Becoming a Chef


Book Description

"What an extraordinary book! Pain, gain, joy, pathos, and the aroma of braised short ribs. It made me want to open (God forbid!) another restaurant. I never thought anyone could capture the magic and mission of being a chef, but theyve done it!" Barbara Tropp, Chef-Owner, China Moon Cafe "An unusually comprehensive book, immensely readable, at once passionate and coherent, probing and well-informed. For anyone interested in the historic coming of age of the professional American kitchen, this is a requisite buy." Michael and Ariane Batterberry, Founding Editors and Associate Publishers of Food Arts "Finally, a book that lets chefs speak for themselves! An insightful look at the complex life of a professional chef in the 90s. Fascinating portraits of the people who have defined American cuisinewho they are and how they got to be where they are today. Anyone who is interested in becoming a chef will find this book invaluablethis is what it takes to make it." Mark Miller, Chef-Owner, Coyote Cafe and Red Sage "After reading this book, I understand that becoming an outstanding leader is not very different from becoming a chef. Both roles require passion, discipline, authenticity, and an experimental attitude. On top of that, organizing a kitchen may be as difficult as organizing any business. Not only will present and future chefs and restaurateurs want to read this book, but anyone with a taste for excellent cooking and excellent leadership will find something of interest on every page." Warren Bennis, Distinguised Professor of Business Administration at the University of Southern California and Author, On Becoming a Leader and Leaders "Becoming a Chef is a marvelous book for the interested home cook as well as the aspiring chef. Like great wines with great food, there are great dishes and a great education here." Robert Mondavi, Founder, Robert Mondavi Winery




So, You Want to Be a Chef?


Book Description

Describes how to break into the world of culinary arts, includes advice on how to write restaurant reviews, make garnishes, start a catering business, and food photography.




Beaten, Seared, and Sauced


Book Description

Millions of people fantasize about leaving their old lives behind, enrolling in cooking school, and training to become a chef. But for those who make the decision, the difference between the dream and reality can be gigantic—especially at the top cooking school in the country. For the first time in the Culinary Institute of America’s history, a book will give readers the firsthand experience of being a full-time student facing all of the challenges of the legendary course in its entirety. On the eve of his thirty-eighth birthday and after shuffling through a series of unsatisfying jobs, Jonathan Dixon enrolled in the CIA (on a scholarship) to pursue his passion for cooking. In Beaten, Seared, and Sauced he tells hilarious and harrowing stories of life at the CIA as he and his classmates navigate the institution’s many rules and customs under the watchful and critical eyes of their instructors. Each part of the curriculum is covered, from knife skills and stock making to the high-pressure cooking tests and the daunting wine course (the undoing of many a student). Dixon also details his externship in the kitchen of Danny Meyer’s Tabla, giving readers a look into the inner workings of a celebrated New York City restaurant. With the benefit of his age to give perspective to his experience, Dixon delivers a gripping day-to-day chronicle of his transformation from amateur to professional. From the daily tongue-lashings in class to learning the ropes—fast—at a top NYC kitchen, Beaten, Seared, and Sauced is a fascinating and intimate first-person view of one of America’s most famous culinary institutions and one of the world’s most coveted jobs.




How to Become a Chef


Book Description

Because of the relentlessly-demanding nature of the culinary industry, you must first be honest with yourself and make sure you're truly passionate about cooking. If you don't have a real passion for what you should be viewing as an art (culinary art), you'll quickly become frustrated along the journey, which will seriously hamper your chances of career advancement. But if you are indeed passionate about cuisine, then becoming a chef may seem like a natural step for you to formalize your culinary interest and turn it into a rewarding career. Besides your undying passion there is the very real possibility of a great salary that you'd earn doing what you love, a great opportunity for career advancement and very positive job-growth projections. You can very easily become overwhelmed with the seemingly endless requirements you're expected to fulfill in the quest of becoming a qualified chef, and that's exactly why this book was written: to clarify the path. Learn exactly where and how to get started, the cost and time commitment requirements, how to overcome challenges (such as the lack of adequate funds to finance your culinary schooling), where to get a job once suitably qualified, and how to advance in your culinary career and move up the ladder - assuming your ambition is to soon become an executive (head) chef.




The Professional Chef


Book Description




The Complete Idiot's Guide to Success as a Chef


Book Description

How to thrive in one of today’s top ten “dream professions.” Despite the long hours, arduous training, and grueling physical work, the allure of being a professional chef has made it one of the fastest growing career markets in America today. In this must-have guide, a master chef and baker gives practical, up-to-date advice on everything aspiring chefs (and expert chefs looking for the next career move) need to know, including how to apprentice at a five-star restaurant, connect with renowned chefs and bakers, open their own restaurant, and much, much more. • Expert author with decades of restaurant experience. • One of today’s top ten “dream professions” in America. • Culinary institutes have seen an explosion in their enrollment of between 50% to 100% annually. • Covers gourmet restaurants, upscale hotels, catering, specialty food shops, gourmet takeout, bakeries, and much more.




