Life & Style | Education
A career as a top chef
Working as a chef means long, irregular hours, dedication and creativity. The road to the top is hard but the rewards when you get there are plentiful.
- By Amelia Naidoo, Staff Writer
- Published: 23:41 November 15, 2008
- Image Credit: Francois Nel/Gulf News
- Students training to be chefs at the Emirates Academy of Hospitality Management in Jumeirah.
Working as a chef means long, irregular hours,
dedication and creativity. The road to the top is hard but the rewards when you get there are plentiful,
writes Amelia Naidoo.
Cooking is a fashionable business these days. Turn on the television and you will see the likes of Rachel Ray, Jamie Oliver, Gordon Ramsay or Ainsley Harriott cooking effortlessly in glamorous and often exotic settings.
A career as a chef can certainly be those things once you reach the pinnacle of your career - especially in Dubai. However, it is one that demands your utmost attention. Notes speaks to chefs at various stages of their careers to find out what it's all about.
Rising to the top
Giada De Laurentiis's hands are not all battered and bruised like this, I thought to myself as I sat down to interview Julia Eckerstorfer, a young up-and-coming chef at the uber fashionable Pier Chic restaurant in Dubai.
Unlike the manicured hands of the Italian American celebrity chef, Eckerstorfer's fingernails were clipped short, her hands were red and arms sported a burn mark or two.
Her chef's uniform of starched double-breasted jacket, chequered pants, comfortable crocs and necktie was practical to prevent injury and maintain high standards of hygiene.
No doubt, De Laurentiis had put in the work to get to the top and so is Eckerstorfer, who is trying to make her mark in a male-dominated restaurant industry.
At 15 the Austrian national decided to take up a career as a chef. "I learnt to cook from my mum and grandma and then went to a professional cooking school when I was 15. I would go to the school for a few months and then work at a restaurant to practise what I learnt," she said.
In her first year Eckerstorfer learnt how to make sauces, prepare vegetables and handle meats, besides learning about hygiene as well as the theory of cooking.
Currently the 25-year-old oversees apprentices - chef commis - as she goes about her day-to-day-tasks.
"My day starts at two and I prepare the foods, cut vegetables and so on before the dinner service at seven when guests start coming in. I've got guys working with me and I show them how to prepare a dish if it's something new."
Presently the restaurant prepares almost 170 meals until they close at 11.30pm. "It can be very stressful so you need a strong personality to cope with it," she said.
Student chef
Mathias Spieler is a student at The Emirates Academy of Hospitality Management who hopes to pursue a career as a chef in Dubai's restaurant industry.
"I decided to join the academy because of its location in Dubai, the association with Ecole hoteliere de Lausanne in Switzerland, and the fact that the academy is part of the prestigious Jumeirah Group," he said.
Mathias is no newcomer to cooking. He has studied for two years at the Lycee Hotelier de La Rochelle, France, and subsequently worked in restaurants such as Bagatelle in Norway, which had two Michelin stars at the time.
"I have always helped my mother with the cooking and baking since I was young, so that is when I first learnt to cook," Mathias said.
The student is doing a BSc (Hons) in International Hospitality Management. "We have many different courses at the academy. The first two years are very focused on the practical with Food and Beverage and Rooms Division, including a six-month internship.
"At the same time we also have languages, statistics, accounting and marketing during those years. The last two years are purely theoretical with a focus on culture, operations service management, human resources management and research methods," he said.
It is important to remember, Mathias added, to respect senior chefs who instruct you. "It is not as glamorous as it is on TV, but with the right attitude you never know what can happen with this career as there are lots of opportunities. I also get the chance to travel a lot for chef promotions."
Speaking of his early experience, Mathias said a young chef just starting out, usually starts the day by taking care of the deliveries, then helping the other chefs with simple tasks such as peeling, washing and cutting fruit and vegetables.
During service, the young chef might be responsible for one small station, or assist the Chef de Partie; then it is cleaning.
The student chef said his dream would be to start his own business one day.
Learn the basics
Michael Kitts is a senior lecturer and executive chef at The Emirates Academy of Hospitality Management. He received his training at the Thanet Technical College alongside the likes of well-known chefs Gary Rhodes, David Nicholls and Stephen Whitney.
"I did a three-year course and then went to my first position at Claridges Hotel, London. I'm still of the opinion that the basic skills must be learnt and then the world is your oyster," he said.
Kitts said classes at the academy were structured with practical sessions of one hour. Product knowledge has to be demonstrated and then students prepare a three-course meal.
Techniques and methods are also tested. By the fourth week the students start running the academy restaurant, along with learning theory.
The academy aims to create a real working environment as early as possible, he said. "It can be as simple as peeling shallots to running the service! Our students are given the opportunity to work in all sections of the kitchen to gain an understanding of how everything falls into place."
A sense of humour and hard work are essential for success in the industry, Kitts said.
About the Academy
The Emirates Academy of Hospitality Management is located opposite Burj Al Arab, Jumeirah Beach Hotel and Madinat Jumeirah in Dubai. It was established in October 2001 to provide the hospitality industry with qualified management personnel.
It is the first major academy in the Middle East to offer degree-level courses focusing on hospitality management. Officials say the support of Jumeirah provides the academy's students with access to a first-hand practical experience of the industry.
Two degrees are offered. This includes the BSc (Hons) in International Hospitality Management, a four-year programme, and the ASc in International Hospitality Operations, a two-year programme which prepares graduates for supervisory positions, after which students may opt to continue their studies with the BSc (Hons) programme.
It has an academic association with Ecole hôteliere de Lausanne in Switzerland, a hospitality management school of repute.
For more information visit www.emiratesacademy.edu
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