Chef Training: Go Beyond Cooking Classes to Broader Career Opportunities

Becoming a successful chef often requires formal training. You can attend a vocational or trade school or earn a 2- or 4-year degree at a traditional institution or even online. Coursework can include basic cooking (including baking, broiling, and grilling); cooking for banquets, buffets, or parties; cuisines from around the world; food handling and sanitation; food storage procedures; knife techniques; menu planning; nutrition; portion control; proper use of kitchen equipment; purchasing and inventory methods; and slicing and dicing methods.

Above all, try and find a program that arranges internship or work experience programs to get the practical, hands-on training employers value. Another option is to become a personal chef, working in a client's home preparing meals for an entire week. Cooking classes may be the only necessary training for this, but if you want to be self-employed business classes can help too.