Bobby Flay is a NYC native who has become one of the most successful chefs today. He had a passion for cooking since he was just 17 years old. From then on his career seemed to nothing but rise.

Bobby Flay was cooking in the Joe Allen Restaurant when Allen noticed his culinary talent and was so much impressed that he paid for Bobby’s training at French Culinary Institute. He graduated in 1993 and started working for Jonathan Waxman in NYC. With him he learned to love the flavors of American South-western cooking. He was later on hired by Jerome Kretchmer and made Bobby his partner and executive chef of Mesa Grill.

With his talents and passion for cooking Bobby has gained a celebrity status. He is praised not only for his cooking or culinary abilities but also for other various reasons. In addition to cooking bobby started hosting a television show. He has starred in six cooking TV shows on Food Network and three of them – Boy meets Grill, Iron Chef America and Throwdown!, are still on air. His great time managing skills and expertise at cooking has made him own and design six top-notch restaurants too. If you think this is it then think again as Bobby Flay is not done yet. He has written eight well acclaimed cookbooks too. The guy has earned an Emmy award for his shows and also became a food correspondent for CBS on The Early Show. Phew!!

At present he owns five very renowned restaurants, Bar Americain in NYC – serving regional American delicacies; Bobby Flay Steak in Atlantic City, New Jersey – is a classic steakhouse; Mesa Grill Bahamas of Paradise Island- offers American Southwestern; Mesa Grill Las Vegas at Caesar’s Palace- serves American Southwestern and Mesa Grill NYC- also serves American Southwestern.

Bobby has earned a lot in his career and has become an icon for many of the aspiring individuals who are aiming for a career in cooking. When he was asked about his food philosophy, he said, “It’s gotta be bold, zesty, and always fun".

His work, books and shows have always impressed and inspired people. When asked what or who inspired him, he replied, it was Wolfgang Puck who made savory food but his preparations were whimsical and fun too, and Jonathan Waxman was the first chef who defined and explained him what was meant by good food. His latest career move is an upcoming show called as Grill It, which will air on Food Network, showcasing newbies who will come on the show to share their grilling recipes.

It is a widely known fact that organic food costs us a little extra as compared to the intensively farmed and heavily sprayed chemical food. It can always be considered as a better option as compared to the farm grown food. It has more minerals, vitamins, enzymes and most importantly tastes better than the farm produced food. It is devoid of any kind of pesticides, insecticides fertilizers other artificial additives, colorings, flavorings and preservatives that are toxic for the human body. However, in recent times the cost of organic food has grown more than the normally available food in the shops. There are many reasons for this increase in price and can be easily explained by focusing on certain important factors.

The production of these types of foods or products is very limited and thus does not satiate the demand. In addition, the total cost involved in the production process of organic foods are also higher due to greater labor inputs on small and less quantity or output units. After the initial process of harvesting, processing, transportation and marketing of comparatively small or large volume of organic food ultimately results in comparatively higher price of the final food item.

This clearly indicates that due to the less amount of organically food grown, the demand and the cost in the market are divided over a final small quantity of output produced by these farms. Besides this, many of these food products are not chemically enhanced and their growth is not hormone induced. They take a longer amount of time (compared to the typical food products available in the market) to actually grow and become worthy of being sold. Ultimately their growth cycle is larger and their costs are divided over a smaller number of outputs.

Nevertheless, in past few years with the growing awareness and increasing demand for organic food and its products, sincere steps have been taken by the government. Steps have been implemented and in many places strategy to execute new methodologies and technological innovations are in already in process to reduce the costs required to produce, process, distribute, and market the organic products.

The various other factors that play an important role in the high value of the organic food are:

• Environmental protection and enhancement
• High standards for the animal welfare

All these hidden factors have influenced the price of the organic food products and resulted in making them rate higher than their traditional counterparts.

If you are considering a career in the culinary arts, organic food is a great way to treat those who consume your food well.

Mastering food is good, but in order to stun everyone with your kitchen is to get the best culinary tools. Learn about the different tools of the trade. Make an impression.

