Let’s face it, Jamaica has always had a robust food service Industry, after all tourism is our biggest selling product. With the insurgence of a host of Food delivery services since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, the food service industry is re-shaping and still very relevant in our “new normal”. A career in the food service industry particularly in the culinary arts represents to many a lucrative career path yet as fellow food service professional I ask-why then do we continue to suffer from poor food service standards? . I am led to sadly say this phenomenon is partly based on not how many food service professionals exist but what caliber of professional can be found.
As a seasoned culinarian with more than 14 years’ experience climbing through the kitchen brigade, I have often played a strategic role in many recruitment scenarios, my conclusion is that many are doomed to fail before even starting their career because of a single focus on earning a salary with very little attention to honing their skills as culinary professionals and consistently creating opportunities to optimize and deliver quality food service delivery.
Here are a few facts that very few will tell you about the food service industry for culinary professionals:
1.It’s a Physically Taxing Job
You will be on your feet more than 8 hrs. at time and your feet will hurt and get tired, that’s just a fact. Throw in lifting heavy pots of food, dealing with the sheer heat that you can feel long after you leave the kitchen, dealing with unventilated, cramped spaces and the general hustle and bustle of the kitchen environment. Couple that with working in one of the most hazardous work environments where risk of losing a limb or your life is a constant.
2.Your Social Life Will Suffer
The Food Service Industry makes majority of its income at a time when most people are either getting ready for bed or socializing with family and friends these include: weekends, late evenings and holidays. I cannot begin to tell you how many family dinners, anniversaries, weddings, births, and deaths of loved ones I have missed because of work obligations.
As a Food service professional, you’ll almost always will be working, making it difficult to make plans with family and friends. Additionally, the long hours will interfere with your other hobbies and passions.
3.Working in a Kitchen is Stressful
Food Service and high stress go hand in hand. It will be a matter of time before culinary professionals experience a full house with tickets piling up, graveyard shifts being the norm and managing the absence of key staff during some of the busiest times.All of these factors create high tension, and becomes mentally and physically taxing.
If the situation was not bad enough bear in mind that none of what you are going through can interfere with you delivering the best customer service ever. The sad reality is that some people will thrive in this type of setting and others won’t ,if you can’t handle stress well, becoming a culinary professional might not be the right option for you.
4.High Salaries- Yes and No…
The culinary arts is often glamorized through TV personalities on highly publicized cooking shows,and one instantly thinks multi million dollar contracts and payouts. The reality is if you are working as a dishwasher or a line cook, you can expect working long hours for roughly $ 25,000 JMD per fortnight. After deducting living expenses (especially in our Jamaican economy), very little if any money is left.
The silver lining is that you will often have opportunities to move up the kitchen brigade if you work well. At the top is where the hard work pays off as you attract higher salary scales but don’t get too comfortable there. At the top is also where you will have to spend more to invest in constantly honing your craft and your relevance. A true culinarian at the height of his/ her career is constantly studying and learning as concepts change and develop, often pursuing academic careers within the field to stay marketable and relevant
So what choice do you make?
Choosing what career, you want to pursue is a difficult decision to make, and it’s one that shouldn’t be taken lightly. Embarking on a career within Food Service has been the best decision of my life but along with the achievements as with every job, it has its ups and downs. The long hours, physical demand, and low starting pay can be a hurdle for most, but if you choose the passion of honing your craft you will be rewarded and find fulfillment throughout your career.
