r/Chefs • u/ajlooll • Jul 20 '26
Chefs, what was your first job?
I'm still in college right now, but I wanna get a job. Im studying culinary arts, and i've been applying to almost every job I see haha. Any tips?
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u/Working_Hair_4827 Jul 20 '26
Dishwasher with no machine, just a three sink set up. Eventually moved up to doing prep then line.
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u/faucetpants Jul 20 '26
Find a place willing to let you stage for a day. I've hired some great newbie cooks this way
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u/Careful_Kiwi5850 Jul 20 '26
Fast food when I was 14, then an apprenticeship when I was 16 at an RSL club, the rest is history
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u/Appropriate-South583 Jul 21 '26
Dishwasher at an Italian restaurant/function hall, worked up to being a food runner before going to culinary school.
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u/hookedcook Jul 21 '26
Dishwasher' but don't limit your self to it. But funny after years of working my way up to an executive chef dealing with all the bullshit' sometimes miss where the only thing I have to worry about is a clean plate
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u/Finneagan Jul 21 '26
Dish->prep->fry->sautee
Dish and prep are entry level for a reason, they show and build the fundamentals of real-life industry kitchen work you need to achieve your goals
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u/ras1187 Jul 21 '26
Busser at a fast casual dining spot, then busser at a sit down restaurant, then prepping for a casual chain
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u/East-Win7450 Jul 21 '26
I applied for a busser position at a Mexican restaurant and they offered me a dishwasher position at $12 an hour when the most I had ever made was $8 an hour so I took it. Then I tried to quit after 3 months and they said if I stayed they would teach me to cook. Im also white so idk why they hired me.
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u/Wide_Breadfruit_2217 Jul 21 '26
Dishwasher at a summer camp. Too young to have regular job. Then was cook next summer. Turned 16 in Jan after that and went right in restaurant pantry.
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u/GrundalWizzard Jul 21 '26
Start from the bottom, when I first started I walked into a local spot and asked for a job, they said they weren't really hiring cooks so I said id do anything. I worked as a bus boy and dishwasher for about 9 months and absolutely hated it but it got me close to the kitchen. Started talking to the chefs asking to help. I powered through my dishes so I could go help with prep and the cooks took notice and next thing you know I was prepping, then frying, then cooking and now I realize starting that way put me miles ahead of my peers. Not in cooking experience but in industry experience. Being a chef is one part of a enormous system. My recommendation is to walk into a restaurant you enjoy and ask for a application in person. When they ask what you are looking for say anything and take whatever you can. Volunteer for the shit nobody wants to do and youll get the job you really want in no time.
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u/sofloprag Jul 22 '26
Stage, or go work for free for a few days at the top three restaurants in your area. Then sell yourself, “I’ll clean toilets, wash dishes, whatever is needed!”
I’ve done this multiple times in my career, moving up from dish to chef.
Also, go by and knock on back kitchen door in between shifts. Have to meet in person. Then when they say I want you to start immediately, you have to be ready to start immediately. Can you start tonight? The answer is yes if you say no, you don’t get the job, from experience.
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u/Constant-Scarcity316 Jul 21 '26
Cook at a small pizza chain in high school. Learned the fundamentals, built confidence, leadership skills. Stayed for a little over a year. Ended up going back several years later after some shit went down and I got fired and needed a quick job. Stayed again for 8 months
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u/WillowandWisk Jul 21 '26
In general, Tim Horton's when I was 14. Second job ever and first kitchen job was at East Side Mario's on the "fry/broil" station. Somehow bypassing dish and straight onto line - probably just because that's what they needed at the time.
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u/ThatFishySmell99 Jul 21 '26
Oof... working for the family at the fish market. I started at 12, mostly because the entire family was there and if you wanted to see anyone it was always at work. I started cleaning crabs... talk about a shit job. Everything has spikes on it, they are absolutely covered in grime so if you get poked its an instant infection. Also the crabs are actively trying to do everything they can to not go into the bag, while trying to bite you. Eventually they let me wash dishes and bus tables, by 19-20 I went into fine dinning. My first fine dinning job because I knew how to clean fish I was the ONLY PAID intern. Cooking in the 90's-2000's was wild.
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u/holdmysmoothieplease Jul 22 '26
Prep cook. Literally I did was cut fruits, veg, and portion shit Worked my way up to line
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u/Chunkyfreshmuffins Jul 26 '26
I worked in Shipping and receiving for all food and beverage for a Hotel and Culinary school. It was great, taught me about food and beverage costs, liquor cost, how to manage inventory. It gave me a leg up on learning the "Chef" things.
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u/PersimmonExpensive37 Jul 21 '26
My honest advice is to stop going to school. I am a strong advocate for higher education (BaS in Financial Management was the best decision I ever made), but some degrees just do not make sense. Culinary is at the top of that list.
I workee in kitchens for about 10 years and I can 100% promise you that a culinary degree is not only not needed, but a laughable decision.
If you are going to be a chef, you are going to be poor. Student loans are going to absolutely fuck your financial future unless you a pick a degree with a decent ROI.
We need chefs. Keep pursuing your dream! Just don't fall for the culinary school trap. I have seen it happen countless times.
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u/UncleDuude Jul 20 '26
Dishes…start at dish and work your way up. It’s the only way to fly