Chef Nadzri bin Alim of Nilai University College explains how learning your way around a kitchen can serve up a delicious career. 

 

Culinary arts is the ‘the art of cooking’. Culinary can be defined as anything related to food, cooking, cuisine, and kitchens. Culinary arts also involves a ‘culinarian’ – better known as a chef.

 

A chef creates meals that dazzle all the senses. At the same time, a chef is also a kitchen manager, a savvy entrepreneur and an inspiring leader. 

 

Culinary arts courses equip aspiring chefs with basic knowledge about food and its preparation. The following are some of the subjects you will encounter in a typical culinary arts course:

Students who are looking to become entrepreneurs should also take optional subjects like business and hospitality management as it will equip them with the necessary knowledge to successfully run a business. 

 

Chefs need to keep abreast of current food trends and continuously acquire knowledge in areas such as food science and diet and nutrition.

 

Chefs can specialise in a particular type of cuisine, for example in patisserie or boulangerie. Patisserie and boulangerie are the French words for pastry and bakery respectively. A chef who specialises in patisserie – also known as a patissier – will be involved in the creation of cakes, mousses and other sweet desserts, while a boulanger who sweats it out in the boulangerie is an expert in making croissants, muffins and various types of breads. 

 

As well as becoming chefs, culinary arts graduates can also dabble in an array of exciting careers such as:

Passion is the key to a chef’s success. A successful chef must not only have the passion for cooking delicious meals – he or she must have the passion to inspire others. The greatest chefs teach, train and lead teams of young chefs to greater heights. It is of great satisfaction for an already successful chef to see his or her protégés develop and grow into successful chefs in their own right.

 

Some more conservative elements in the industry have said that a boiling hot kitchen with heavy equipment is no place for ladies. Nonsense! A kitchen is a place for anybody who wants to be a chef regardless of gender. What is important is that students have the necessary passion and are willing to work hard to succeed. Look at the business empires Nigella Lawson and Delia Smith have built based on their cooking skills. Even the brusque Gordon Ramsay, who once famously said ‘women can’t cook to save their lives,’ has appointed two women – Clare Smyth and Angela Hartnett – to head his restaurants.

 

Culinary arts graduates are in very high demand despite the current economic climate as the hospitality and tourism industry is still relatively buoyant. They are trained to suit industry needs and many employers consider hiring them to be more cost-effective, in terms of training, than hiring inexperienced staff.

 

There are plenty of jobs waiting for culinary graduates out there. Don’t be choosy – grab the bottom rung and work your way up the ladder. 

 

If you know how to cook well, you have a skill that is in demand anywhere you go and you can seek employment anywhere in the world.

 

Start by reading cookbooks and watch cooking programmes on TV to develop your interest in culinary arts. You can also start helping out in your family kitchen!