On Jul 4, 2:34*pm, Peter > wrote:
> Hi,
>
> I am not sure if this is the appropriate newsgroup to which I should
> post, so please excuse me if it is not.
>
> My question is simply whether one has to go to "cooking school" to
> become a cook in a restaurant. I ask this question because I am
> considering making a career change. I am a middle age mathematician
> and I have the opportunity to cook at a small establishment a friend
> of mine is opening. I am a good cook, very passionate about food, and
> love to cook. He knows it, and is willing to put me on. Done the road
> though, I would like to perhaps move on and I am wondering if anyone
> will hire me without a proper degree? I don't have any pretensions of
> trying to become a great chef or of being at a fancy French
> restaurant: I mostly like to cook simple food well using fresh
> ingredients.
>
> TIA,
> Peter

So go and cook. Look at the menu, talk to him about what's expected
and do your thing. Be prepared to bust your ****ing ass though. If
you're not working 'hot' then either the manager has too much staff on
hand, or it's not busy enough. If you want to work a high end hotel
later on, you should get some paper work; a cook's diploma/trade
certificate etc. High end hotel work is where it's at. As far as I'm
concerned that's the show. Restaurant work even at such high end
places as 'The Fat Duck' is nowhere's ville. When I was an apprentice
at a high end Toronto Hotel, the chef put me (and every other
apprentice) in the coffee shop first. He separated wheat from chaff.
The chaff blew and the wheat remained. The coffee shop was pure
hell. Brutal. But I liked it. When I got onto banquets (lunch time
small banquets) it was just as crazy. Two guys putting out banquets,
6 banquets and more at lunch. All different. All having to go out at
roughly the same time. And not much time to get everything prepped.
However it was somewhat prestigeous. I'm a machinist now, for the
money. I went for the money, but cooking was a much more satisfying
trade.