On Jul 5, 1:15*am, Dan Abel > wrote:
> In article
> >,
>
> *Peter > wrote:
> > My question is simply whether one has to go to "cooking school" to
> > become a cook in a restaurant.
>
> And I have a simple answer. *No.
>
> > 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.
>
> Many people find that a career in cooking is not for them. *The pay is
> crappy, the benefits are often non-existent, the work is hard and the
> hours are unbelievably long. *Other people just love it. *It looks like
> you have the perfect opportunity to give it a try and see how it fits
> you. *
>

If you want to work an 8 hour a day job with some weekends with
benefits, you need to become an institutional cook. Although much of
that has changed. Now many institutions are using lower level cooks
who basically just open up a frozen package and heat and serve. Many
hospitals are now doing this. Frozen already cooked ham, roast beef,
soups etc. Automation. And besides, where is the prestige in
institutional cooking?


> If you find later that you need to take some classes, you could do that. *
> Maybe you won't need to. *Or maybe you will decide that it isn't for you.
>
> --
> Dan Abel
> Petaluma, California USA
>

On Mon, 5 Jul 2010 07:39:46 -0700 (PDT), A Moose In Love
> wrote:
>
>If you want to work an 8 hour a day job with some weekends with
>benefits, you need to become an institutional cook. Although much of
>that has changed. Now many institutions are using lower level cooks
>who basically just open up a frozen package and heat and serve. Many
>hospitals are now doing this. Frozen already cooked ham, roast beef,
>soups etc. Automation.

Nowadays many of the so-called finast eateries are using pre-prepared
Institutional foods, in fact they always have, even before they could
purchase already frozen elements they prepared their own. There's a
huge warehouse near where I live that supplies all manner of
pre-prepped meals; mostly wholesale but retail too.
There are suppliers like this in every region:
www.ginsbergs.com