Posted by Anne on December 06, 1997 at 12:12:59:
In Reply to: Re: Cooking Schools Vs. apprenticeships posted by Gerard on November 08, 1997 at 23:21:18:
For many years I enjoyed cooking for myself and my family. I was young, and wanted to get out on my own, so I went to work in the food service industry. I tried several kitchens and waitressing over several years, and found WITHOUT EXCEPTION that every kitchen I worked in had unnecessarily high levels of stress. Low attitudes of management, low pay and long hours, backbiting, and deliberate undermining plagued every place I worked at. The problem was so bad, that for several years after getting out of it all I had no appetite, little enjoyment of food, and NO desire to cook anything at all. When I tried, I burned toast, I BURNED WATER!
I am still convinced that nearly all of the stress I encountered was unnecessary. However, it can be quite difficult to find a kitchen where the problem does not exist. Cooking is generally viewed as a job that anyone can do, so why pay cooks more than you have to?
I know from other experiences in my life that there has to be other kitchens where these problems are greatly diminished. Cooks and chefs have to find rewarding work somewhere, or we wouldn't have such a respectful, if romanticized, view of them.
The problem is this: cooking, like archaeology (my profession), requires love and dedication. But it also requires the guts and confidence to stick up for yourself and insist on a good work environment and the opportunity to develop your talents.
A good cooking school is a place to develop your talent to a fair degree, and to gain confidence in your abilities. This can be expensive, however, and many people will try to work their way through learning by working in a kitchen. The experience gained this way can be invaluable, but choose your restaurant carefully. Check the place out; look at how the employees act and are treated. Go at busy times and slow times. Leave a 20% tip each time (tipped employees minimum wage is $2.09 an hour, and this is really what nearly all of them are paid. They live off tips, quite literally. Therefore, a good tip will do more for their willingness to open up to you than any flattery. Especially as flattery is too often used when someone wants something, and is therefore suspect.), then start talking to the staff (during slow times). Ask how they like working there, ask why they work there, ask about turnover, open positions or opportunities, and peoples' attitudes.
No matter how flashy or famous a kitchen is, if the employees are not happy it will not be a good place to work, much less learn the business. Finding a good place will do more for those starting out than ANYTHING else. A bad environment can wreck your attitude, your heath, and your life, if you let it. Start well, and you'll learn how much you love the work. If you get a good start, and don't love it, then you've given it your best shot. Start bad, and you've guaranteed your eventual failure, no matter how persistent you are.
Sorry about the soapbox, but I thought the advice worth spreading.
By the way, I'm finally learning to enjoy food and cooking again, after 8 years. So there is hope, but do you really want it to take that long?