Being a chef makes you crave for perfection, and you seek this perfection in whatever tools you use in the kitchen as well. After working in the kitchen for quite some time, you might not have realized but there are certain knives, utensils, pots etc. that you prefer compared to others.

Many of the famous chefs have in fact brought their own brand of cutlery and cookware as in case of Jamie Oliver. There are companies that are dealing with restaurants, catering companies etc. and providing them with the best culinary tools ever. Every professional chef is very particular about the uniform, knives, pots and pans he uses, and thus it makes perfect business sense to provide such people with the best pieces of equipments and tools. The business can be expanded by providing the restaurants with exceptional bakeware, serveware, cookware, cutlery, etc. that will not only assist them to make the food good but make its presentation even better.

For a chef the vital culinary tool is the set of chef knives. A Chef is so used to his own set of tools and knives that he even teaches with his own set of tools. Even the cutting board is chosen with utmost care.

Some cooks love to cook the food in their own traditional unique way, while others use many different gadgets to get a meal prepared. Cooking a meal takes a lot out of you, so after all that labor, presentation of the dishes is also equally important for a chef.

Thus, the professional chefs have their own professional culinary tools that are developed in premium factories. These tools are very expensive for the public to buy and hence are directly sold to the restaurants, catering services etc. The very basic from among a variety of these culinary tools that are required in a kitchen are:  zesters, graters, timers, Spices graters, Cutting as well as chopping boards and related items, Silicon products, Chef Knives, Pans, Pots, Food Processors, Meat Grinders, Marinade equipments, Bamboo tools, accessories, pounders, tools for garnishing, cups for measuring and many more.

Professional chef or a simple cook, one must always keep the kitchen well stacked with fresh and good quality food, cook well with good culinary and cutlery sets. Finally, you should always try and cook the best meal and then present it in an even better way. And when you are armed with a set of professional culinary tools of the trade, then you will be sure to impress everyone who also appreciates your culinary skills.

A Saucier Chef is the chef who is responsible for making all the sauces, and also those dishes which are cooked in a particular sauce or gravy. A Saucier Chef is basically a Chef de Partie and is the third highest position in most kitchens.

A culinary career is more than simple cooking. This statement can be more aptly appreciated if one understands the fact that in larger establishments, there are chefs who exclusively manage other chefs.

A Saucier Chef is basically a Chef de Partie who is also known as the station staff or line cook. A Chef de Partie is responsible for one particular area of food production in the kitchen. A Saucier is responsible for preparing sauces, sautés, stews and hot hors d’oevres. The saucier chef position is usually the third highest position of all the stations. A Saucier Chef position is considered to be subordinate only to a Chef and Sous-Chef’s position in the kitchen hierarchy.

The saucier chef position is usually available in larger kitchens which can afford a staff big enough to allow for specialization. A Saucier Chef is responsible for all the sauteed items and most sauces. As sauces are the basic ingredients of most dishes, Saucier Chefs must be very knowledgeable about the different possible mixtures and combinations of ingredients, along with the different methods of cooking so that they can create a good sauce for a dish.

Typically, to start in a career as a Saucier, you would have to have completed a two years Bachelors Degree in Culinary Arts, and then would have worked in the culinary field for at least a year or two. You would need to be exposed to the areas involved in food presentation, food concepts, and menu creation. Your salary will depend on your expertise and experience – the higher you are on those counts, the higher your salary can go. You can start off at an hourly rate of $11 when you have at least 1 to 4 years of experience, move on to a $14 an hour rate with an experience of 5 to 9 years, and then go on to $16 an hour for at least 10 to 19 years of working experience in the industry.

In your career in the culinary arts, working towards becoming a Saucier Chef can be a exciting and rewarding, while also exposing you to learning how to cook a variety of dishes and culinary specialities.

A Commis Chef is an entry level position when you are at the beginning of creating your career as a chef. A Commis Chef reports to a Chef de Partie. Find out more about what are the responsibilities and skills required to become a Commis Chef.

Culinary careers are a very exciting, satisfying and an equally rewarding experience. And like in any other path of career, here too, to reach the top, one has to start at the bottom and work hard to reach the top position.

