1. Chef Bridget Fino of Bella B’s Fine Catering
Cooking with Kids
Chef Bridget Fino of Bella B’s Fine Catering

3. About Me I have been cooking since I was 6
I got accepted into an exclusive culinary program for veterans, Culinary Command
I am the mother of 5 kids, ALL BOYS
I grew up in the country on a farm part of my life with my grandparents and in the city
I am from Tennessee, but I have traveled to many different countries and states
I wear many hats in life, from culinary to medical to marketing
I play roller derby
I love teaching people how to cook!!

4. WHAT DO Chefs DO?
The tasks which are performed by a Chef are extremely diverse, as this is an incredibly varied profession. Generally, a Chef supervises a kitchen or a section of a kitchen, overseeing staff, food, menus, and related issues.
A Chef is an individual who oversees the culinary staff and wears quite a few different hats with regard to what goes on in their workplace. Frequently a Chef will oversee the staff, place orders for culinary items and direct the overall preparation of the food which is served in the dining establishment.
From time to time, the Chef will also don the apron and help to prepare the meals as well. Most of the time line cooks/Chefs get help from the head Chef off and on throughout service to make sure the quality stays consistent.

5. How Do Chefs make their own Recipes?
Going out to eat at many many restaurants and then trying stuff in their own kitchens. Professional Chefs do the same thing. They know, from experience (and often from training) what works and what doesn't. They know how different ingredients react. For example, a complete novice might not realize that if you put lemon juice in milk, it will curdle. But someone that's done this before or has learned that this will happen won't do this... unless the curdle is an intended effect. Nothing cheating about taking a recipe and adjusting it. In fact, in a way, that's what these Chefs are doing: taking something that was done before, deconstructing it, and making intelligent changes. If you want to get "better," I'd suggest looking for technique cookbooks. Cookwise is a popular one, that includes both recipes and an explanation. There's an entire category of books under the "kitchen science" umbrella. As far as TV, watch "Good Eats" with Alton Brown. While he's kind of annoying, his show is one of the best and most accessible examples of what I'm talking about. Even after years of reading and hands on experience (and some cooking classes), I've learned quite a bit from his show.

6. What are the different types of Chefs?
There are a number of different kinds of Chefs. An executive Chef, for example, oversees an entire kitchen. He or she may not actually have the chance to do much cooking, although the executive Chef will oversee menus, food ordering, kitchen staff, food safety, and the look and feel of the restaurant.
Being an executive Chef is extremely demanding; the position requires a keen ability to organize and to handle a range of daily challenges. Someone may also choose to become a sous Chef, who acts as the second in command.

7. English
French
IPA
Description
Sauté Chef
saucier
[sosje]
Responsible for all sautéed items and their sauce. This is usually the highest stratified position of all the stations.
Fish Chef
poissonnier
[pwasoɲe]
Prepares fish dishes and often does all fish butchering as well as appropriate sauces. This station may be combined with the saucier position.
Roast Chef
rôtisseur
[ʁotisœʁ]
Prepares roasted and braised meats and their appropriate sauce.
Grill Chef
grillardin
[ɡʁijaʁdɛ̃]
Prepares all grilled foods; this position may be combined with the rotisseur.
Fry Chef
friturier
[fʁityʁje]
Prepares all fried items; this position may be combined with the rotisseur position.
Vegetable Chef
entremetier
[ɑ̃tʁəmetje]
Prepares hot appetizers and often prepares the soups, vegetables, pastas and starches. In smaller establishments, this station may also cover those tasks performed by the potager and legumier.
Potager
Prepares soups in a full brigade system. In smaller establishments, this station may be handled by the entremetier.
Legumier
Prepares vegetables in a full brigade system. In smaller establishments, this station may be handled by the entremetier.
Roundsman
tournant
[tuʁnɑ̃]
Also referred to as a swing cook, fills in as needed on stations in the kitchen.
Pantry Chef
garde manger
[ɡaʁd mɑ̃ʒe]
Responsible for preparing cold foods including salads, cold appetizers, pâtés and other charcuterie items.
Butcher
boucher
[buʃe]
Butchers meats, poultry, and sometimes fish. May also be responsible for breading meats and fish.
Pastry Chef
pâtissier
[patisje]
Makes baked goods such as pastries, cakes, breads and desserts. In larger establishments, the pastry Chef often supervises a separate team in their own kitchen.

8. What training is needed to become a chef?
In order to become a chef, someone must pursue some form of professional training. Some chefs attend a culinary academy to learn their craft, while others work their way through kitchens, starting at the bottom as apprentices and moving their way into top kitchen positions.
Culinary degrees aren’t necessarily the norm. Just half the chefs surveyed graduated from a cooking school. The rest got their training the old- fashioned way, by working their way up through the kitchen ranks.
Culinary education is available from many institutions offering diploma, associate, and bachelor's degree programs in culinary arts. Depending on the level of education, this can take one to four years. An internship is often part of the curriculum. Regardless of the education received, most professional kitchens follow the apprenticeship system, and most new cooks will start at a lower-level 2nd or 1st cook position and work their way up.

9. What training is needed to become a chef?
The training period for a chef is generally four years as an apprentice. A newly qualified chef is advanced or more commonly a torquecommis-chef, consisting of first-year commis, second-year commis, and so on. The rate of pay is usually in accordance with the' chefs, like all other chefs except the executive-chef, are placed in sections of the kitchen (e.g., the starter (appetizer) or entrée sections) under the guidance of a demi-chef de partie and are given relatively basic tasks. Ideally, over time, a commis will spend a certain period in each section of the kitchen to learn the basics. Unaided, a commis may work on the vegetable station of a kitchen. The usual formal training period for a chef is two to four years in catering college. They often spend the summer in work placements. In some cases this is modified to 'day-release' courses; a chef will work full-time in a kitchen as an apprentice and then would have allocated days off to attend catering college. These courses can last between one to three years.

