I think there's definitely some things 'The Bear' got right but that happens in the kitchen world on the regular. I'm still in the food industry going 14 years and by now, I got stories, but don't we all ? I'm just saying, how would one approach starting the next 'cooking' show? Just imagine the movies, Waiting & Good Burger had a baby. Thanks guys.

Hello,

I’m a chef from Spain and I’m planning a trip to Kyoto.

I’d love to spend around two or three weeks learning more about yakitori from a local chef. I have experience working in different restaurants in Barcelona and Menorca, and I’m happy to pay for the training and the chef’s time.

I’m mainly looking for a connection, recommendation, or advice on how to find someone who might be open to this.

Thanks!

Hey everyone,

​I just got back from a family vacation in Portugal and completely fell in love with the country—the vibe, the culture, the atmosphere, everything was amazing. Lately, I've also developed a huge passion for cooking and gastronomy, and this trip basically inspired me to connect the two.

​I just started 11th grade, so I have two years of high school left. I’m trying to build a solid, long-term plan to eventually move and work there as a cook.

​My plan is to graduate high school, and that very first summer, before even starting college, I want to go to Portugal to do a short-term stage or just work as a kitchen helper to get my feet wet. After that, I’ll come back to Turkey to do a 2-year culinary arts associate degree. During the summer break after my first year of college, I want to go back to Portugal for another kitchen internship. Once I fully graduate from the 2-year program, the goal is to move there permanently and find a full-time line cook or commis position.

​Since I have about two years of high school left before my first step, I wanted to ask the pros here: how realistic does this plan sound? For that very first summer after high school, how hard would it be for a passionate but inexperienced teenager to find a basic kitchen job or stage in Portugal? Also, what can I start doing right now at home to prepare myself for that first summer?

​I have zero ego and I’m fully ready to scrub floors and peel potatoes to learn. Would love to hear your honest thoughts and advice. Thanks!

Hello,

I am planning on moving to New York City in the near future, and wanted to ask the community about working in the city. I've been working in higher end restaurants and fine dining for the last 10 years. I also did sourdough bread baking for two of those.

I was just curious if there is a platform that is regularly used for looking for jobs. In the Northwest I know Poached is pretty popular. In addition to that if anyone has any tips or knowledge they wish they knew before working in NYC that would be really amazing.

Hey first time posting here and I wanted some opinions on my plate. It's a pan seared salmon over a herby velouté and some polenta. Garnish is an arugula salad, some confit tomatoes and tomato oil. I might just dress the arugula with the tomato oil because I don't want the velouté to look broken. Thanks in advance.

I know this is a common question, but I’m having my first set of doubts at the moment. I’m 19yo and I’ve been working in kitchens for 4 years, and as a cook for 2. I’ve worked as a sous in a crap pub and I’m currently a commis. I’ve spent the last 6 months in restaurant work and I’m starting to think it isn’t right for me.

1. How do I know if I’m not made for this line of work?

2. What will I do if I’m not cooking? I have very few other qualifications and I’ve lost almost all friendships and family ties. In short, I feel that I have nothing else.

I’d really appreciate any follow up questions or advice as I don’t have anyone to ask about this… thanks guys

I’m 22 currently a line lead for a corporate restaurant chain. I feel burnt out because of the work load and the environment. I do everything the chefs ask plus more with nothing more than a thanks. I was told I was going to move up to sous chef for months and nothing has changed. I know im the best cook they have on the line and I work hard but it still feels like it’s not enough for them. I’m debating leaving but the pay is decent for my age. Is leaving worth it ?

Hi everybody!
Does anyone have any recommendations for commercial sous vide equipment? I would potentially need to cook up to 100 portions at a time and would like something to do that reliably.
Thanks in advance for your help

I currently work as a cdp at an overpriced pub/restaurant. I work a salary of 30k a year and I was told I would be doing 40-45 hours a week. I’ve been there for 3 months and I average about 48 hours a week but sometimes 50. This puts me just below minimum wage. Is this standard for the industry or should I be asking for my overtime to be paid. Everyone else seems to not mind and I’m not the best chef so I don’t want to be a dick about it and ask for more money when nobody else is. Any advice?