The post of an apprentice chef in larger kitchens to learn and operate a station is also termed as Commis Chef. A Commis Chef reports to a Chef De Partie and ideally needs to have completed formal culinary training. In larger kitchens, the Commis Chef job could also start as a kitchen porter or a kitchen assistant who would be promoted to the post of Commis Chef once the candidate is able to perform basic work like vegetable preparation and working of the kitchen.

The responsibilities of a Commis Chef includes preparing food under supervision of more skilled chefs, learning different styles of cooking, dealing with deliveries, stock rotation and requesting stock, gain knife and prep skills, preparation of vegetables and sauces, maintain accuracy while measuring dish ingredients and portion size, service of starters and desserts, maintain high hygiene standards, general day to day cleaning duties and basically understand and appreciate the pace and demands of a kitchen. The job entails working for three to six months in each section of kitchen. As the position of a Commis Chef is a varied role, the chef usually decides which area of the kitchen the apprentice would work in depending on their preference thereby enabling them to specialize in their area of interest. Further, as the job deals with every aspect of working in the kitchen, it is the ideal position to gain the widest possible experience before a specialization is considered.

The position of Commis Chef is normally obtained via catering colleges. If taking up a formal course is not an available option, then one could also start as a kitchen attendant and then apply for any training that the employer offers. The position usually requires working in shifts entailing 40 hours a week. The annual Commis Chef salary range is between $10,000 and $20,000 depending on the amount of training and experience of the chef. Part time, casual and seasonal opportunities are also available, the payment for which is made on a pro-rata basis.

A Master Chef is a professionally certified chef who has received the title of Certified Master Chef – an honor which is held by less than 100 people in the United States of America. This certification is given out only to those chefs who have received a lot of training and have demonstrated a recognizable level of excellence in culinary arts programs.

A Master Chef is a professional qualification that is earned by a chef – they are Certified Master Chefs who have completed the requisite examination conducted by the American Culinary Federation. The Master Chef examination was started in the year 1981 as a method of encouraging chefs to work towards achieving excellence in the culinary arts.

The Certified Master Chef program requires for the chefs to attend a eight days long practical examination which is rigorous and tests the culinary knowledge and skills of a chef. The chefs are tested on subjects which include skills and techniques involved in cooking, use of ingredients in cooking, presentation of the food, the timing of service, safety and sanitation involved in the maintenance of a restaurant. After the course is completed, there is a final test that the chef must pass.

The course costs $3,000 and takes place only on two approved test sites: one is The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, and the second site is the California Campus of The Culinary Institute of America, which is based in Napa Valley.

To begin to work towards the Master Chef qualification you would have to start with a degree in the culinary arts. You can either start with a two year Associate Degree in the culinary arts or a four year Bachelors Degree in the culinary arts to start working your way towards a career in the culinary arts. After the degree, you would have to gain a deeper foundation in the culinary arts, which includes practical, hands-on experience in the culinary field.

Most hotels and restaurants are very keen on hiring those chefs who have earned their certification as a Master Chef. Typically, the annual salary of a Certified Master Chef can range from $40,000 to $70,000.

So if you want to really make your mark in the culinary industry, then working towards getting your Certification as a Master Chef is certainly a goal to be working for.

An Executive Chef or Chef Manager is in charge of the kitchen – everything that happens in the kitchen of a restaurant is his responsibility. If you want to make a career in the cooking industry, and if you have a knack for taking responsibility, then a career goal of becoming an Executive Chef is just what you are looking for.

An Executive Chef is the person who is responsible for everything that goes in and out of the kitchen. He is the person who is in charge of the kitchen. Executive Chefs are found across restaurants ranging from the smallest in size to the largest. A Chef Manager is in charge of the entire kitchen staff like culinary assistants, chefs and apprentices. He delegates all the tasks in the kitchen. An Executive Chef also ensures that the productivity of the restaurant is maximized.

