If I became a chef when I grow up, should I be a pastry or normal?
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I have my papers for cooking, although I have worked extensively in pastry. At first I wanted to focus in pastry, but have since changed my mind. There are many things you have to consider before making the choice, but the most important thing you can do is gain experience in both, and decide from there.
In the beggining I worked a hot line by myself and prayed for the day I could work in the much slower paced pastry department. Convinced pastry was where I wanted to focus, I was excited to start my work there. Pastry is so much fun and you get an opportunity to be more artistic. Pastry consists of general baking, pastries, showpieces, sugar and chocolate work, ice creams and sorbet, and plating for service ect. For this kind of work though you usually need to find an upscale hotel, or European inspired shop or restaurant. At first I was loving it, but soon I was longing for the adrenaline rush of a fast paced supper rush, jumping flames and yelling at the servers. I enjoyed my time in pastry, but it is much calmer than a Saucier or Entremetier station for example. Pastry is a great deal of meticulous prep and not a lot of hustle. I thought it would be so fun to bake all day, but soon found it boring and tedious. Working in the regular kitchen is a much faster pace and you are under way more pressure to perform. You will be sweaty and smelly, people will scream at you, and you will curse everyone around you until service is over. But when you are done it is the greatest feeling, your adrenaline will be pumping, and you'll want to do it all over again. You have to decide what you want, and you will not know until you pursue both paths.
Something else to take into account is there are not very many restaurants and hotels that have pastry departments, so unless you live in a larger city with upscale hotels or have to money to open your own place it can be extremely difficult to find a job with nothing but papers in pastry. Most restaurants nowadays order in premade cakes, pastries and bread becasue it is a lot cheaper to do it this way, and most customers cannot tell the difference.
The calibre of restaurant you work in and your experience will dictate your pay. But the most important thing I can tell you is do not go into the culinary feild if you are purely interested in making money. There is money to be made, but you have to have a passion for food and what you do. Remember 80% of restaurants fail! This is one career you can not fake your way through. You have to love it...it is not a 9 to 5 job, there is no (and never will be) a union for chefs and you will get shafted on over time, and work long, odd hours. Over half of the people who pursue the culinary feild quit, it's a rough buisness.
And you are a girl so be ready for sexual harassment, and sexism. You've got to have balls of steel to go toe to toe with 20 men everyday, and hold your own. If you think this is the right career for you because you like to cook, be prepared, working in the industry is nothing like the cooking you are accustomed to. I'm not trying to discourage you I am trying to prepare you. I love my job and could not imagine doing anything else, but a female Chef is rare. I am the only female in my kitchen and have been for a few years.
Pastry offers everything and more. Many think of pastries and think of dessert. A pastry chef will gain the experience of a regular chef but have more to offer. If you really want something fun..look into French Pastries and literally opening a "Sweet Shop" with just French Pastries.you could develop quite a following. I personally prefer restaurants but cafes' offer quite lighter meals.
Do pastry chefs make creme brulee. I pay good money for a kick *** one.
I'd think tho that the other pays more because the entree is more expensive than the pastry, so unless restarants owners are on drugs, ..., the guy bringing in the most money will likely get paid more? I could be wrong in cases where the restarant sells food based on the dessert.
For me tho if the main course sucks, I won't order dessert
seems like the "in" thing is to combine cultural food. Don't just stick to one type of cooking like french or italian cuisine. Go with fusion. A mingling of, for example of french asian. With the mingling of different cultures in the US, you shouldn't stick with one. People want something unique and creative.
If you can go on a show like "iron chef" and pull together 4 or 5 palatable dishes out from something disgusting then you can be a top chef
Being a chef is hard work
Do it all. A chef should know all types of dishes
be a CHEF... a chef tat cook everything... not juz makein pastry...
coz cookin a alot more to learn and a way to have fun in the kitchen. a life long learning.. i m a chef myself too... i love cookin since the age of 12... every now and then i will do research on pastry dessert and alot of food... u get wat i mean??
food ... who dun like.. and who dun eat... its a nv ending love story
I would say a normal chef because that direction is more versatile. You could probably make a profit doing either one, you just have to know how to market yourself correctly. I like cafe and restaurants, depends on my mood I suppose, and also on the said location.
I think a pastry chef is more artistic. But a regular chef probably makes more money.
Normal. Definitely normal. More options.
its really up to u a normal one is fine or a pastry chef is ok i think they make the same amount of money i like just normal foods so thats wat i would eat more of
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