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Volunteering in one’s community can offer not only hands-on ex-
perience but also valuable opportunities to network with other
culinary professionals.

Skills and Personality
Chefs are talented, artistic individuals who have achieved pro-
fessional success by possessing a number of skills essential for
their profession. Of course, they must be creative and passionate
about food and eager to continue trying new recipes and creat-
ing new dishes. They also must be personable and good leaders
because high-level chefs are in charge of all kitchen staff. For
that same reason, they need exceptional communication skills,
including the ability to listen. They must be honest and profes-
sional and able to remain calm in the midst of chaos. And they
must have physical stamina because chefs often work long hours
standing on their feet. Also essential, says chef Dee Buizer on the
Tucson Foodie website, is the ability to not get defensive when
criticized. “You need to have thick skin—be able to hear criticism
even when the guests are wrong or being unreasonable.”

On the Job

Employers

According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), chefs and
head cooks in the United States held 146,500 jobs during 2016.
More than half of their employers were restaurants and other eat-
ing establishments. The remainder were employed by special food
services, such as food service contractors, caterers, and mobile
food services; the traveler accommodation sector, including lodg-
ing or short-term accommodations for travelers; and amusement,
gambling, and recreation industries.

Working Conditions

As much as chefs often love what they do, it is no secret that their
work is hard, the hours are long, and the hazards are plenty. In an
article on the Muse career website, Elliott Bell, a graduate of the

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