Culinary Job Search

[MarkIsCooking]

I'm a middle-aged guy who has been a cooking enthusiastic and avid home cook for many years. I've done a few short stints in professional kitchens and loved it! [Call me crazy.]

I sold most of my business interests last year and I'd really love to find a part-time or on-call job at a professional upper-scale restaurant in the Boston/Boston-west area. I realize that restaurants tend toward culinary school students and people with experience. It seems to me, though, that somebody may find some value in a more mature, exceptionally dependable person who is doing the work as a pure passion.

Any ideas for finding the right connection to make this happen? Is what I'm looking for just too off-beat to find?

Especially looking for comments from people who work in pro kitchens.

Thanks!

[gini]

I'm a middle-aged guy who has been a cooking enthusiastic and avid home cook for many years.  I've done a few short stints in professional kitchens and loved it!  [Call me crazy.]

I sold most of my business interests last year and I'd really love to find a part-time or on-call job at a professional upper-scale restaurant in the Boston/Boston-west area.  I realize that restaurants tend toward culinary school students and people with experience.  It seems to me, though, that somebody may find some value in a more mature, exceptionally dependable person who is doing the work as a pure passion.

Any ideas for finding the right connection to make this happen?  Is what I'm looking for just too off-beat to find?

Especially looking for comments from people who work in pro kitchens.

Thanks!

←

Craigie Street in Cambridge is always looking - Chris is a great mentor and there are all levels of experience.

Craigie Street Bistrot

[silentryan]

In general, there is a real dearth of cooks in Boston, relative to the number of high-end restaurants. I'd just keep an eye on job posting sites like bostonchefs.com and craigslist. There should be enough leads where something will turn up. Even if people 'prefer' younger cooks, given the limited talent supply out there, if you can cook they will be glad to have you.

[MarkIsCooking]

Thanks for the suggestions! I am following up on all of them!

-Mark-

[newguy]

you should seriously just go into every restaurant that you may have an interest in, and talk to the chef in charge. they'll probably have you trail a few days and see what your deal is, and maybe put you on a few days, you never know.

[Qwerty]

I'm a middle-aged guy who has been a cooking enthusiastic and avid home cook for many years.  I've done a few short stints in professional kitchens and loved it!  [Call me crazy.]

I sold most of my business interests last year and I'd really love to find a part-time or on-call job at a professional upper-scale restaurant in the Boston/Boston-west area.  I realize that restaurants tend toward culinary school students and people with experience.  It seems to me, though, that somebody may find some value in a more mature, exceptionally dependable person who is doing the work as a pure passion.

Any ideas for finding the right connection to make this happen?  Is what I'm looking for just too off-beat to find?

Especially looking for comments from people who work in pro kitchens.

Thanks!

←

Craigie Street in Cambridge is always looking - Chris is a great mentor and there are all levels of experience.

Craigie Street Bistrot

←

Did you mean Tony, not Chris? Wouldn't want him to call the restaurant and ask for Chris when there is no Chris.

I don't know if I would reccomend CSB for a first time kitchen job--I did a stage there a while ago, and while I was impressed with the staff, the chef, the food, etc, I had a really hard time and failed to impress, due to a variety of factors, but not the least of which was tightness of space and feeling like I was in the way, being slow, etc.

The restaurant is great thouhg, would highly reccomend spending a day or two in the kitchen, seeing if you like it, then moving from there. Don't think it would be a good fit for myself, but Mark may like it.

I can't emphasize how small the space, especially the kitchen, really is. Chef Tony's standards are really really high, but he knows his shit and maybe thats the best type of person to work for.

Good luck.

[Timh]

I would also recommend Tommasso in Southboro(Rt. 9). The chef is one of yhe more technically profficient Italian chefs in Boston, go eat there and see for yourself.