitchen, there are usually 4 levels of chefs operating in a hierarchical structure. They are as follows –
- Apprentice or trainee chefs who are known as Commis Chef
- Section chefs are known as Station Cooks, Chefs de Partie or Line Cooks
- Sous chef, who works as the second-in-command in the kitchen.
- Executive/Head Chefs, also known as Chef de Cuisine, are responsible for managing the entire kitchen.
Hence, you can start your career as a Commis Chef and eventually become an Executive/Head chef. You can also be a Private Chef, i.e., work full-time for a single client. Apart from chef-related jobs, you can also pursue any of the careers listed below after acquiring some work experience as a chef –
- Cookbook Writer
- Event Caterer
- Cookery Show Host
- Cuisine Ship Caterer/Airlines Caterer/ Railways
- Restaurant/ Pub Manager
- Food Critics/Journalists/Writers
Conclusion
Chef as a career no doubt has enormous scope in India. And what can be more satisfying and rewarding than treating people with finger-licking delicious meals that they would remember fondly later? However, being a chef is no cakewalk. The pressure of being consistently creative and unique is a must and requires countless hours of hard work. Nevertheless, nothing can stop you from excelling as a chef if you put your mind to it! Moreover, if you are looking for a chef job, you can check out the listing at Job Hai.
FAQ
Q1. Who is a chef?
A chef has been trained to understand cooking techniques and flavours, create recipes from scratch using fresh ingredients, and handle the kitchen’s business side.
Q2. What is the meaning of chef?
The word ‘chef’ is short for the French ‘chef de cuisine,’ which translates to ‘chief of the kitchen’. Thus, a chef is a trained professional cook and a chief who supervises other cooks.
Q3. How much does a chef earn in India?
The average annual salary of a chef in India is ₹ 2.2 lakhs, which translates to ₹ 17.5K per month.
Q4. What should I study to become a chef?
If you wish to become a chef, you must study a course related to hotel management, culinary arts, or catering technology.
Q5. How to apply for a chef job?
You can apply for a chef job through online websites which advertise various job vacancies
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