Chef/Culinary Talk with Cooking Tips

[cc(,``o]

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it's been a loooooooooong time since i visited this thread. and a lot of things has happened since then. it also took me awhile to read the things written here form page 1 and i think i had an info overload. both useful and not. LOL.

WARNING! LONG POST AHEAD!

i did notice a lot of people has been asking about where to study where. don't you guys think we should create a topic or better yet a sticky regarding where they can find schools. that way we don't have to keep on answering the same question over and over again. as well as make it easier for other people interested

someone mentioned about using part butter and part oil and yes i do that too:P

as for baking pans used i still prefer metal. better yet non-stick ones. glass and silicone prevents your goodies from browning. unless u want it that way then it's good.

i didn't know about the eggs being easier to peel if cooked that way. i gotta try that the next time i make birthday misua

i would also like to add that i have done my ojt in marriott last year and i did learn a lot. was able to get lots of recipes unfortunately i left my notebook in marriott and didn't go back for it. also lack a few more hours of my OJT and was unable to go back due to some reason and now i don't want to go back. don't have the face to show them anymore. sigh.... anyway that doesn't matter. recipes are just recipes we can always make our own. what's important is the lesson learned.

something important that i think other chef hopefuls would want to know especially those thinking of going into culinary school. i guess i was living in a bubble and doing my OJT there burst it. i think everyone needs a reality check. there are so many that i don't know wher eto begin

- hotels in Philippines are usually hiring contractuals
- you can work in the hotel for years (heard of someone working for over 3 yrs and still a contractual)
- if you're a contractual u earn mininmum wage. receiving about 6k net a month and that is working for hrs/day 6 days a week.
- contractuals are not entitled to service charge like regular employees are
- know of a culinary school graduate who worked as a kitchen helper and is a contractual and earning a min wage.
- no benefits if you're contractual

cold hard fact is not everyone makes it. and it's also no guarantee that u can go abroad. though makes chances here. so anyway i believe you just have to weigh everything. i believe it is just most worth it if you are not expecting anything in return and especially when u want ur own restaurant. otherwise worst case scenario is working for a hotel here and getting paid minimum wage of about 6k/mo. even at that rate it will take u about 5yrs to earn back the 300k you paid your culinary school for 2 years. and does not include the computation for inflation.

seriously they have cooks there who has been with them for about 10yrs whose basic pay are about the basic pay of the tellers of banks who's been working there for about 3 yrs the only reason they survive that long is because of the service charge wherein it's usually at least 11k and can sometimes reach 20k when sales is good.

also another realization i made is that i don't want to work as a kitchen helper. i cant peel and chop vegetables for the rest of my life. ok that is an exaggeration i can probably survive 3 months of that but what i can't survive is always following someone's oders! and most of all not really being able to do my own thing. id rather work in my own kitchen and be my own boss and do whatever i want with the food. if it's palpak i can feed it to the dog or throw and nobody will care

[SPRINGFIELD_XD_40]

We also have to realize that a kitchen workers goal is to become THE EXECUTIVE CHEF , becoming an OWNER is a different story .

Trust me .... been there and done that . But that goal requires at least and a minimum of 15 years of supervisory level position in the kitchen operations . Ask the Executive Chef of Waterfront , he used to be just a cook in CHowking and worked his way up there .

Guys and gals ... its just a matter of LOVE and PERSEVERANCE of work and the PASSION for cooking . What I dont get though is RESORTS and 5 star PLACES hires FOREIGNERS like Shangrila's Chef ... he's Korean when they can hire Pinoy chefs who are more better and learned ... walay exposure lang but the issue on dreams come true can happen here also in the hotels of Cebu .

[cc(,``o]

that true springfield but i simply don't have the disposition to work for someone else for that long. that is not dream. my dream has always been having my own biz and being my own boss. no way can i see myself working in the kitchen earning minimum wage for the next 10 years or so.

so i guess it's matter of dreams and priorities.

[SPRINGFIELD_XD_40]

^^^


I agree with you . But as ive said becoming the owner is a different story and that puts you in the position automatically . Say example JUDY ANN SANTOS and MARVIN AGUSTIN ... they both owned , managed and yes they are the executive chefs of their resto's . I dont have respect to these kind of people . Yes I do admire their accomplishment by owning one but being the leader of the kitchen ? Hehehehe ..... Id give all my high fives to the prep cooks and graveyard bakers .

