Advice comes in many forms, it’s passed down by peers, read in books, learned in life and accumulated over many, many years.
Kitchen advice is no different. Starting out in the kitchen is a tough challenge, especially when you realised how many steps lay ahead of you, but it’s also an exciting time that, handled correctly, will lead to years of valuable learning.
Everything you need to know to get on in the kitchen can’t be understood reading online, you have to get involved, feel the burns and plaster the cuts, before you really start to learn the finer nuances of working in the restaurant business.
However, there are some basics you really should consider before you start working in any serious kitchen, gems of advice that every chef has heard at some point in their career.
Below is a collection of this advice as shared by the community of professional chefs at ChefTalk.
Kingfarvito
Be the hardest working guy in the room
Chefross
Best advice is to be aware of the whole picture of the kitchen, just not your little world.
Be aware of the things that are necessary to run a kitchen, not just your little world.
Know what has to be done everyday, once a day, once a week, once a month.
ChefWriter
Educate yourself outside of work.
Akat
EAT ! there is no point creating if you dont know how to EAT !
Kuan
Organize. Always. At all times.
Clean. Always. All the time.
Mike8913
Show up on time (translation 15 minutes early)
Ask smart questions (yes, there are dumb questions)
Get interested in wine
Cheflayne
Be friendly with the staff, but not friends with the staff.
Grande
Own it when you make mistakes.
Chefross
Be humble. Be honest, Be sincere.
