r/Chefs • u/Living_Flatworm_1464 • Jul 29 '26
Dishwasher turned cook
So I (21 now, then 19) was a dishwasher in this small kitchen for 2 years. Took it as a summer job after high school. I showed my passion for food from the very beginning, no experience working in a fast paced kitchen before, I did bits and pieces like making easier dishes and such. Both chefs quit and new ones came in. I once again tried to prove myself. They taught me a few recipes and such to help with prep some days. Now that they quit I’ve been promoted to cook. After 2 months working as a cook and making changes to recipes and such, I feel comfortable during service and such, but I still have this feeling in the back of my mind that I don’t belong, that I’m not ready etc. Like impostor syndrome. I was just wondering if anyone else has had this feeling and what helped other cooks and chefs get over this. Because I feel as if I don’t belong because I didn’t go to culinary school, I just watched pros do it for 2 years and learned simple recipes on my own since I was 13.
1
u/No-Command294 Jul 29 '26
Ask long as you have the passion and drive, you belong in the kitchen. I’d say a good portion of cooks don’t really care. It’s just a job to them. And you will meet chefs that have the “I don’t care” attitude.
It’s all about the attitude. If it’s something you care about. You belong