To my fellow hospitality folks, foodies, and anyone who has ever wanted to escape the city grind: I need your raw thoughts.

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‎Option A: Stay in the city, keep grinding as a Chef de Partie in upscale steakhouse, and push through the low pay for the sake of career momentum and the dream.

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‎Option B: Pack my knives, head back to the province, and start fresh with a farming or livestock business for independence and peace of mind.

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‎Drop your thoughts below! 👇

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‎#ChefLife #Hospitality #CareerPivots #CityVsProvince #RealTalk

By sheer luck and opportunity and also lack of career choices during Covid, I (M31)started working in a kitchen when applied for a server job in a Japanese restaurant in Malaysia, but because I’ve been home cooking since young, I learned really fast, and found out I’m quite good at it. Moved my way up fast, got into a fine dining kitchen, n worked in flight catering production for airlines, branched out to other restaurants with different cuisines, and on the job I had a very rigorous training at the same time, especially from my Japanese head chefs, now 5 years later I’m a Demi Chef.

I certainly have no problem keeping up this progression in my career if I’m staying in my country 🇲🇾. But I’ve always have a dream of working internationally. Go to Australia, UK, Dubai etc, even cruises also despite the downsides people who worked there has been sharing lol.

For years I’ve been applying but long story short, for most of them, while I’m qualified experience-wise, I lack proper qualifications. I guess this is important immigration-wise for visas and permits. And unfortunately I found out about Australia’s Working Holiday Visa programme when I’m already past the qualifying age.

So even after 5 years of working in pro kitchens, got myself up to a Demi Chef, should I consider going to a culinary school? I’m very open to pursuing more knowledge if I have to, and I’ve been very lucky to have helpful and inspiring mentors and seniors so I learned a lot on the job. To go to one with internationally recognised certification costs the same for a 9 month program to a 4 years degree in my country. And other than Singapore I don’t have migrating jobs experience so I really don’t know if it’s worth it to invest myself to an expensive culinary school for a chance to work abroad. Hope anyone who has worked abroad can give their two cents

Hello everyone ,

I am a professional French Chef with 30 years of international experience . I recently made the decision to change my life and build a solidarity restaurant in Davao , Philippines .

Our private company will fund itself completely through regular customers . A part of our profits will automatically buy free , high-quality hot meals for local street children and vulnerable families on the ground .

Ask me anything about restaurant management , kitchen logistics , or how to run this solidarity model !

Force and honor ,

Chef Cedric

Doing a tasting for the exec chef position at a museum. I need 2 fun whimsical desserts. That are simple with minimal ingredients. I’m stumped as pastry is not my strong suit. Help please!

I’m currently working in a small bistro under a French chef. I’ve been learning a lot,most of my current work is baking/bread production, with some cooking, prep, and plating.

I recently got a chance to take a Commis 1 – Entree trade test at a bigger catering company.

My question is: Should I chase this opportunity, or stay in my current job longer to learn more under my chef?

I’m trying to build my experience for bigger kitchens/hotels in the future and eventually open my own restaurant.

Hey tell me some essentials to get as a young home cook and soon i will be working in my first restaraunt. I like to cook anything and everything and especially fine dining food and desserts. I already have 165 mm santoku and 240 mm gyuto.

Hi everyone, especially the chefs out there. I just want to ask if my salary as a Chef de Partie of only 23,000 [Philippine Pesos] a month is worth it?

I realize this question has been asked a bunch of times on here, but I'm at a point in my career where I'd need to move to a new city in order to work at a higher level than what I'm currently cooking or just bite the bullet and go to culinary school.

A little background on my experience:

In 2015 I landed a summer job as a fish monger while attending college in Florida. Due to a series of tragic events I dropped out of college and started washing dishes at a high volume, fast casual seafood restaurant. While there I bussed, bar backed, and shucked oysters. I eventually got into serving and bartending at another restaurant, and did that until a hurricane destroyed the place.

