Responsibilities of the Executive Chef
Whether you're going to work in a restaurant or in one of the many catering service jobs, you need to be aware of the basic duties handled by an executive chef. Understanding these details will help better prepare you for interviews and will help you find opportunities to impress restaurant owners and managers. First, an executive chef is actually a member of the given restaurant's management team. Most restaurants have a separate manager and a couple of assistant managers who round out the team. However, these individuals are usually given little or no say over the workings of the kitchen, which is solely the domain of the executive chef.
As an executive chef, one of your primary duties is planning the menu. With a new restaurant, this can be as easy as choosing some of the dishes you prepare the best. However, if you're coming into an established restaurant, be prepared to learn how to make guests' favorites while also determining which of the existing items need to go.
Also, as part of the management team, you will play a vital role in deciding who is going to be hired and fired, at least when it comes to the kitchen staff.
The executive chef must also be prepared to act as the ''face'' of the restaurant. That might mean meeting with couples who want the restaurant to cater their wedding so you can work with them to plan the event. It could also mean talking to guests or doing public relations events to promote the restaurant.
Requirements for an Executive Chef
The most important requirement is clearly going to be cooking experience. If you've never set food in a professional kitchen, don't even think about applying for these positions. With that in mind, there are a couple of routes you can take to reach the upper echelons of the food service industry.
The standard approach is to complete a culinary training program. You can find these programs all over the country, including at many trade and vocational colleges. There are also some schools around the nation that specialize in this area. After you complete a training program, you will still need to get some experience working in a kitchen, but you will usually be able to start out at a higher level.
A second approach — more popular in the past than today — was to enter the cooking industry at the lowest rung of the ladder and work your way up without any formal training. Instead, you would learn cooking skills by watching and working with other trained professionals in the kitchen. You can still use this approach in some restaurants, but if you want to be the executive chef of a fine establishment or even a hotel or resort, you need to have that formal training.
You will also need to have demonstrable leadership ability. As an executive chef, you will have to coordinate the kitchen staff in order to serve the meals. In most kitchens, you will have different people handling preparation and cooking areas. You will also have a sous chef who is basically the second in command. Making sure all of these individuals work together seamlessly is the ultimate goal every night you are in the kitchen, so leadership and communication skills are a necessity.
Finding the Right Position
Another advantage to completing formal cooking training is that the school may be able to help you get your foot in the door at a restaurant which will be the foundation for your advancement up the ladder. However, once you've gotten through that point, the rest is going to be up to you. Clearly, networking and making a name for yourself within the local industry will be the keys to your advancement.
That might not help you if you live in Florida and are looking for jobs in Calgary food services, though. One of the best options is to use the Internet to find available jobs in areas where you would be willing to live. However, you do need to be reasonable in your expectations. Don't expect to move from being an executive chef in a small Midwestern town to running a fabulous New York City restaurant.
Remember to include on your resume some of the dishes for which you are most well known. If you're just getting started in the industry, be aware of the necessity for developing signature dishes that will help you stand out with hiring managers and will keep customers coming back to the restaurant to enjoy your meals time and time again. These are some of the keys to finding the best position as an executive chef.
