Chef

Who is a Chef?

A chef is in charge of a kitchen or other places where food is served. They manage all the activities related to food preparation in the kitchen and also supervise garnishing, presentation, and seasonings of food and beverages.

What does a Chef do?

• Chef studies methods set up menus and arrange high-quality dishes. 

• You should be equipped to handle and assign tasks to the kitchen team, and to assure meals are served, fully garnished and done properly. 

• You should also be familiar with hygiene regulation and government food safety standards.

What are the skills required?

Being a Chef is a great career choice in India as five-star hotels and specialized restaurants are growing exponentially in India. The skills a Chef should possess are:

• Knowledge of food preparation

• Calm minded

• Detail Oriented

• Passion for cooking

• Ability to work in a team

• Innovative/Creative

A Chef is one of the most lucrative careers and we have given you in-depth guidance so that you can assess your standing and choose the best institute.

Top colleges offering courses on Culinary Arts

The modern culinary arts are exploding with job opportunities for a chef that is no longer tied to traditional kitchens. The TV food culture has elevated many chefs' careers into the limelight like Vikas Khanna, Sanjeev Kapoor, etc. The top colleges offering a course in culinary arts and hotel management are:

• Institute of Hotel Management (IHM)

• Institute of Hotel Management (The Taj Group of Hotels)

• Welcomgroup Graduate School of Hotel Management

• Oberois Group's System Training and workshop (STEP)

• Indian Institute of Hotel Management and Culinary Arts

BSc in Hospitality Administration is a 3 year Bachelor's Degree course that you can apply for. There is an entrance examination (NCHM JEE) where you have to pass general Knowledge and science and aptitude questionnaires. If you love the hospitality industry and want to be a Chef then excel at that.

Eligibility (All streams)

Career Scope of a chef in India

After fulfilment of a diploma and the certificate course in Hotel Management, one can join as an intern in one of the major five-star hotels in India. You will start at the entry-level known as a commie and then slowly rise to Junior Sous Chef, Head Chef and Demi-Chef de Partie.

You can also choose to become a restaurant manager by getting your MBA after your higher education in hotel management. There are people who work in creating meals for corporate and civic events and also for events. The hierarchy of a chef is:

• Executive Chef: An executive Chef maintains every activity inside a kitchen including menu creation, business aspect, and personal management.

• Sous Chef: Assistant Chef who is responsible for costing, menu-planning and ordering.

• Commis: They are in charge of plating the food and garnishing it.

• Cooks and Assistants: They help commis and Sous chefs in preparing food.

How much does a Chef make in India?

• The average salary of an Executive chef in India is Rs 833,476/yr

• An entry-level executive chef earns an average of Rs 425,000/yr including overtime and bonuses with less than 1 year of experience. 

• An early career chef with 1-4 years of experience earns an average of Rs 500,198/yr.

• An experienced Executive Chef with more than 5-9 years of experience can earn an average of Rs 884,372/yr including overtime and bonuses. 

• An experienced Executive Chef with 10-19 years of experience earns Rs 965,514/yr

The estimates given are according to payscale.

What are the books and study materials available?

The role of a Chef requires one to be thoroughly knowledgeable about food and their applications. The major books that lay a good foundation on food and recipes are:

• Kitchen Confidential, Anthony Bourdain

• Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Julia Child

• The art of Simple Food, Alice Waters

• The Omnivore's Dilemma, Micheal Pollen

We have provided in-depth career guidance of a career financial analyst so that you can excel at that.

Major Recruiters

Many five-star hotels and speciality restaurants hire chefs throughout the year. The major recruiters for Chefs are:

• Welcome Group Hotels

• The Park

• Hyatt

• ITC

• JW Marriot

This list is only suggestive. There are many hotels and restaurant chains that hire Chefs for their Kitchens.

Interesting Facts

The Michelin star is one of the most prestigious awards a Chef can achieve and many chefs work all their life in the dream of achieving a Michelin Star. The Michelin Star is given by Michelin Tyres as an advertising platform to support their tires.