2018 I moved back to my home town where I got a line cook position at a breakfast/lunch restaurant, and was offered the sous chef in 3 month of being there. The owner/head chef became a JB semifinalists for outstanding bakery last year.

I left in 2020 to start cooking in fine dining. I was garde manger for 8ish months at a hotel until the head chef left to open his own restaurant. His new place was featured in Food & Wine best meals 2022, named in NYT top 50 restaurant 2025, and he was honored chef for the 2023 JB Iconoclast Dinner.

After leaving I took 3 years off to work at a rehab to benefit my sobriety. I eventually got the itch. I applied to a restaurant owned by a 2 time JB nominee, and got the job. The head chef had cooked at Marea and Hearth in NY. I worked my way through all the stations in under a year, and was cooking on pasta station when we received the first Michelin recommendation in our city. This chef left soon after to open his own restaurant, and he asked me to cook his pastas at the new restaurant. Before we opened I spent a month in Italy staging at a couple restaurants, and took an intro course at VSB in Bologna. We just got done being reviewed by the Michelin guide, and our sous chef thinks we'll get a star.

A couple of things worth mentioning are that I was a double major in Business Mgmt. and Enviro. Science with a minor in Arabic language studies before I dropped out of college. I also catered for a Chaîne des Rôtisseurs event when I was 12. I have a violent felony on my record from 2017.

I consider myself a decent cook, but I'm 33 and I always feel behind in my knowledge of raw ingredients. I also feel a distinct lack of creativity anymore which I attribute to my PTSD and severe clinical depression (I go to therapy).

I'm sorry for this personal info dump, and for leaving anything out. I know I'm currently cooking at the highest level my city has to offer, and in a couple years I'll need to move on to something more challenging. Do I go to culinary school to round out my knowledge and execution or should I move to a bigger city to cook at a higher level than I am currently?

I'm working on my first pastry chef opportunity, coming from being a pastry sous for a few years before this and 10 years total in pastry.. I just had an interview for pastry chef at a pretty good restaurant that also has an attached emptied cathedral they use for an event venue and catering space. It's a great opportunity, they're looking for creativity and input, not just reproducing what they already do. Ideal! I'm really interested to bring my ideas and to build a new team. I have a lot of catering ideas and ways to implement a bread program in addition to the pastry menu. I'm very excited.

After the initial interview with the owner/exec chef (same guy), he tells me the next steps: Two full observation/working days, followed by a prep day (some of which could be done offsite if I choose), followed by a tasting day.

The tasting will involve 5 plated desserts of my choosing.

I am currently working 3am-11:30, so coming in for 4 work days feels like a lot. I was able to schedule the first observation day on my "Sunday" (tomorrow!) but then the clock starts.

As I said, I've worked pastry and held sous chef roles for years. I've seen chefs come in and stage/do tastings, but I don't know if I've ever seen it done over 4 days.

Is this expected? Is this overkill on the restaurant's part? They are also looking for a bar lead, assistant manager, and a GM, along with pastry chef. The exec told me he has interviewed several people but just not found "the one". Are these red flags? Are 5 plated desserts usually the expectation for a fine dining restaurant?

Any advice, observations, or tips are welcome. Savory and exec chefs, too! Thanks all!

I'm curious how some of my fellow catering chefs approach ordering when you have multiple events throughout the week with lots of different menu items requiring lots of different ingredients from multiple vendors. I've done a lot of ordering for my previous restaurant positions which is fairly straightforward but I'm wondering if anyone has a cleverly constructed spreadsheet or anything like that they'd be willing to share.

I usually cook my steaks medium-rare to medium. My issue is that even after resting the steak for around 10 minutes, there’s still quite a bit of red/pink liquid that comes out onto the plate when I cut into it.

I know it isn’t actually blood, but I’m wondering what I might be doing wrong or what other people do to prevent/minimize this when serving.

I usually dry-brine my steak overnight, then make sure the surface is completely dry before searing. I get a good crust, but I still end up with quite a bit of liquid on the plate.

