To function, the kitchen staff needs to … You work incredibly long hours, deal with insane amount of stress, have no weekends or holidays, and the pay is generally not that great. This increases the workload on the chef who has to take on more work, and increasing the number of hours, the intensity of workload, and inevitably stress. If your producer gets the order wrong, you might be headed towards a stressful day. There are fires and hot metal and boiling liquids everywhere, and grease has a tendency to splash up, "blistering everything it touches". Stress is just part of the job, but quitting never got me anywhere. Temps in front of a hot grill can reach 105 or 110, which is only “comfort level” if you’re a lizard. The stress is caused by long hours, the stress of managing lunch and dinner rush, where you have to get the meals out on time. I just learned to manage it. There is a handful of chefs out there who decided to take this culinary career path and discovered being a chef wasn't for them. Avoidance of conflict can be just a stressful as having conflict in the kitchen. Working in a Kitchen is Stressful. Having to deal with poor quality results in the kitchen from other team members can be stressful. im going to city college in Norwich to learn catering, i was just wondering if being a chef was a hard stressful job. "I've got a floor fan blowing on a compressor right now because the fridge fan shorted out. Adding insult to injury, those future 1st-rounders end up being Ramen and Charcuterie. Relevance. If at all a person falls ill due to that food, there is a high chance for the hotel to be closed down and the chef … Here’s what they came back with. Sometimes it's more basic than that, like when an absurdly controlling owner, in a tone filled with knowledge and authority, says "Make sure the coffee is hot", because apparently proper coffee temperature isn't something they teach at culinary school. hi im 16 and i want to be a chef. The stress is gone. It’s like when people in the grocery store and decide they don’t really want snap peas so they just leave them in the middle of a row of cottage cheese containers, times a thousand. Yes it’s possible that some of these allergies are just part of the lamest fad since Bop It, but when you’re handed responsibility for the safety of someone’s internal organs, what choice do you have but to remain vigilant? Go slog through and get a degree in a STEM field, take a nice 50k a year job at 27, and pimp out your home kitchen and make amazing food for your friends and family in the evenings/weekends/holidays. I'm nearly 51 now, and yes, being a chef is stressful. thank you for your answers. When you work in a hotel as a chef , you must make sure that the food cooked there is healthy. Plus, even if you get through rush hour with busted stuff, you’re still screwed, because “if a refrigerator goes down, guess who magically shows up -- that’s right, the freaking health department.”, "You hired a chef for a reason. Things don’t just get challenging when another cook is on leave. Answer Save. 1 10 Joined May 1, 2011. ", A chef without functioning equipment is like a grizzly bear fighter who’s missing an arm. Stress affects their health, their behavior, and just their general well-being. “They’re a legal mob, except I don’t get a bat to the knees.”, What could possibly be stressful about a city employee whose entire existence revolves around finding the most miniscule possible violations showing up when your restaurant is packed and announcing his presence to your entire dining room? Studies have shown that if the temperature rises 10 degrees above comfort level, productivity can drop by as much as 30%. ", That reality won't change just because somebody forgot they had tickets to the 7:50 showing of that new movie about that guy and girl who risk their friendship by hooking up and then hate each other but then realize they love each other. The good news though, difficult customers (although noisy) are the few, with most customers be really good. Then there are additional challenges a chef has to deal with, such as kitchen hands not turning to work without proper notice. I just learned to manage it. ... "Being an Executive Chef is less about cooking and more about organization." Is it a good career? The chefs who stress are egomaniacs who deluded themselves into thinking that what they do is actually important. The chef is one of the most famous work categories exposed to major occupational stress factors. start a nice savings, retire at 65 and enjoy cooking for the remainder of … hours are long and hard, but also depends on what meals are served. ©2020 Group Nine Media Inc. All Rights Reserved. 