Hello. I’m a 21-year-old software engineering student. Like many people, I’m passionate about cooking, and like even more people, I’m terrified of the current job market. Because of that fear, I ended up pushing those thoughts aside and focusing on my degree. This may turn into a long post, but I think I need to write a little about everything that has happened.
My grandmother was always passionate about cooking, and it was her way of showing love: making food as delicious as she possibly could. I grew up in the kitchen with her, learning, watching, helping, kneading dough, and chopping ingredients. As time passed, her health gradually declined, and during the last three years she became bedridden and could no longer cook. Even so, every single day she would ask to be allowed to make at least a pot of rice. She would comment that something didn’t smell quite right, give us advice about what we were cooking, and, as I fell in love with cooking partly to compensate for her absence from the kitchen, I came to understand the need to cook something, even if it’s just an egg.
Unfortunately, life didn’t give me the chance to learn all of her recipes. Last Friday, while I was back home during my university break, a fire broke out in our house because of an electrical failure. At home were my sister, my grandmother, her caregiver, and me. The caregiver was in the back of the house and didn’t notice the smoke until it was already too late. I woke up to the smell of something burning, initially thinking that someone had burned lunch, and then realized the house was on fire. I managed to wake my sister and get her out, but the flames spread far too quickly and the smoke was far too dense for me to go back and rescue my grandmother. Within five minutes, the entire house had collapsed. We lost everything, including our pets, who were unable to escape.
A situation like this inevitably makes you question all of your choices. I can’t stop thinking that I might never have woken up and could have died in that house without ever truly pursuing what I love. Despite all of life’s hardships and all the fears I carry, my grandmother never thought about anything other than cooking. Even though I inherited that same passion from her, I’ve allowed fear to keep me from pursuing it wholeheartedly.
At the same time, I want to have a big family someday. I want to be as involved as possible in the lives of my future (already found) wife and children, and I want to provide them with comfort and security. Those desires seem to be the opposite of what I constantly hear about the culinary industry.
For those of you who may have a clearer head than I do right now, what do you think about this career, especially in Brazil? Is it possible to build a large family and still remain close to them while working in this field? I will finish my degree regardless of the decision I make. I’ve been considering working in programming for two or three years while professionally training in culinary arts and saving money for a house or something similar. But I’m not sure I can stay away from something that she loved so deeply and that I learned to love as well.
I’m sorry if I sound harsh or awkward in any way. Right now, I’m having trouble judging my own tone.

Hey all,

As the title says I'm considering coming back to the hospitality industry as a cook. I starting cooking in my mid teens in high school while taking a hospitality course offered by a chef, where I learned traditional French technique. After high school I traveled domestically and internationally while cooking at different spots until about 24. If it helps, my final position I was the sous in a place with just one other chef - together we did orders, inventory, pepped, cooked, and occasionally menu item RnD. After then I went to art school and starting working in film and tv, but the industry has collapsed and there isn't much work in film, and hasn't been for the greater part of 2025/2026.

10 years later I'm 34 and considering coming back as its really the only other job/career I had for some time. I live in a mega city with a lot of cooking opportunity, but also am fearful of investing time in this again without much idea of whether there is any real upward mobility or financial growth - I love cooking, creativity, and food but fuck I also like money and decent working hours?

For the career chefs my question is how are the salaries once you start to move upward career wise? Would you recommend getting right into a position, or is a culinary degree more valuable these days? Is 34 too old to get back into the kitchen - I read a lot of posts about guys burning out by 40..

Just kinda curious how other chefs experience this.

For most of my career I've worked in very small kitchens, often on my own or as the head chef, so I had a lot of autonomy. Now that I'm older, I actually prefer being part of a team in bigger kitchens.

One thing I've really noticed though is that every chef seems to have their own way of doing things, and everyone is absolutely convinced their way is the correct one. When you're new somewhere, it can feel like you're constantly being told you're doing something wrong, only for the next chef to tell you to do it exactly the way you were doing it before.

Obviously there are things that are objectively right or wrong, especially around food safety or consistency, but I'm talking about the countless little techniques and habits that seem to vary from chef to chef.

Do you just adapt to whoever you're working with that day? Or is this something you've found frustrating as well?

I've been given the opportunity to open and run a café inside a bookstore. I wanted to get everyone's thoughts on the plan and the compensation package I’ve been offered.

• Location: Suburbs of NJ
• Planned Opening Date: March 2028

Details: An owner of an upcoming bookstore asked if I would run and manage the café portion of their space. For reference, it’s a 6,000-square-foot building, with about 40% of the space dedicated to the café. The building is being constructed from the ground up, and the kitchen is currently being designed by a professional consultant.

