If it’s been your lifelong dream to get a Michelin star, be as well regarded as Michel Roux Jr, or work in some of the tops restaurants like Chez Bruce in London, then a career in high-end catering is certainly for you. But just how can you get into this varied and exciting line of work? Read on to find out.
Formal Training
One way of getting into the world of high-end catering is by going down the education route. This is where you study the art of high-end catering, ensuring that you have the perfect foundation to cook in some of the top restaurants in the country.
The usual route for this is to have some experiences in either the form of a chef qualification from school or college or time spent as working chef in a local eatery. Then with this experience, you can apply to some of the top education catering institutions in the UK like the world famous Cordon Bleu and Leiths School of Food & Wine.
Having a qualification from this sort of school behind you can be very advantageous when looking for a career post in high-end catering because they come with a lot of kudos. So your potential employer will know that you have trained to the best level possible and can be relied on during service to maintain the high standards that are expected in this field.
That is why if you are aiming to cook up a career in the high-end food you can do no better than to attend a well-respected catering institution.
In addition, you may want to consider taking additional courses, such as an allergy awareness course from Essential Food Hygiene. Food allergies can have extremely serious consequences for those who consume food to which they are allergic, so demonstrating that you have learned how to prepare food with respect to food allergies will surely be advantageous.
Work your way up
Another way to get into cooking at some of the most well established and well-regarded restaurants in the country is to start at the bottom and work your way up.
OK, so peeling the vegetables and crushing those 50 garlic bulbs for the head chef might not be the most glamorous of tasks, but there is definitely something to be said for getting into the industry this way.
The first thing is that no one can deny you have done you time and got your experience of every part of the kitchen. This often means that you are a better head chef, or owner when you reach that position because you know exactly what it’s like for every single person in the kitchen. Another advantage of taking this route is that you get plenty of time to practice the skills you need over and over again. Meaning when you do start to take on a role with more responsibility you are confident and capable during that all important meal time rush. As there is nothing worse than a chef that gets flustered when doing the simple things that service requires.
Of course, the downside to this route is that it can take a while to progress up the ranks to the position that you want. As many that go into food as a career are interested in being creative and coming up with their own recipes, it can be hard for them to have to put this on hold and follow other instructions until they get their promotion.
Although, having, said that working your way up from basic position like kitchen hand or porter is a great way for those without qualifications to get into the high-end catering game.
