Learn the Culinary Ropes as a Line Cookby Kirk Bangstad Do you aspire to become a famous chef one day? The road to chef stardom isn’t easy, and it often involves taking small career steps within a professional kitchen. These steps generally take the form of various kitchen duties, and those who perform these duties are often referred to as line cooks. For example, there are line cooks responsible for preparing sauces, desserts, meats, salads, and vegetables, among other duties. Line Cooks Check Egos at the DoorIn a reputable restaurant, a lowly line cook may be a star graduate from a culinary school, who has received a broad chef education. That chef education will eventually come in handy as he moves up the corporate ladder, and can help aspiring chefs even when they’re starting near the bottom rung. Going to culinary school and receiving a broad chef education is important because that type of pedigree is often required to even start as a line cook at a reputable restaurant. If you want to go to culinary school, look for schools locally and ask where their graduates tend to end up. If there aren’t any great culinary schools in your area, you might want to check online for culinary schools in larger cities. Generally, earning a chef education in a city with a lively restaurant scene is optimal because you’ll probably meet people that can help you get a job while in school. Being a line cook may seem like a lowly position, and given that they only make about $9 an hour on average, its not going to make you rich. On the other hand, it’s generally the first ingredient in the recipe for becoming a celebrity chef. SourceU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics About the AuthorKirk Bangstad is a singer living in Chicago, IL. Having received his B.A. in Government at Harvard, Kirk previously worked as a management consultant.
Posted on May 18, 2006 at 12:02 PM
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