10. What is the role of a Chef at a restaurant?
General Responsibilities of a Chef One who holds the title of chef has quite a few different general responsibilities related to their professional role. The chef is responsible for overseeing all who work below them in the establishment and ensure that their duties are being carried out to the fullest of their potential. An individual who is a chef will also be responsible for planning the set menu items and any specials as well as provide the recipes in most cases. In addition, the chef is usually responsible for placing food orders and necessary kitchen tool orders in order to enable the preparation of the meals. The chef will also address any complaints which affect his kitchen staff and resolve those issues. One who is the chef of the establishment may also like to get behind the burners and engage in some cooking and food preparation as well.

11. What is the role of a Chef at a restaurant?
Specific Duties of a Chef An individual who is a professional chef has a wide array of specific duties that they must carry out on a daily basis. The first duty which is overly encompassing in and of itself is that of overseeing subordinates in their daily work environment. The chef is responsible for overseeing all individuals who work under their charge in the kitchen. This list can include everywhere from assistant executive chefs to the kitchen preps. The chef will oversee the preparation of meals and ingredients, final presentation, sanitary issues and timeliness on the part of the employees, to name just a few duties related to the managerial position of the chef. The chef is also the main planner with regard to the menu items and any specials which the dining establishments offer to its patrons. Along with planning the menu, the chef is also responsible for creating the recipes and may or may not allow input from the assistant chefs. One who is in the position of chef will spend many hours developing their recipes and making them just perfect to serve the patrons. A chef may also choose to take part in preparing a few or many of the menu items on a weekly basis. This may occur due to the kitchen being short-staffed or simply because the chef has a love for his/her position and wishes to maintain cooking involvement as much as possible. Sometimes the chef will prepare the main courses whereas they may opt to only prepare a dessert or two now and again.

12. What is the role of a Chef at a restaurant?
Specific Duties of a Chef Administrative duties are also a part of the chef’s daily operations. Items such as ensuring employees show up to work, performing payroll calculations, calculate purchase order costs, placing food orders from merchants and addressing worker’s complaints are all duties which fall under the administrative category. In addition, the chef is the go-to guy or girl when a customer has a complaint regarding their meal preparation or quality. Also, the chef is one of the main individuals who is responsible for training the kitchen staff. This individual is in charge of the employees who work in the kitchen and therefore must ensure that the job they do is a good one. The chef will detail what the worker’s duties are and how they should be carried out. Lastly, one who takes the role of chef must ensure that all food-handling regulations are abided by and that everyone under his/her charge is aware of these items. The chef must ensure that safety standards and sanitary requirements are met each and every day.

13. How does a Chef set up a kitchen?
Though the prospect of setting up a commercial kitchen appears demanding to many, the job can be broken down into a few easily manageable steps. Here are some of the key subtasks of establishing a commercial kitchen:
Get a refrigeration system set up. You will want the appropriate type of refrigeration system to suit your commercial kitchen’s needs— one type of system does not necessarily fit all kitchens! Walk-in cooling units custom-built to fit your location are an attractive option to many. However, industrial freezers and refrigerated line stations are among the other viable options.
Storage space is a must! You will need space to store non- refrigerated food, as well. Make sure that your kitchen is built to have enough storage shelves and cabinets to store all necessary perishable and nonperishable foods. Be sure that your storage is suitable for all types of foods.

14. How does a Chef set up a kitchen?
Cooking equipment is of course necessary. This will include a broiler, gas range, oven, industrial exhaust hood, and ventilation system. You are surely going to be preparing a good deal of your food over open flames, especially if you cook meat in your commercial kitchen. In this case, you will want the proper cooking equipment, such as the broiler and range. It is also vital to have proper ventilation equipment in place. You do not want to take your chances with a less-than-optimal exhaust hood in place. An exhaust hood is the workhorse of an industrial kitchen and it determines your ability to keep your kitchen clean, safe, and functional!
You will want the proper setup for food preparation. Prep tables, cutting surfaces, and other equipment—baking supplies, meat slicers, and more— may be necessary for your kitchen. It all depends on what specific types of food you plan to prepare on a regular basis.
Install a fire safety setup to protect your kitchen and facilities. The risk of a fire in a commercial kitchen without fire extinguishers and a sprinkler system would obviously be unduly high. Make sure you have a reliable fire suppression system in place!

15. What's a typical day like for a Chef?
A typical workday for a Chef involves long hours of standing, lifting and quick movements and performing physically demanding tasks.
A head Chef arrives at the kitchen hours before it opens and begins preparing the menu and ensuring that line Chefs pre-cook certain dishes so that they are ready to serve when needed.
When it’s time to serve, all the Chefs in the kitchen must spring into action to make every order n a timely manner.
The vast majority of Chefs are required to wear a standard uniform each day that includes a hat, or hair net, a double-breasted jacket, apron and shoes with steel or plastic toe-caps.
Depending on the size of the restaurant or establishment, a head Chef may arrive as early as 9 a.m. to begin planning the day’s menus and not leave until the dinner rush is over, sometimes at 10 p.m. or 11 p.m.
Most Chefs work at least 12-hour days and many times six days a week.
At restaurants, Friday and Saturday evenings are the busiest times, so Chefs must forgo personal plans on weekends since they are required to be working in the kitchen.