1 10 Joined May 1, 2011. Pizza Cook. However, a quantitative and empirical evaluation of stress-related factors and health complaints in this work category has never been conducted. And how much opportunities are out there in the way of entrepreneurship? thank you for your answers. From the moment a cook or chef steps through the back door of the kitchen, the pressure begins to mount. One of the primary appeals of being a pastry chef is the opportunity to develop new dessert recipes. Marcus Wareing, chef-patron of Knightsbridge restaurant Marcus, was a consultant on the film, which also stars Emma Thompson and Uma Thurman and is released here next month. Fussy customers sending a meal back to the kitchen, complaining and asking it to be cooked further, or asking for an alternative meal because they didn’t like what they received can be frustrating. After reading all these reasons for being stressed, if you are wondering why chefs do it, the answer is very simple. Dependable employees are more valuable than musgravite, a precious stone that's infinitely rarer than diamonds. "The difference between being a good cook and being a good chef is as big as the difference between playing online Texas Hold’em in your pajamas and holding a chair in the World Series of Poker." grabcsma. We are passionate about providing honest and authentic career advice, helping people navigate their careers. Being a cashier boring? because the stress of being a chef is gone. Every job though has it's form of stress, and when I tried to switch careers to web page design it was more psychological than physical. And I know he’s not alone, from what many of you have told me. The 11 things that stress out chefs the most. Chefs became a chef because they have a passion for food, not a second thought was given that they would have to deal with managing people in the kitchen. Published on 9/30/2014 at 10:48 AM. The stress of the restaurant industry can take its toll. If you work in a big restaurant, you’re dealing with hundreds of cases of foodstuffs coming in every week, all of which must be stashed properly (labels & dates facing out, oldest in front, newest in back, etc) despite the very human tendency of everyone on staff to just put things back wherever it’s most convenient. Any profession that involves making hundreds of people with high expectations happy from the confines of a sweaty, cramped box teaming with open flames and treacherous knives is bound to have some anxiety associated with it. “More bread? Everybody knows someone who goes beyond expressing dissatisfaction and actually gets off demeaning and degrading servers -- the guy who instead of saying “This is a little overcooked, can I get another?” instantly goes with “I asked for medium rare, do you not know what medium rare is?”. 7 Answers. "Being an Executive Chef is less about cooking and more about organization.". Not everyone has the ability or desire to deal with conflict in the kitchen. Then he cuts beloved veteran Pork Belly, who goes on to be a valuable contributor for some other franchise. "I live in Alaska, where 'hippies' have guns and kill their own food. There is certainly a place for people who are strictly working for a paycheck, but they can bring your team down. A professional kitchen is an incredibly stressful environment in which to work and it is not surprising that many chefs suffer illnesses as a result of the long hours they spend in their kitchens. Having to deal with difficult management is the main cause of stress for a chef. it can be a lot of fun, I suggest working somewhere(non chains are … Yes. And if the sink is leaking or the toilet has been clogged, the day could turn into a crisis. The food is prepped, all ready to go when your kitchen hand calls in sick at the last minute. But I also loved the lifestyle a lot. is being a chef a stressful job and is it a good paid job? 7 Answers. The life of a chef and stress seem to go hand in hand. I know that my husband’s restaurant/restaurant group is on his mind a lot. As a chef, this is extremely frustrating and stressful, as you now realize you and your team will need to work extra hard. Watching celebrity chefs on television, in their crisp white jackets and sparkling, immaculate kitchens, it's easy to gain a falsely positive impression of the business. The chef is one of the most famous work categories exposed to major occupational stress factors. The Four Crappy Things That Heat Can Cause (rashes, cramps, exhaustion, and stroke) are always looming. You will find that being a chef comes with ingrained responsibilities to oversee the other staff at times and help to motivate them for the entire restaurant to be successful. Yes, being a chef can be stressful. As much as we might like to control this, it seems like so much is simply out of our control. 4. Is being a Chef stressful? As for the knife thing: the three ways chefs get cut most often are pressing too hard with a dull knife; pulling a knife out of the case too fast; and turning around too quickly and getting stabbed by someone else, a natural occurrence when you’re in a tiny space and lots of people are carrying huge blades. How to make cashier job less boring. Being a head chef in a large restaurant is one of the most stressful jobs, a new study has revealed. However, a quantitative and empirical evaluation of stress-related factors and health complaints in this work category has never been conducted. . Memorial Day really got me stressed out while being in Back Cash but working on Labor Day I was able to handle the stress up front and did the best of my ability of not letting the pressure get to me ... the customers didint stress me it was the managers that did. So it’s Saturday night, the restaurant is fully booked. Your creativity influences both the look and taste of the new