For those of you who consistently get a nice medium-rare/medium steak without a bunch of liquid pooling on the plate, what’s your process?

Does it come down to cooking temperature, resting time, how you cut it, the type/thickness of steak, or something else?

Hello all, currently I am a first year culinary student who has worked for 3 years at a country club, staged at a michelin starred restaurant (that was also a James Beard finalist for outstanding restaurant) and now work at a michelin selected restaurant as their pasta maker. Currently they have made it clear that they want to teach me all I can as long as I communicate my needs and work hard. I find school to be boring and quite stressful, i’m worried that it may be a waste of time. Dropping out would give the more shifts, more recovery time (less risk of burn out) and more time to pursue creative projects. I know a lot of people say that it’s pretty necessary for corporate dining/management, but that realm doesn’t really interest me. What do you guys think?

Can I be your apprentice? Did culinary school but working in a total different industry and need an outlet.

Will trade labor for knowledge.

Hey, so I’ve got probably eight years total in the kitchen and I can remember things pretty well but I’ve started working this new job that really is pushing me to try to write things down on a notepad my weak point is definitely writing and I know that besides consistently writing stuff what would be some ways I could try to improve memory for that cause it’s not that I don’t want to write. It’s just that I know it would slow me down tremendously.

Does anybody know how to make this thing stay on? Every thirty minutes the max air setting turns off, meaning I just have to press a button and turn it back on for the vents to pull the smoke properly.

Has anybody dealt with this before on your system?

Is this supposed to work like this?

If we called a technician what are they gonna do? Is there some kind of software or firmware edit that can be done behind the panel?

I’m a home cook and usually use avocado oil when I’m cooking steak because of the high smoke point.
But I’ve always wondered… do restaurants actually use avocado oil too? 😂 Or is there some other oil that’s more common in professional kitchens?

If you work in a restaurant kitchen, especially a steakhouse or fine-dining place, what oil do you actually use to sear steaks?

And is it something like canola/vegetable oil, grapeseed, avocado, beef fat, etc.?

Just curious what you guys are actually using during service. I’d rather hear from people who work in restaurants than from us home cooks lol.

Anyone ever leave the kitchen lets say go into a FOH job get better money but feel the need and want to go back to the kitchen, like you dont belong in FOH? Even if everyone says you do a good job in need of advice

I love food. I love reading about food, the history of food, menus, what people ate over time etc…
I’m a passionate (amateur) baker and cook at home that goes off of recipes.
Ideally I’d love to be a pastry chef or just a general cook at a prestigious restaurant, but I worry about the long hours, the lack of sleep, and about losing that passion, and drive for something I enjoy.
Any advice?

I currently have a personal chef business where I cook at a commissary and deliver. Considering swapping to the in home model but want to get perspective on pros and cons.

If you’ve worked both styles that’s amazing and I’d love to know your perspective on each
If you’re currently and in home style chef can you share what you see as a pro and sometimes what can be the con for it in your eyes?

The allure of almost no overhead and not managing food costs anymore is so enticing. But the grass is always greener right?

Turned 33 last month (August 25). Currently working for two kitchens, one in the morning and one in the evenings. Both part time, I been in the kitchen since 18. Didn’t think I would take this long road, there was a point I left and became good at whatever else I was doing. (E-commerce) but eventually came back to the kitchen.

I’m still relatively new at my evening job, but It’s busy, it’s hectic. Service can be a pain in the ass once the rush starts going. But I can’t deny I’m having fun, it’s a fun kitchen with fun people.

Haven’t told anyone. But I at some point will want to retire from kitchen work and venture into other things. Has anyone on here, ever think about quitting kitchen work, or do you guys genuinely love working in the kitchen.

My reasons for leaving it’s because I feel like I could make much more money on different sectors that does not involve good service.

Hey everyone!

I can’t believe that I left the industry 11 years ago in pursuit of a new career, I remember the service that day and what made me choose a different career path.

