Vocational Schools Versus Culinary Schools and Institutes

By Matt Goudge


Becoming a chef is easy, one might be inclined to think. However, you will be surprised to know that it actually is not. It would take not only good cooking skills in blending and mixing ingredients to create delicious meals, but it would also take creativity and imagination in creating new dishes as well as plating them appetizingly.

Now, these are not enough, mind you. You still have to compete with a lot of cooks and chefs to land a job at one of the fine-dining restaurants, a move that can get you started on a colorful and successful career. To give you the edge you need, you can either enroll yourself at a vocational school or a culinary school. But what are their differences? And what are the pros and cons of each?

The Vocational School

If you want to receive your certificate and be accredited as a chef in a relatively shorter period of time, then a vocational school would be perfect for you. This can certainly get you started on your career faster; however, there are benefits and drawbacks that you should be aware of.

Benefits:

1. Compared to culinary schools and institutes, vocational schools are a lot cheaper, and in just under a short period of time, you will receive your certificate and get you started on your culinary career.
2. Vocational schools also allow you more free time since the classes are condensed. This then is perfect for those who have jobs and families to take care of and, at the same time, go to their classes.
3. The class schedules are flexible, and this also gives you time to study your lessons at your own pace.

Drawbacks:

1. Your accreditation is limited as vocational schools only give you accreditation in the states where you received your training.
2. Condensed the classes may be, but you will find out sooner or later that the classes have neglected some necessary and important courses.
3. You will need to purchase some of your own equipment, especially those not provided by the vocational school.
4. Lastly, you will have to look for a place where you can apprentice and train.

The Culinary School and Institutes

For the serious chefs who want to be recognized not only in his or her state but worldwide as well, then the culinary schools and institutes are perfect for them. These train you how to become a professional chef, and once you have your certificates, diplomas, or degrees from them, you can easily land a job. Of course, there are still the benefits and drawbacks to consider before enrolling in one.

Benefits:

1. The two or more years of studying at culinary schools and institutes assures you of worldwide accreditation and recognition.
2. This also gives you your post secondary diploma.
3. Right after your graduation, you gain recognition as a chef and can easily land you a head position job. If you do land the head position, this instantly assures you of a much higher starting salary.
4. Graduating at culinary schools and institutes also gives you valuable networks and connections with relevant people in the industry.

Drawbacks:

1. It is expensive than vocational schools.
2. It will take you two or more years to receive your certificates and diplomas, and you will also need to look for a place where you can apprentice or train. All in all, this is very time consuming.
3. You will definitely notice that the competition between graduating chefs, especially those who will be graduating with honors, is far fiercer than compared to those graduating at vocational schools.
4. There are some schools and institutes that do not provide chef training. For this reason, you really have to choose the culinary school and institute wisely.
5. In the same vein, you have to check and make sure that the culinary school or institute make you eligible or qualified for an apprenticeship because some of them do not.

These are just some of the pros and cons of both vocational and culinary schools and institutes. So, depending upon your needs, preferences, and budget, you really have to choose wisely.


Chef Matt, the owner of ProChef360Blog, is an expert in culinary arts. He is after all an outstanding chef, having had worked in some of the finest resorts, hotels and restaurants in the world.
His interest, however, in social media was awakened when he started his own websites. Over the years, he took it upon himself to learn everything he can about social media.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Matt_Goudge


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Chef Interview Tips – The Interview

Author: Matthew J. Goudge

It is only a few days away from the interview proper, and you have researched and studied all that you can on the company. You have also prepared and answered some of the questions commonly asked. At least, you can now safely say that you will come prepared for the interview.
What else then do you need to do?
The Dress Code
Dressing appropriately is, of course, one of the keys in acing the interview. For this reason, your clothes should be professional as well as smart. Do not "dress to kill," meaning you should never over-accessorize yourself. On the other hand, you should not dress down, too. Show your professionalism by dressing appropriately and professionally.
A Minute and a Half
Opinions and first impressions are said to be developed during the first minute and a half of the interview. For this reason, you have to take advantage of this window of opportunity.
Here are some of the things that you have to be conscious of:

1. Your body language will show who you are before your mouth can even speak for you. It is important then that you have a ready smile on your face when you walk into the door. Make sure, too, that you meet the eyes of the interviewers, especially when you exchange firm handshakes with them, as well as throughout the interview itself. This shows confidence in yourself.
2. Do not sit unless you were offered one, and do not sit unless all the interviewers are seated.
3. Your confidence should show not only in your mannerisms and in the way you speak but also in the tone of your voice. Make sure that you look just as enthusiastic as you sound. In the same vein, make sure that you appear alert and attentive to what is being said during the interview. Never, ever slouch on your seat or fidget too much.
4. Make sure that you completely understand the question first before answering them, and when you speak, make sure that your voice is confident and that you are clearly understood by the interviewers.
5. Speaking too much is a sign of nervousness, so refrain from talking too much, especially about those unrelated to the questions.