The Flavor Bible


Book Description

Widely hailed as one of the most influential cookbooks of all time, this is the timeless classic guide to culinary creativity and flavor exploration, based on the wisdom of the world's most innovative chefs Eight years in the making, The Flavor Bible is a landmark book that has inspired the greatest creations of innovative cooks and chefs by serving as an indispensable guide to creativity and flavor affinities in today's kitchen. Cuisine is undergoing a startling historic transformation: With the advent of the global availability of ingredients, dishes are no longer based on geography but on flavor. This radical shift calls for a new approach to cooking -- as well as a new genre of "cookbook" that serves not to document classic dishes via recipes, but to inspire the creation of new ones based on imaginative and harmonious flavor combinations. The Flavor Bible is your guide to hundreds of ingredients along with the herbs, spices, and other seasonings that will allow you to coax the greatest possible flavor and pleasure from them. This astonishing reference distills the combined experience of dozens of America's most innovative culinarians, representing such celebrated and transformative restaurants as A Voce, Blue Hill, Café Atlántico, Chanterelle, Citronelle, Gramercy Tavern, the Herbfarm, Jardinière, Jean Georges, Le Bernardin, the Modern, and the Trellis. You'll learn to: explore the roles played by the four basic tastes -- salty, sour, bitter, and sweet -- and how to bring them into harmony; work more intuitively and effectively with ingredients by discovering which flavors have the strongest affinities for one another; brighten flavors through the use of acids -- from vinegars to citrus juices to herbs and spices such as Makrut lime and sumac; deepen or intensify flavors through layering specific ingredients and techniques; and balance the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual aspects of cooking and serving an extraordinary meal. Seasoned with tips, anecdotes, and signature dishes from the country's most respected chefs and pastry chefs, The Flavor Bible is an essential book for every kitchen library. For more inspiration in the kitchen, look for The Vegetarian Flavor Bible andKitchen Creativity.




On Becoming a Professional Chef


Book Description

"This definitive text on the career ladder for professional cooking in America explains the disciplines and attributes needed to reach the chef level in the world of cuisine. It follows the American Culinary Federation's guidelines on professional culinary training, education, certification and competitions to prepare future chefs for the ACF certification. Provides insight regarding the skills needed to become a successful chef encompassing all aspects of the modern chef's job such as marketing, human resource management, product management, financial management, and sales. For future professional chefs and those preparing for the ACF certification." -- Amazon.com viewed March 31, 2021.




On Food and Cooking


Book Description

A kitchen classic for over 35 years, and hailed by Time magazine as "a minor masterpiece" when it first appeared in 1984, On Food and Cooking is the bible which food lovers and professional chefs worldwide turn to for an understanding of where our foods come from, what exactly they're made of, and how cooking transforms them into something new and delicious. For its twentieth anniversary, Harold McGee prepared a new, fully revised and updated edition of On Food and Cooking. He has rewritten the text almost completely, expanded it by two-thirds, and commissioned more than 100 new illustrations. As compulsively readable and engaging as ever, the new On Food and Cooking provides countless eye-opening insights into food, its preparation, and its enjoyment. On Food and Cooking pioneered the translation of technical food science into cook-friendly kitchen science and helped birth the inventive culinary movement known as "molecular gastronomy." Though other books have been written about kitchen science, On Food and Cooking remains unmatched in the accuracy, clarity, and thoroughness of its explanations, and the intriguing way in which it blends science with the historical evolution of foods and cooking techniques. Among the major themes addressed throughout the new edition are: · Traditional and modern methods of food production and their influences on food quality · The great diversity of methods by which people in different places and times have prepared the same ingredients · Tips for selecting the best ingredients and preparing them successfully · The particular substances that give foods their flavors, and that give us pleasure · Our evolving knowledge of the health benefits and risks of foods On Food and Cooking is an invaluable and monumental compendium of basic information about ingredients, cooking methods, and the pleasures of eating. It will delight and fascinate anyone who has ever cooked, savored, or wondered about food.




I Want to Be a Chef


Book Description

The I Want to Be... series provides young readers with some exciting opportunities to think... an attractive choice for beginning readers ... Recommended. -- Library Media Connection The I Want to Be... series gives young children a realistic insight into the working day of adults. Easy-to-read captions and color photographs of men and women from different cultures help children understand what's involved in each occupation. Young readers learn all about what it takes to do an interesting job well. Along the way, they appreciate the contributions these workers make to our lives and the world around us. Popular cooking shows on television are capturing the imagination of youngsters as well as adults, and children are keen to know what it takes to become a professional chef. In I Want to Be a Chef, young readers will learn about what goes on behind the scenes of a restaurant. They'll observe chefs mixing, chopping, baking -- and working as a team. They'll find out about training, assisting, different types of chefs, and safe food-handling practices. They'll also learn about chefs who write cookbooks and host television shows. The book ends with a checklist that summarizes the qualities of a good chef. I Want to Be a Chef is packed with real-life photos and includes interesting and easy-to-read captions -- plus a recipe or two. It's a book in which the whole family can become involved.