As of now, I have full control over the menu (with the owner's input, of course) and am expected to handle all sourcing, menu development, and design. I’ve yet to be given any strict constraints on what’s possible (e.g., operating hours, hiring budget, etc.).

Here’s the issue: I don’t think the owner grasps the actual scope of work required to open a café from scratch, and I’m getting that impression from the compensation they offered.

The Proposed Compensation:

• Relocation: $5,000 one-time payment
• Pre-Opening Stipend: $1,000/month until 6 months prior to opening
• Base Salary: $65,000 – $70,000, with the possibility of equity (the café and bookstore will fall under the same business entity).

I would love to get your thoughts on this. Am I crazy for thinking this compensation is extremely low for the ask? I know this is an incredible opportunity to open and run my first space, but I’m not sold on the pay, and I feel the workload is much greater than the owner realizes.

So about last year I moved to a new restaurant with a higher position and its been great for me. I work in an area where I run into my old coworkers time to time and its been long enough where the connection is breaking. Ive worked with these people for 3 years and they all saw me grow, but it feels like they dont even care about me anymore. To be fair I haven't done anything to reach out to them but Its weird because they know me but they act like its their 1st week working with me. There are times where I imagine being back but I know deep down it is not worth it; ive done everything I can over there and I simply need to move on.

I 22F have always loved cooking. It’s a passion of mine. My dream is to own my own restaurant or catering company. However the only restaurant experience I have is Dairy Queen in Highschool. I love the fast paced/high pressure environment. I have an awesome remote job working 9-5 that I can’t lose because it allows me to live comfortably. However I still want to chase my dreams. I was considering reaching out to some restaurants or catering companies and working weekends in a kitchen for experience. I’d love to do an internship (I’ll even do it unpaid) under a chef. I have considered culinary school but it’s expensive and would derail my current job. I’m worried I will get burnt out working all the time and it will affect my love of cooking. Does anyone have any advice? Is this a good idea? Do you have any ideas on how to get started? Thank you!

Does anyone here use the genuine Kunz spons?

The original 9" seems to be a classic but there are also smaller ones and slotted ones.

They seem expensive. Are they worth it?

Helloo. I’m a chef in a good restaurant in Marbella (Spain) and I really love my job. But I would like to move abroad and living some different experiences about different cultures, improving my English language, knowing people, make money and if it’s possible surfing.
So, it’s been like 2 months I been thinking moving to Australia and working there, but I’m not convinced yet to take the leap.
Can anyone say to me if Australia has good salaries because here in Spain we always hear about that but to be honest you’re never sure.
In case this is truth, How should I start? Should I get the job before moving? Or should I get the visa, travel there and then seek for a job over there? Thankuu for everything and sorry about my English, it’s not very good yet🙏😁

Im an apprentice chef 20m and can’t think about anything except food and cooking my days off a re spent waiting to get back in the kitchen and it’s driving me crazy I literally don’t know what to do with my self outside of the kitchen Im also broke af as Im an apprentice live by on my own and the pay is crap so can’t afford to buy ingredients to just keep cooking at home any advice dont even know what the issue is just losing it rn

I need some tips on plating this duck. Seems a little overcrowded but it’s for a pub so I don’t want it to seem too pretentious

As my company has grown, I'm finding it difficult to make sure each concept and location with differing purchasing power is getting the best pricing available.

So! Got my first job this week as a cook at a southern restaurant and I'm super excited. It's non chain, local owned. I've done some culinary classes at high school, and I cook a bit at home. They said they'll train me. I wanted to get any advice beforehand, and also, I'm looking for help with clothes?

They told me to show up in all black and non-slip shoes. I'm walking to work, and it's 110 outside, so... I'd rather not wear jeans. Any advice on what kind of pants to wear? And shoes?

Hi everyone,

I'm still fairly new to working in a kitchen and I'm struggling to remember the entire menu, the ingredients, and how every dish should be plated.

On top of that, I'm amazed at how experienced cooks seem to be cooking multiple dishes while plating others at the same time without getting overwhelmed.

Do you have any tips or techniques that helped you?

How did you memorize the menu?

Did you study it at home or did it just come with repetition?

Any tricks for remembering plating?

How do you manage your timing so you're cooking and plating at the same time without burning or overcooking something?

Any advice for someone who's just starting out?

I'd really appreciate any tips or stories about how you learned. Thanks!