Common Do's and Don'ts During the Interview
Do's:

1. Do turn off your mobile phone prior to the interview. It is a big turn-off if your mobile phone suddenly rang in the middle of the interview and there is the awkward silence wherein you all wait whether you will the answer the phone or not.
2. There will be icebreaker questions prior to the interview proper to make you feel at ease, so do take the time to control your nerves.
3. Do address your interviewers appropriately. To be on the safe side, use the usual salutations such as Mr. or Ms.
4. They will ask you why you want to leave your current job, so do answer positively like the need for new challenges and better opportunities. It will just hurt your chances if you bash your previous employer.
5. Since you have researched about the company, do prepare some questions that you could ask the interviews as well. This will show just how interested you are in the position and how much you want to learn more about the company. Remember, you will be working for them if you do land the job, and showing interest in the company can greatly increase your chances of getting the position.
6. Do show confidence at all times, but make sure that you do not come across as being arrogant or even aggressive.
7. Do thank the interviewer after the interview.
8. Do reassert your desire to work for the company and getting the position before you leave.

Don'ts:

1. Do not be late. It is a big no-no in interviews.
2. Do not direct the interview. You are the interviewee, not the interviewer.
3. Do not show ignorance about the company or lack of knowledge about the position you are applying for.
4. Do not lie in your CV and during the interview. In the same vein, do not lie about your qualifications, skills, and expertise by deleting or exaggerating some information about yourself.
5. Do not evade questions, and do not take too long a time in answering them.
6. Do not bash your former employers.
7. Do not fight with your interviewers.
8. Do not give out unnecessary details about yourself like answering questions not even asked.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/interviews-articles/chef-interview-tips-the-interview-4770911.html
About the Author

Chef Matthew, the owner of ProChef360 Blog, is an expert in culinary arts.
He is after all an outstanding chef, having had worked in some of the finest resorts, hotels and restaurants in the world.
His interest, however, in social media was awakened when he started his own websites.
Over the years, he took it upon himself to learn everything he can about social media.

Chef Rose Gray and Ruth Rogers – The Superwomen of the Culinary World

Author: Matthew J. Goudge

After what happened last year, who would have thought that the River Café would have survived the devastation that the fire caused? But Chef Rose Gray and Ruth Rogers did it! Not only were they able to rebuild a more beautiful restaurant, they were also able to make it to the 71st spot in El Pellegrino World's 100 Best Restaurants list.
The River Café is located along the north bank of the Thames River. This was once as an old oil storage facility which was converted in the late 80's to what is now one of the best restaurants in London. It is also one of the most popular ones. The actual renovation was actually handled by Chef Roger's husband, Lord Rogers who is an architect. Now, the old facility is a beautiful restaurant with its own garden.
This dining establishment offers outrageously delicious Italian cuisine prepared by the chef partners, Gray and Rogers. This restaurant has been around for more than 10 years. It firs opened for business in 1987, and ever since then, it has been able to sustain its success and popularity.
Over the years, Chefs Rose Gray and Ruth Rogers have managed to bring the attention of U.K. and the rest of the world to this quaint but charming London restaurant. This is where they offer world-class Italian cuisine. With the renovation of the restaurant, it now offers a really charming and innovative kitchen plan. The dining area is also well designed and decorated.
Chef Gray and Rogers, in partnership, manage the restaurant together. They have devoted most of their culinary lives to creating a world-class restaurant. The River Café is indeed one of the best restaurants in the world. It has received countless commendations and recognitions. It has also won numerous accolades over the years.
The River Café's chefs have played a huge role in reintroducing sun-dried tomatoes and olive oil to the English palates. They have achieved so much – one would think that they actually received culinary training. This is not the case however.
In truth, Chef Rose Gray and Ruth Rogers learned through experience. They never received formal culinary education either. They actually learned through trial and error. They built a world-class restaurant while they were also building a family on the side. Yes, you can even call them the "superwomen of the culinary world". Despite their busy lives, they have managed to build a dining establishment to rival the best in the United Kingdom.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/restaurant-reviews-articles/chef-rose-gray-and-ruth-rogers-the-superwomen-of-the-culinary-world-4662188.html

About the Author

Chef Matthew, the owner of ProChef360 Blog, is an expert in culinary arts.
He is after all an outstanding chef, having had worked in some of the finest resorts, hotels and restaurants in the world.
His interest, however, in social media was awakened when he started his own websites.
Over the years, he took it upon himself to learn everything he can about social media.

