Cooking Careers 101 - How to Become a Hotel Chef

Hotel jobs are very stressful and can bestandards, as well as maintaining the hygiene and
extremely tiring as you will work long dayshealth regulations in the hotel kitchen. The chef de
preparing and making food for guests as well aspartie must know everything about the food that
catering for functions that the hotel might beis being made, and works very closely with the
hosting like a wedding, party or corporate event.head chef. You must know how to make all the
Qualified chefs are in short supply leaving manydifferent types of dishes on the menu.
jobs unfilled longer than hotels would like. Some ofThe demi chef is also known as the demi chef de
the chef hotel jobs are the chef de partie or thepartie. You will work directly under the chef de
sous chef, the demi chef, hotel cook, head cook,partie and your job is to ensure that all the food
pastry chef, kitchen manager, master chef,going out of the kitchen is of the highest
sommelier, or the director of food. You also getstandards for each section. You will have different
the food preparers and other kitchen staff as wellsections to control such as meat, vegetables,
as the hotel management checking in every sopasta, etc, and it is your job to facilitate the
often or liaising with you about events that aresmooth running of your particular section. The
happening.demi chef also needs to keep in mind minimum
The hotel cook is usually called the head chef,wastage, correct hygiene and cleanliness, adhere
master chef, or executive chef. If you are theto safety regulations, and take stock counts.
head chef in a hotel, you will be responsible forThe commis chef is the next hotel chef in line
the running of the entire kitchen as well as theunder the demi chef and your job is to help the
creation of the menu and recipes for the otherdemi chef prepare the mis en place and ensure
chefs to prepare and make. You will oversee theminimum wastage at all times. The commis chef
reparation of the food, check the making of allwill provide an accurate inventory of the
the dishes that leave each chef station, help trainingredients used and clean and prepare the
the new apprentice chefs and assistant chefs, andstations for cooking each shift. The commis chef
you will also encourage and lead your team ofhas to be efficient and organized.
chefs. The head chef will also manage theOne of the sections of the hotel kitchen will be
banqueting hall and other food related facilities inreserved for the pastry chefs. If you are a
the hotel like the bars and cafes, the hotelpastry chef, you are on a slightly different level
restaurant and any other food areas. As the headto the other chefs and will be solely responsible
chef it is your duty to produce stunning menusfor making and creating the delicious pastries for
and make the recipes that are used each day, sodesert. The pastry chef will also organize and
that uniformity is maintained in the food serviceoversee the preparation and making of all the
along with consistent high standards. You are alsopastries, desserts, and ice creams. The pastry
the kitchen manager in a hotel and you will alsochef is basically the master chef of the
have the tasks of handling the monetary issuesconfectionary department. You must bake cakes,
of the hotel kitchen, ordering supplies anddesserts, make pastry, icings, and sugar
ingredients, and providing estimated consumptiondecorations, and convey your tips and methods
cost to the hotel management.to the other pastry workers in your team. You
The chef de partie is the second in command inwill have to help train new chefs in the pastry
the kitchen and also known as the sous chef. Ifdepartment and give tips and advice.
you have this hotel chef job, you are very busyThe sommelier has the hotel job that involves all
and are basically the middle man between thethe drinks ordered by the guests. You must
head chef and the rest of the kitchen chefs andensure that they are all prepared and served
staff. You will be responsible for the running ofperfectly. You are also responsible for the correct
the kitchen, for the organization of the menu,pouring of wine and other beverages and have
kitchen staff and recipes, of the food preparation,intricate knowledge of wines and how they
and ensuring that the food is up to the correctcomplement the food on the menu.