Non Culinary skills for a Chef

Expert cooking skills may be enough for a place on the line or in the prep area. But for those who really want to excel in this career and earn the title “chef”, there are some traditional skills one must bring on the table.

There are many no-culinary skills that a chef must-have, and these skills create a difference between a brilliant career and an ordinary one. So here are four skills that will help you excel in any profession but especially in the field of culinary arts.

1. Excellent Communication

Most of the chef positions are supervisory. So whether one is a sous chef, chef de cuisine or executive chef, you’re expected to have some management responsibilities.

Managing a group of people always requires effective communication skills so one can provide positive and negative feedback, instructions, divide tasks and solve issues between staff members. Chefs should also take criticism with grace. Everyone in the kitchen including the executive chef has boss unless they’re the owner. But even if you’re the owner you still need to answer your customers and critics.

2. Technology Know-How

Earlier life of chef used to be relatively low tech. tickets were used to be handwritten and send to the kitchen, whereas inventory was written on a pen-paper.

Technology and online inventory management can make a chef’s life easier but only if they know how to use them.

Technology is just not changing inside the kitchen but it’s also changing the way customers interact with restaurants. Customers use smartphone apps, online ordering table side tablets which change the way you place order.

3. Math Mastery

Chefs are not only responsible for cooking food, but they’re also have to design the recipes, place orders of necessary things, establish the cost of each dish and figure out how much to charge for them. All of this is a part of managing restaurant’s food costs and it is an important part of every foodservice operation.

4. Organization and Prioritization

You know how much important mise en place is at the station. and the order of operations in cooking is very important- especially when you talk about baking.

The same is true of your non-cooking responsibilities.

Chefs manage a lot of things:

• Scheduling
• Hiring/Training
• Recipe development
• Inventory
• Ordering
• Quality control

And all that before the cooking even begins!

The executive chef will be having help, but they have to delegate and follow up with everyone to make sure that nothing has been forgotten. They also need to make sure that there is enough time in day for each team member to complete the task assigned. It’s a pretty big job so chefs need to stay organized and should know what needs to happen next.

How It All Works Together

All these non-cooking skills come together for a more effective and successful restaurant operation.

Proper communication leads to better training, which allows for more delegation. It frees up the chef’s time to focus on reducing food waste and managing costs, which improves the bottom line. Saved money will be helpful in upgrading many things, like a digital ticketing system…it’s all interconnected.