As an Executive Chef you would be in charge of the Sous Chef and the Chef de Partie. As an Executive Chef you will also be in charge of ensuring the health and safety standards of the restaurant. The Chef Manager is also in charge of creating and modifying the menus of the restaurant. He is also in charge of ordering supplies, maintaining costs and training the new staff. A Chef Manager is also in charge of ensuring that all the equipment in the restaurant is working smoothly and properly.

You will also ensure that the food served is of the highest quality and is served on time. If any problems arise, the Chef Manager has to ensure that all the problems are taken care of. When there are any special catering events, as an Executive Chef, you will be in charge of ensuring that everything is going smoothly.

In order to become an Executive Chef, you will have to work your way up from the bottom. You would have to start with a Bachelors Degree in the culinary arts and ideally have about five to eight years of industry experience.

As an Executive Chef or Chef Manager, you can expect an annual salary ranging from $30,000 to $60,000. The salary amount will depend on the number of years of experience gained in the culinary industry.

If you are considering a career in cooking and you are a lover of wine, then working for the position of the Sommelier or the Wine Steward is the best cooking career choice for you. A  Win Sommelier is a trained professional who works in fine restaurants. A Sommelier specializes in all the aspects of serving wine. It is a much more sophisticated role as compared to that of a wine waiter.

A Sommelier has the principal job of procuring and storing wine, handling the wine storage rotation and of providing expert advice about wine to the customers of the restaurant. As a Master Sommelier, you will also be responsible for the development of wine lists. You will also be in charge of the delivery of the wine service and for the training of the restaurant staff with regards to the wine. With a Sommeliers education will also suggest the pairing of wine along with the different kinds of foods that are served in the restaurant.

How to Become a Sommelier

To become a Sommelier, you would need to have good knowledge of how different foods complement and combine with different kinds of wine, beer, spirits and other beverages.

As a professional Master Sommelier, you will be working directly with the patrons of the restaurant, working with the preferences of the customers with regards to taste and budget limitations. You will also be involved in conducting and attending several wine-tasting events which are designed to educate and attract wine lovers the the restaurant.  You will thus be in the enviable position of being able to guide, educate and talk to people about wine. As an experienced Sommelier, you will be able to describe the regions, grapes and even the vineyards and vintages of a variety of wines. As a Master Sommelier, you would also be traveling frequently to different places where wine is produced and would also be involved in the processes of procuring a variety of wines for the restaurant.

To start in this career, you will have to start with an Introductory Sommelier Certification or a bachelors in Wine, Food and Spirits Management, and then you can move forward with an Advanced Sommelier Certification and then a Master Sommelier Diploma. Typically, the sommelier salary range offered to Sommeliers will depend on the number of years of experience the candidate has in the field. Master Sommeliers who are just starting out may expect to earn approximately $28,000 annually as their salary, while Master Sommeliers who have anywhere between 3 to 5 years of experience can earn between $80,000 to $160,000 annually.

Thus, as a Sommelier, you will be in a unique position to combine your knowledge and passion into a productive and impressive career.

A Chef de Partie is a position usually found in larger restaurants and hotels. The Chef de Partie is responsible for each major area of cooking in the kitchen. Thus, the Chef de Partie can be a specialist in several of the different aspects of the cooking process that go on within the kitchens of a restaurant.

A Chef de Partie is also referred to as a ‘Station Chef’ or as a ‘Line Cook’. He is responsible for the area of food production in the kitchen. Often enough, there are several Chefs de Partie who work in rotation within the same kitchen. Within themselves as well, the Line Cooks can also be divided into a hierarchy starting with the position of the ‘First Cook’, the ‘Second Cook’ and so on.

A Chef de Partie can be assigned to any one of the number of different stations that are present within a kitchen. Each of these areas or stations may specialize in the preparation of a particular item on the restaurant’s menu.

