Career as Chef

 

Q & A

 

 

A spicy career

 

 

 CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER OF THE 'AT-SUNRICE' CHEF ACADEMY IN SINGAPORE, TELLS  ABOUT THE CULINARY INDUSTRY

 

 

What does a career as a chef have to offer? 

 

The profession of a chef has gained recognition due to the fact that chefs are educated and knowledgeable. The recent Gallop Report mentioned that the profession has been voted as the second most respectful one in America. Southeast Asia, too, is witnessing great development. The growth opportunities in Singapore alone are exponential as just for two integrated resorts there is a requirement for 900 chefs. Last year alone saw food production worth SG$14.5 billion in Singapore. 

 

How do you inculcate a professional approach towards cooking, which is a household task? 

 

I define cooking as being able to master energy to ventilate heat and then conduct that heat by any type of vessel into food ingredients to change the molecular structure of ingredients in order to develop the quality and taste of those ingredients. The moment I challenge students with this definition, professionalism comes in.This is an art, and whosoever makes it to the end succeeds. It is interesting to see that the dropout rate in culinary education is 5% and 25%. in traditional learning 

 

Is teaching students from different ethnic backgrounds difficult? 

 

We offer professional courses like advanced culinary placement diploma, diploma in culinary craft and service excellence, and diploma in pastry and baking arts. The entire curriculum is divided into 'Old and New World Flavours'. We educate our students for evolving these cuisines further rather than revolutionising the traditional system of cooking. Our classroom consists of students from Japan, China, Vietnam, India, Philippines and many more. They bring in the ethnicity of their regions and share it with other students. What can be a better way to make them global chefs? 

 

What are the careers that students can opt for? 

 

You can enter into hotels, restaurants, hospitals, resorts,airlines etc.You can become a private chef, an entrepreneur, a teacher, food critic, food journalist, and food photographer or even enter as a researcher in companies manufacturing food products. 

 

What kind of salary can one expect? 

 

Starting salaries are low. An executive chef, in Singapore,can expect anything between SG$1,200 to SG$1,600 per-month.

 

 

 

Sunil Sharma

    Moderator

Dil Se Desi Group