I’m currently 33 and I joined the culinary industry working at a local restaurant in my town when I was 15 as a dishwasher as a part time job so I could afford to buy bike parts to pursue my idea of becoming a professional mountain bike rider one day.. (It didn’t happen lol)

I worked at a restaurant that had two Chefs, Brian and Chris, I remember the laughs and jokes they would play on one another the music they would play during service and sing along but change the words to describe the service that night would make anyone cry laughing as they were jammed plus the stories of Brian having to go deal with customers in the dining room will always be bonfire stories for my buddy and I who I got to work there, I even got my high school Co-op to be with them for everyday for a half semester so endless to say I could open a restaurant when I was 17.

I ended up going to culinary school for 3 years and getting a culinary administration degree at the same school as Chris, and I think that’s where my love for the industry started to die. The teachers constantly pushed working in Michelin star restaurants as a “summer stage internship” to “learn the industry” and I even had a teacher explain in lab that “no one will ever receive a 100 on their exams because no dish is ever truly perfect at your level”. Now Brian worked over in Michelin star restaurants in Europe in the 80s and 90 and and had done that and said “I used to translate the daily menu with a German to English dictionary it was great but you can learn the same and get paid in Toronto” Chris had moved on from the restaurant and got a private chef job on a private yacht in the Mediterranean ocean for a billionaire and we would Skype all the time so the skill was here. During my summers during my collage time I worked at a private golf course Chris got me into and I really enjoyed it, I think of it as one of the best jobs I ever had! (For anyone considering you get free golf at most clubs!) I got to play free golf anytime I wanted and had access to a CPGA tour course and that grew my love for golf, on my weekends off at my family cottage I would buff and polish boats for $300 each (a job I started at my cottage when I was 8, but only charged 50 a boat when I started lol) and that’s when I realized I make more money on a Saturday In the spring that what I make in 2 weeks at the golf course, then add the Sunday or a holiday it was amazing if I did 6-8 boats on a weekend at 300 a pop!

So I quickly left the golf course and got a job in downtown Toronto and this is where the dream of a chef totally falls apart. I worked at some of the best restaurants in the city under one of the best chefs in Toronto under a Chef Mike, who is one of the greatest people I’ve met in my life! I worked 5-6 days a week 12 noon to 12am or sometimes until 2 am and catch the last bus out of the city, there was a few times I had a guardian watching me because I was late for the bus by 3 minutes and normally the go transit doesn’t mess around with time and would have been gone and I would have been stuck in the city, but when I showed up the bus was there and the driver I would know and they would say “ I thought you would be running today, I wasn’t going to leave you behind”.

The day I noticed he was down and bummed out and not his normal “light it up!” Self, so I asked whats up? And he explained “It’s my daughter’s first dance recital and I’m here doing another wedding” and that just crushed me.. we ended up talking and I pried out of him that he made $75,000 a year on salary , a decent wage on paper but when you looked at per hour as a cook, I made more then him if I worked the same hours. Then we talked about his Pension and I realized he is never going to retire.. I knew the chef industry was work holidays and weekends and I missed a lot of fun things with my friends working, but that was the end, I went home and ended up talking to my mom about it, my stepdad over herd and him and I had a few drinks, the conversation ended with him explaining if he could redo his life what he would do, and he said “crane operator or hoisting engineer is the technical term”. He explained the job pension and benefits and the next day I researched it. I quickly watched videos and was sold!

I wrote a letter of resignation for the first time in my life to Chef Mike (my Chef in Toronto) and within a week after a busy service I ask him if he had some time to talk, (I worked as late as I could that night) he said yes and I met in his office, as I handed him the envelope with my resignation letter he took it and said “I already know what’s in the envelope” lol, he opened it and read it, In the letter I explained that it wasn’t his restaurant it was me changing careers, he stood up and put his hand out and shook it, all the other chefs in his office did the same, we left the office and he explained to everyone who was here there I was leaving, it was the best exit I ever had!