Chef Pascal Barbot – The Quirky Chef Who Loves Milk

By Matthew Goudge

Unpretentious, unassuming, humble, genius – those are the words that Chef Pascal Barbot’s colleagues would use to describe L’Astrance chef. They are not far off the mark. Chef Barbot possesses exactly those characteristics and more. He is driven by his insatiable curiosity for culinary arts and his innate desire to offer something new evertytime.

With this kind of drive, it is not surprising that he has managed to create a name for L’Astrance as one of the best restaurnats in France. If asked though to comment on his achievements, Chef Barbot would just like shrug his shoulders. He wouldn’t regale you with his accomplishments. He wouldn’t even likely tell you that his restaurant secured the 11^th spot in this year’s El Pellegrino World’s 50 Best Restaurants list.

You wouldn’t know if you would just talk to him that his restaurant is one of the hottest dining establishments in Paris. It’ll take you a month before you could get a table reseravation – and this was before the restaurant earned its Michelin stars. It is even much harder to get a reservation these days with the restaurant earning Michelin stars and Barbot winning Chef of the Year.

The Milk and Barbot

Barbot loves his milk. He loves to use it in practically every dish that he prepares. This is the one ingredients that has flirted with every other ingredients in Chef Barbot’s cooking. It’s amazing what he can create from milk and other ingredients. This is not really surprising if you know where he hails from. He is actually from Auvergine. In this part of France, people are fond of using milk in their cooking. In fact, they use milk in practically everything! Chef Barbot grew up drinking, eating and using milk. Naturally, he also learned how to use it in his cooking. You should definitely try his carrot puree. It is one of his most wonderful milk dishes.

The Magic of Barbot’s Cooking

Aside from using milk, Chef Barbot also insists on using the freshest local ingredients. He personally scours food markets in order to look for the finest ingredients. He likes foraging for unique items that he can use. He likes exotic or in-season ingredients. This is why you wouldn’t find menu in L’Astrance. The selections vary depending on the available ingredients for the day. His daily outing consists of personally visiting several local markets. He buys vegetables in Rungis. He searches for fruits in the markets of Iena. He gets his meats from Marche. He often buys by the bulk. For Chef Pascal Barbot, cooking is the finest form of art. This is why you can only expect the best from him.

Image Source: lo-mejor-de-la-gastro

About the Author:

Chef Matthew, the owner of ProChef360Blog.com, is an expert in culinary arts.  He is after all an outstanding chef, having had worked in some of the finest resorts, hotels and restaurants in the world.  His interest, however, in social media was awakened when he started his own websites.  Over the years, he took it upon himself to learn everything he can about social media.
He endeavored to discover the secrets behind generating huge traffic and leads for his websites.  He studied the secrets behind generating sales by piggy-backing on high-traffic social media sites.  Over time, he has developed 77 techniques on how to generate huge amount of traffic through the use of social media.

Articles Source: Chef Pascal Barbot – The Quirky Chef Who Loves Milk

Understanding a Chef’s Outfit

Chefs are often known for their attire especially their “funny hats”.  In truth, a chef’s outfit is quite notable and distinctive.  They have worn it for years, and their outfits have always been associated with them.  Typical attire includes a toque (chef’s hat), a double-breasted jacket and a checkered pair of pants.  It is this combination that has made them easily recognizable over the years.  Curiously, however, the origins of this outfit have never been really established.

The Chef’s Outfit

Perhaps, you have never considered this but there are practical reasons why a chef’s attire is the way it is.  For instance, the double-breasted jacket has its practical purpose.  It is usually made of thick cotton which is designed to protect the chef from heat.  It is double-breasted, so that chefs can easily reverse them in case of stains.  The checkered pants also serve the same purpose.  The pattern helps hide stains and splashes.  Of course, there are many chefs who prefer to wear aprons to cover them waist down.

With all the practical reasons for the shirt and pants, the toque is completely another matter.  There have been many theories about the tall hat.  Some people believe that this hat has been around since the 16^th century.  At that time, fats would build up on the ceiling, and the hats protect the chefs from the drips.  There are some people who believe that these hats are meant to conceal chefs from persecutors.  At that time, chefs were considered artisans; and like other free thinkers, they were persecuted.  These hats were meant to deceive the persecutors into thinking that the chefs were priests.

A Chef’s Outfit – What Does It Tells You?