Regarding earning minimum wage for the next 10 years doing the same thing or even holding the same position or maybe moving up one level of responsibility ? How true is that ? I think that is not how it works . The HOTEL and RESTAURANT / FOOD and BEVERAGE INDUSTRY around the world has a standard form of wage and compensation system .

[cc(,``o]

i haven't decided yet exactly what kind of setup i want. personally i don't want to be the executive chef because i don't want to be tied in the kitchen all the time. i'd rather i'd be able to leave my business in the hands of someone else when i need to be elsewhere. so i guess it all depends on the setup and how big my bis is. if it's big then i can have both executive chef and sous chef if not then just a sous chef will do but he or she will be the acting executive chef most of the time. the rest follows of course. for sure i do know that i want my menu to be mostly mine if possible but i'll leave room for my chefs to explore. i simply dont want my biz to be at the mercy of my chefs just in case they leave or in case i have to ask them to. (unless of course my biz parter is the executive chef) LOL.

not sure if they have a standard or not but let's just say i got to talk to several employees of marriott so i know how much these people are getting. as for staying in the same position not really. they do have some movements but not much. however there is a trick to that. work for one great company and get all the training u can get after a few years apply for a higher position in a different company.

[SPRINGFIELD_XD_40]

You are right . It really depends on how big the restaurant is , the volume of guest and the variety , theme and kind of offerings it does . Ive been in the culinary scene for the last 12 years and was fortunate enough to serve and sell food to high ranking Naval officials to include Adm Archie Clemens , my ex boss in Point Loma Sub base to international and local celebrities to diplomats and the very much discriminating taste buds of the locals .

Even a 100 seater resto only requires a lead cook . I would prefer to call them cooks be cause the moment you adress them as CHEFS , the paycheck changes dramatically if ever I own one .

Now back to MARRIOT as an example , my wild guess would be that those kitchen personnel you got to talked to are undergrads , experienced cooks / servers and kitchen helps etc . Thats how rewarding is EDUCATION in any field because you get the chance to negotiate as long as it is backed by a decent experience also . If the case is that BOTTOM of the BARREL gyud ang bagsakan sa say ako , oh well time to head for the agency and apply for cruise ship duties or apply in international hotels , get the work and ask for reassignment if qualified . Save money , get a loan and then open our very own resto hehehehe .

[cc(,``o]

some are but not all. somethere came from a culinary school. worked there for a while but still the same. actually a lot of the people there are applying for abroad because they are not satisfied with the compensation scheme. i know for a fact that a few of them were already processing their papers and some just finished their interviews and etc.... and not just from that hotel but other hotels as well.

well i agree with you to a certain degree about education but you are right about having the experience to back it up otherwise the education is deemed useless. still this is more of a skill job. having the education simply gives it more prestige. actually even then you would have to know how to carry yourself and act like it. otherwise it will be all for nothing

[SPRINGFIELD_XD_40]

Lisora gyud diay diri sa Pilipinas considering mga private sector man unta ni sila... tsk tsk tsk


CUlinary education indeed is very important , its not about prestige only but knowledge . Yes I know how our elders can cook way better on native dishes but do they even know or heard of the word E.COli or Salmonella ? Cross contamination ? That is a big NO NO in a food service establishment .

[cc(,``o]

actually i learned those info by reading a lot online as well as taking up hrm but you really think prestige doesn't play a part? i believe it does. especially when u study from one of the more famous culinary schoolss. for some reason those certificates/dimplomas from famous culinary schools give chefs the added advantage. however i have this belief that education from other schools can be equally comparable for a fraction of the price. unfortunately we are living in a world where ppl put importance on 'brand names'

sad but true to a certain degree.

[SPRINGFIELD_XD_40]

Ah ok ... I see what you meant .

We may have the same knowledge inside the kitchen but for a fact that if someone studied in Cordon Bleu and other studied in USC gives the person who studied in Cordon Bleu the edge he or she needs to get hired . Now I got you .