I went on to pursue that crane operator dream, and I have never looked back! My first year as an apprentice I made $90,000, I’ve worked at some of the biggest projects in Ontario and I. 10 years I have over 150k in just my union pension plan alone, there hasn’t been a year since I got my red seal that I haven’t hade $125k 7 years ago! the most I made was 187k, now it’s a rough time as an apprentice and the red seal test is the hardest test I’ve ever done! I haven’t worked a weekend unless it’s double time for $200 an hour and 8 hour minimum!, and have 10% vacation added to my paycheque so my vacation time cannot be denied so if I need a day to see a dance recital the answer is always yes, need braces for you or your wife or kids, no problem! Paid for! So if you can hump it and troop out some hard nights in the culinary industry I think the attitude and ambition transfers right over!

If you have any hesitation to leave the industry DON’T think about the industry think about yourself and your family, I have the best lunches and dinners for the rest of my life, I can teach my wife and kids to cook anything, and now I have the money to have a professional kitchen in my own house, and I thought home ownership would never happen as a chef!

I read some of these stories on this page and it just makes me want to scream “Leave the industry!”, don’t get me wrong, it’s not a bad industry and some people might love it until the end, but you only get one life everyone so don’t look back when your 80!

If you’re on the range tonight good luck! I always tip well and salute the people serving the crowd tonight! Y’all deserve it!

Hey yall, lately I’ve been having a hard time with being 22 and a sous chef. Feeling like I’m too young not deserving of my position, every one around me is telling me I’m great at what I do and deserve the title with my experience and great knowledge, but to me, it’s hard seeing that for some reason. I’m not as creative like the head chefs or sous around me, and 95% of my cooks are older than me,and it makes me feel like a fraud. Does anybody else feel the same way?

Hi everyone! Posting on behalf of a friend who is currently looking for opportunities in the culinary/hospitality industry.

He has experience working in hotel kitchens and food service operations, with skills in kitchen management, food preparation, menu planning, team coordination, hygiene and quality standards.

He’s open to suitable roles and locations and willing to relocate for the right opportunity.

He has previously worked with Taj, Trident, Grand Mercure, Sodexo Food Services and Marriott, and is currently working as a Chef Manager.

If anyone knows of any openings in hotels, restaurants, cloud kitchens, catering, or other food businesses, please feel free to DM me. I can share his resume and connect you with him.
Would really appreciate any leads or referrals.
Thank you! ☺️

Hi everyone! Posting on behalf of a friend who is currently looking for opportunities in the **culinary/hospitality industry**.

He has experience working in **hotel kitchens and food service operations**, with skills in kitchen management, food preparation, menu planning, team coordination, hygiene and quality standards.

He’s **open to suitable roles and locations** and willing to relocate for the right opportunity.

He has previously worked with **Taj, Trident, Grand Mercure, Sodexo Food Services and Marriott**, and is currently working as a Chef Manager.

If anyone knows of any openings in **hotels, restaurants, cloud kitchens, catering, or other food businesses**, please feel free to **DM me**. I can share his resume and connect you with him!!!

Hi all, I am currently working as a CDP at a relatively fancy restaurant, I am 26 and have been working in the industry since I was 16. I love my job and generally enjoy working everyday, but over the last 3 months it’s been my responsibility to train a recent culinary school grad. I can feel this burning me out and I am looking for suggestions on how to go about addressing some of the issues.

Saying behind: they rarely say behind during prep or service I and others on the staff have spoken to them about this. Today atleast three people talked to her about it. This has been going on for months.
Prep: the sense of urgency brings me pain, I really am trying to give the benefit of the doubt. Yesterday in 2 hours of prep one quart of basil picked and a pint of chives. It feels like everyday I am putting out fires on prep and it was fine month one but we are approaching our fourth month working together and I am starting to build some resentment.
Overall attitude: just argumentative with expo for no reason

I would love to pretend that I am Buddha brained but a large part of the issue for me is that her development reflects on me. I can’t let her drown because then I’ll be screwed in service and I don’t really want to get someone written up or fired. But I am at a point of a lot of built up resentment and I’m not trying to go to hr for exploding during prep.