Senior Career Project Chef and Head Cook

One of my passions is preparing food to be cooked and cooking itself. This is why I would like to go to school to become a chef. The IUP campus in Punxsutawney has an awesome culinary program the is taught by world-class chefs and is well known among the top culinary programs in the nation. In this presentation I am going to give you and overview of a career of a chef and what it takes to make it there.

Etymology The word chef actually comes from the French term, “chef de cuisine” which is the director of head of the kitchen. In English the title chef dates back to the 19 th century and today is mostly used to represent any professional cook regardless of their rank. Chef- Wikipedia

Career Description Being a head chef means that you are in charge of all things related to the kitchen which usually includes menu creation, management, plating design, ordering, scheduling and payroll of entire kitchen staff. Chef- Wikipedia

Day to Day Duties Overseeing all who is below him in the kitchen and making sure all of their duties are being carried out to their full potential. planning menu items and as well as providing the recipes for these dishes. Overseeing the preparation of meals and ingredients, final presentation, sanitary issues and timeliness on the part of the employees are just a few duties related to the managerial position of the chef. Training kitchen staff and detailing their workers duties to ensure that they are doing what they are supposed to and in the right way. Preparing menu item Preparation for the next day or in the future is also one of the things a chef has to worry about. Chef- Wikipedia

Advancement and Opportunities The International Culinary Schools at The Art Institute. The French Culinary Institute Le Cordon Blue Italian Culinary Academy The French Pastry School Culinary Academy of Austin Culinary School of the Rockies Cooking and culinary degrees- Campus and online programs

Salary "High" indicates 90% of workers earn less and 10% earn more. "Median" indicates 50% of workers earn less and 50% earn more. "Low" indicates 10% of workers earn less and 90% earn more. "N/A" indicates the data is not available Occupation profile- America’s Career InfoNet

Benefits: Disadvantages: One benefit especially for me is that I enjoy to cook You are able to take pride in your work Seeing the satisfaction on your customers faces Long hours Late nights

Educational Options Culinary education is available from a wide variety of schools and institutions many different programs and degrees in the culinary arts field. Depending on the level of education you decide you want to take part in, the schooling can take from one up to four years. An internship is often part of the curriculum. Usually a culinary degree is required to cook in most restaurants but, most professional kitchens tend to follow the apprenticeship system, and most of the new cooks will start at a lower-level position and begin to work their way up through the kitchen ladder. Chef- Wikipedia

Top Culinary Schools in Pennsylvania IUP Punxsutawney Le Cordon Bleu The International Culinary School Yorktowne Business Institute YTI Johnson and Whales Kitchen Academy

My Pick: IUP The Indiana University of Pennsylvania Academy of Culinary Arts is recognized across the nation for its well known and respected culinary arts program. They currently offer a student to instructor ratio of only 14-to-1 which allows for students to develop a more of a personal relationship with their instructor making learning that much better. Also, most of their instructors are world-class chefs and their job placement program is that among the best in the nation. Culinary Arts- IUP

University Life The Indianan university of Pennsylvania provides everything you need to live and go to school such as housing, meal plans, parking, jobs, transportation, financial aid, and health services. They also provide many types of support for student emotionally and academically like counseling, prevention of alcohol and other drug problems, advice for academic success, and student conduct services. Not to mention providing personal enrichment that some say you need to feed you soul that consist of concerts, lectures, series, common freshman reader activities, sororities and fraternities. Student Life- IUP

Student Activities Events: Homecoming, IUP Day, Concerts, and Lively Arts including music, theater, and dance. Organizations and Clubs: Chess club, Video games club, Veterans Organization, ect. Athletics and club sports: Fencing, Football, Tennis, Swimming, Soccer, Cycling, Golf, Cross Country, Basketball, Baseball, ect. Events and Activities- IUP

Payment and Financing You pay per semester and each semester costs $7,613. Although there is no charge for you externship semester. Instructional Costs Fees Activity Fee: $266 per semester Technology Fee: $103 per semester Supply Package Fee: $1,500 this is a one-time charge for first-year students and it covers your knife kit, uniforms, shoes, and textbooks. Transportation Fee: $200 (optional) No charge for parking Payment and Financing- IUP

Payment and Financing Housing Housing fees during the Sring and Fall are $103 per semester and $77 per semster in the summer. Also there are many rental options off campus that can be found in the IUP Off-Campus Housing guide. Meal Plans Nineteen meals a week and $150 flex dollars: $1,240 per semester Fourteen meals a week and $200 flex dollars: $1,230 per semester Fourteen meals per week: $1,030 per semester Payment and Financing- IUP

Interview 1. What do you dislike the most about your job? The thing that I dislike the most about my job would have to be the long hours and late nights that are spent in the kitchen and not with my family. 2. Did you have to start at a lower position in the kitchen and work your way up to become a cook? Yes, when I first started I was just a dish boy and gradually worked my way up to the position of fry cook by showing good work ethic and motivation in the kitchen. 3. Are you making more now that you are a fry cook rather than a dish boy? Of course, every time you move up a position in the kitchen you are granted a raise for the simple fact that being a fry cook instead of a dish boy involves much more responsibility because you are handling food. 4. What is the next position in the kitchen you are striving for? The next position that I would like to achieve is line cook which involves filling plates and making sure that everything is cook to the customers likings. 5. Overall do you enjoys your job? Yea, its not to bad, I mean I do like to cook but the long hours are a killer sometimes but for the most part once you get accustom to your schedule it is a pretty enjoyable occupation.