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At about 11:00 a.m., each of Nicholson’s chefs brings her a
small portion of food that will be served that day to patrons; she
tastes it and offers comments. At noon the restaurant starts to
come alive with patrons arriving for lunch, and Nicholson over-
sees the service. She arranges food on plates for the main dishes
(known as plating) and checks all food before it leaves the kitch-
en. After lunch, Tredwells slows down. “There’s always a slight
lull,” explained Nicholson in a December 2017 interview on the
website of Good Housekeeping magazine. “This is when I tend to
send the team out for fresh air. I prefer not to take breaks myself
as once I’m in the zone, it’s easier to keep going.” As evening
approaches, things begin to pick up again. By 6:00 p.m. the res-
taurant is, as Nicholson describes, “a hive of activity.”
Hours later, when all patrons have left the restaurant and it
has been cleaned and the day’s orders tallied, Nicholson finally
goes home. It is not unusual for her to work fifteen-hour days, yet
she would not trade her job for anything, as she says in the 2017
article: “Of course, it’s exhausting, but it’s highly rewarding too.
. . . It’s not just a career, it’s a passion and a privilege to get paid
for doing something I love.”

How Do You Become a Chef?

Education
Chefs are typically not required to have a college degree, but
many earn a bachelor’s degree in the culinary arts. The American
Culinary Federation accredits about two hundred of these pro-
grams throughout the United States. Although exact coursework
can vary, classes often cover food science, food safety and sani-
tation, menu planning, baking and pastry making, food preparing,
knife skills, international cooking, culinary entrepreneurship, and
plating concepts.
Especially essential for an aspiring chef is experience—hands-
on learning under the direction of an experienced chef. Those
without a degree who aspire to be professional chefs often start
at restaurants in lower-level positions. “You pretty much have to

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