concoction. Being a chef is not an important occupation AT ALL! grabcsma. If You Want to Succeed as a Chef, a Culinary School Education is Very Helpful. He's been a guest judge on Top Chef: All Stars, host of The Mind of a Chef, and even … is being a chef a stressful job and is it a good paid job? Along with other chefs who have been through stress-related depression, he is planning to launch a social media campaign called The Pilot Light, designed to … Perhaps ironically, one of the most stressful times in a chef's life is when that's not happening, when things are absolutely dead and there's no running around whatsoever. Let me do my job.". We have all watched those cooking shows on television where the chefs are under pressure to get the meals out on time and having to deal with unreasonable managers and hopeless staff. Stress management can also help you in your career. In other words, a chef has to deal with emergencies quite often. In nice restaurants or high-end bakeries, there is generally an ample budget to use top ingredients when making desserts. I'm nearly 51 now, and yes, being a chef is stressful. Most chefs will tell you they work 60-80 hours per week and this includes long hours no the weekend. I loved the work, I loved the stress, I loved the pressure. Then there are additional challenges a chef has to deal with, such as kitchen hands not turning to work without proper notice. When in fact, they still could enjoy their life and passionate about it. The stress is caused by long hours, the stress of managing lunch and dinner rush, where you have to get the meals out on time. Being a chef is not just about cooking the meals, it also involves checking inventory, sourcing, and ordering food. What is it like being a janitor, is it a good job. We do it because we love to do it until- in most cases- we burn out. If you are fortunate, you'll have the training, experience, and support of a good team that allow you to anticipate and deal with the emergency without missing a beat. Miller, 33, told the Standard: "Being a chef is more stressful than acting. Every job though has it's form of stress, and when I tried to switch careers to web page design it was more psychological than physical. This might mean taking time to train struggling employees or helping to boost morale when times are at their most stressful. Being a chef means a lot of hours at work and working on your feet. We hit up chefs from New York, to Alaska, to “The Internet” (his name is The Angry Chef and nobody knows where he works) to anonymously dish on what causes them the most hand-wringing. It's a job you need to love doing so you can enjoy it in the long term. But, slowly, the climate is changing. So now the main question has been answered let’s discuss the main reasons being a chef is stressful. Undependable employees, however, can cause ulcers, and it can take a long time to build up a staff that doesn’t leave your stomach lining looking like an old pair of underwear you spent years washing with that cheap detergent. 3. is your go-to resource for career advice and support. Some chefs are able to settle these individuals into a position that requires a pair of hands, but it is a struggle. Low Stress: 22 percent. It is a job that is grueling and stressful, but also fun, creative, and rewarding—at the end of the day, you are feeding people and making them happy. Serious allergies are bad enough, given that, you know, your food MIGHT KILL SOMEONE. He goes to bed thinking about it and wakes up thinking about. What you don’t see is how pissed off the chef gets when a co-worker retreats back into the kitchen on the verge of tears. STRESS: “A state of mental or emotional strain or tension resulting from adverse or very demanding circumstances.” -Webster’s Dictionary. Simple- its MORE stressful than He hi im 16 and i want to be a chef. We are a team with many years of experience spanning across varying career paths and organizations, both large and small. As for being a chef, I would say its a labor of love and requires quite a bit of masochism. I ended up back in the kitchen. But I also loved the lifestyle a lot. Can being a chef be stressful? You spend more time with your chef in the kitchen than you do with your own family.” A successful chef must be able to keep his cool in the high stress environment of a professional kitchen. I loved the work, I loved the stress, I loved the pressure. “It is nearly impossible for any restaurant that is not McDonald’s or Taco Bell to seat and serve a table in 15-20 minutes. Chefs at every level of the industry face injuries and health problems due to the nature of their work. This is mainly dependent upon the long hours’ culture in a kitchen often demanded by management. Is it a good job? Upvote 13. With that said, being a chef is also undeniably bad-ass. I ended up back in the kitchen. 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Is like a grizzly bear fighter who ’ s not alone, from what many of you have told.. Family, albeit usually a slightly dysfunctional one seems like so much is simply out of control. Question has been clogged, the hours are long and hard, but also on... Restaurant/Restaurant group is on his mind a lot after reading all these reasons for being chef!