Advice needed! How to get an intro job in a professional kitchen

[jfresch]

I am 25 years old, graduated college two years ago, and have been teaching high school for the past two years. I have since left teaching to pursue a career in the culinary industry. I plan on eventually attending culinary school but want to acquire some hands on experience before signing up for such a financial commitment. Does anyone have any advice on how to get into a kitchen with little to no professional experience? Money is not an immediate concern of mine as I am more interested in gaining knowledge and experience. I have found it difficult finding intro positions that don't require previous kitchen experience. Thank you for your help.

[mm84321]

I'd say not to go to culinary school and just start from the bottom up. Find a chef that will let you stage, and if they see you have potential, they might just give you a job. Of course, I have no experience in a professional kitchen, and am basically in the same boat as you, so take what I say with a grain of salt.

[Karri]

Go high, 5* hotels, michelin star restaurants apply for staff meal cook or stock/sauce cook. If you want to be a shoe-in, low-ball salary request, for these positions you don't need a lot of experience, and once you're in you can start cross-training. Ask questions take copious notes and work 12 hour days.

[agaronthefloor]

yeah screw paying all that money to go to a top rated cooking school. As my last chef told me when I left, always find the best in whatever city you are living in and work for them....simple advice yes, but very true...

[Broken English]

One word of advice, if you do go to a restaurant to ask if you can stage, please pronounce it properly (st-ah-ge). It will increase your chances tenfold.

[OscarJMalek]

You might have to consider starting by working for free, as a stagiaire, especially if you're looking to later work in high-end restaurants. In the words of Anthony Bourdain; if you're going to attend Culinary School, then you should be attending the best. If you're in the US, for example, this would probably mean the Culinary Institute of America. If you go any lower then you might as well be working in kitchens for the experience instead, otherwise you're just going to be graduating from college, going on 30, with no actual experience and a degree from a second-rate college; which most certainly won't attract the of a decent chef.

According to Colman Andrews, roughly 4000 candidates would apply to work at El Bulli every year as a stagiaire, completely unpaid except for a shared room in Rozes as accomodation. Only 25 would be accepted, and this formed over half of the restaurants kitchen brigade. For the stagiaires, this was consequently the key to a brighter future, and would get them work in pretty much any kitchen in the world from there on out. In Michael Ruhlman's book on the CIA, he urges that one should start out as they mean to go on; if you wish to work in good restaurants and get paid well eventually, then starting in good restaurants is paramount, even if it means a sacrifice or two to begin with.

I hope this helps a little.