Today, a chef’s attire is one way to distinguish kitchen ranks and statuses.  The height and the pleats of the toque identify the rank of a chef in the kitchen.  The higher the height, the higher is a chef’s rank.  The pleats represent the number of ways a chef is able to prepare an egg dish.  This may sound impossible for some people, but a really good chef can prepare at least 100 egg dishes.  That’s actually the highest number of pleats a chef can have on his hat.  It is very important that ranks be shown in the kitchen.  With several chefs working in the kitchen – and everyone wearing identical outfits – the hat tells the difference.  With orders coming in quickly, being able to identify the head chef quickly makes a lot of sense.

What Makes Up the Best Chef Blogs Online?

With so many blogs and websites online, it is definitely hard to look for the best chef blogs.  If you are in the field of culinary arts, you may be looking for blogs that are definitely worth your time.  Of course, you don’t have to be a chef to look for a good culinary blog.  Perhaps, you just love cooking and you are looking for a website that offers good reading.  Perhaps, you are looking for blogs that will inspire you to make your own.

What Constitutes a Good Read?

What makes up a good chef blog?  Basically, a good site offers information.  That is vital.  A website should offer a lot of information.  You should be able to learn from it.  Aside from that, it should also be inspirational.  It should be able to make you want to do something or achieve something.  It should make you want to cook a delicious dish, go on a trip or go to a culinary school.  It doesn’t matter as long as the site would inspire you to achieve something.  A good blog should be interesting.  There should be a lot of things to see or videos to watch.  It should be fun to read.  It should have its own personality.  It should leave you chuckling or grimacing.  These are the characteristics that are common among the best chef blogs.

Creating Your Own Chef Blog

The best chef blogs online can inspire you to make your own blog.  If you want to get people’s attention, you need to make sure that you have a fairly engaging food website.  You need to provide information that is useful to practically everyone in the World Wide Web.  You need to push boundaries with your ideas, and you should be able to inspire people.  If you are chef, this is fairly easy.  You just have to stretch your food biases and experiment with what-ifs.

The best chef blogs are honest and witty.  These blogging chefs have the knack for playing with words.  They often speak right to the heart of a reader.  It is easier to write for your blog if you can speak with your heart.  After all, this is the same thing you use when you cook.

Pictures!  You need to have a lot of pictures.  You can’t leave your readers hanging with just words.  You need to show them a lot of pictures.  If a particular dish is mouthwatering, make sure that your readers know exactly how mouthwatering it is by showing them a sumptuous picture of the dish.  The best chef blogs often have engaging photos.

These are just some of the things that you can do if you want to create your own website.  Visiting the best chef blogs online will certainly give you a lot of idea.

Pursuing a Culinary Arts Career

Culinary arts have always been associated with cooking.  Perhaps, like everyone else, you often conjure an image of a chef with a huge hat when you hear the term “culinary”.  This is inevitable with more and more people pursuing a culinary arts degree just so they can become professional chefs one day.  Fortunately, there are many schools and universities today that offer culinary arts career courses, so there is no reason why you won’t be able to pursue a degree and have a shot at becoming a chef.  Of course, there are different kinds of chefs working in various fields.  Your choice will ultimately depend on your preferences.

Chefs have always been around for a number of years.  They have been cooking in restaurants, hotels, resorts and private homes for years and years.  Contrary to the general perception, however, it is not easy to become a professional chef.  The whole process can be relatively demanding and exhausting.   You will have to be on your feet for hours.  You will be working graveyard shifts.  You will work on weekends and during the holidays.  Even if you end up as the head chef, you will have to work the same hours as your staff – perhaps, even longer.  You will have more responsibilities.  Of course, you don’t automatically become the head chef.  You will have to start at the bottom of the culinary ladder.  After all, there are different kinds of chefs.  You will have to spend a lot of time training and honing your craft before you can hit the higher rungs. 

There is more to becoming a chef than pursuing a degree.  To reach the top of the ladder, one needs to work hard.  If you are interested in pursuing a culinary arts career, you need to know what you are in for.  After completing a degree, you will likely find yourself working as an apprentice.  This is a very good thing if you want to learn more about the craft.  You will have to start out later as a prep chef, peeling onions and chopping tomatoes.

Once you have proven yourself, you will likely be promoted as line chef.  Of course, the rungs do not end there.  You need to continuously prove yourself in order to go up the ladder.  Perhaps, you will eventually become a sous chef or the executive chef.  If you work hard enough, you may soon find yourself holding the head chef or executive chef position in a very good restaurant.  Again, there are many kinds of chefs.  But to pursue a culinary arts career, you need a lot of hard work and determination.