A Chef de Partie can be a station chef of different areas of food processing or cooking. In that case, his designation will depend on the area of cooking that he is in charge of and specializes in. These different positions and stations are:

1. Saucier or Sauce Chef: This is the chef responsible for making the sauces and the sautes. This is the highest position of all the stations.
2. Boulanger: This is the chef in charge of baking the bread.
3. Confiseur: This is the chef in charge of cooking the candy.
4. Poissonier or Fish Cook: This is the chef in charge of cooking the fish.
5. Friturier: This is the chef in charge of all the deep frying cooking activities.
6. Grillardin: This chef is in charge of all the grilling activities in the kitchen.
7. Pantry Chef or Garde Manager: This chef is in charge of the cold foods like salads, salad dressings, pates, cold hors d’oeuvres, and such buffet items.
8. Potager: This chef is in charge of making the soups.
9. Rotisseur or Roast Cook: This chef is in charge of the different roasting related activities in the kitchen.
10. Entremetier or Vegetable Cook: This cook prepares the vegetables, soups, eggs and so forth. In many kitchens, these duties may also be sub-divided amongst the Vegetable Cook, the Fry Cook, and the Soup Cook.
11. Tournant: This is a very interesting position. Called a ‘Swing Cook’ or a ‘Relief Cook’ this chef has the special ability to work on any station in the restaurant as and when required. Usually, the person working on this post is working towards becoming a Sous Chef.

As a Chef de Partie, you can expect to make around $20,000 to $34,000 annually as your salary. However, larger organizations and restaurants may have a higher salary range as well.

As a Chef de Partie, one can expect to work in different areas of food processing within the kitchen – it can even be based on your preferred choice of the specific aspect of cooking that can guide you.

In the kitchen the chef is the boss. And before you get to be the boss, you have to work under him – working as the sous chef. So, what is being a sous chef all about?

In a typical restaurant kitchen, there is a hierarchy of the staff which cooks. The Main or Head Chef is the person who is in charge of all the things related to the kitchen. This includes creating menus, managing and scheduling, payroll management for the kitchen staff, placing orders for supplies and so forth. However, every Executive or Head Chef always has a trusted and reliable second-in-command. And that is the Sous Chef.

The word ‘sous’ means ‘under’ in French. So a Sous Chef is one who works under the Head Chef or the Chef de Cuisine. Typically, a Sous Chef is responsible for filling in whenever the Head Chef is off duty. He can also help the other chefs in the kitchen with their duties. A Sous Chef is that person who takes charge of all the things in the kitchen which come under the management of the Executive Chef. He is like the Head Chef in training.

If you want to be a Head Chef one day or if you want to own and run your own restaurant one day, then working as a Sous Chef is exactly what will prepare you for doing so. Mostly, it is a position which goes largely unnoticed because the Head Chef is the one getting all the glory. However, he Head Chef solely depends on you doing your part thoroughly for him to get to that glory. Meanwhile, you also have to be in charge of the staff under you. You are the one who they come to when they are under any kind of stress and trouble. In case any of the other Chefs don’t show up, or something goes wrong, you are the one standing in for them. You are also in charge of training staff for working in the kitchen. In short, the position of the Sous Chef is pretty much Middle Management.

In your position as the Sous Chef, you are in charge of ensuring that everything in the restaurant kitchen runs efficiently and smoothly. You are the one who is creating the behind-the-scenes magic which ensures that the restaurant runs like a well oiled machine. As a Sous Chef, you will be the first to come in and the last one to leave the job. A good Sous Chef is someone who is graceful, efficient and supportive. A good Sous Chef is clean and knowledgeable about the cuisine. An excellent Sous Chef is a good communicator and an effective organizer – and is someone who thrives on meeting deadlines. In short, a perfect Sous Chef is that juggler who enables all the culinary magic in the kitchen.

To become a Sous Chef, you will have to start with a degree in culinary arts by attending one of the man culinary schools worldwide. Then you have to start working in a restaurant. Typically, you will work your way up the corporate ladder – based on your talents and skills. Most of the skill sets of a Sous Chef are pretty much learnt on-the-job. So you will have to prove your mettle and learn the different aspects of the job in order to become a Sous Chef. While you work your way up, you can also work towards becoming a Certified Sous Chef – when you complete at least 5 years working at the entry level.

If you think that you are up for the challenge, and if you think that one day with your talents you can see yourself moving up from the post of the Sous Chef to the Chef de Cuisine, then this is just the right career option for you!