Find restaurants near you that are looking for help and apply in person. You'll probably be bussing tables or cleaning at first, but you'll get a look into what working in this industry is like. 

Apply for a restaurant job.

Watch an episode of "Mind of a Chef"—it'll take you behind the scenes with famous chefs as they seek inspiration, create recipes, and find the right ingredients.

Enter the mind of a chef!

Watch a day in the life of a restaurant line cook who also holds pop-up dinners. Compare the pros and cons of a restaurant vs. a more private environment. Which seems like a better fit for you?

Evaluate the type of structure you'd prefer as a chef.

Learn about food safety, sanitation, and more through a food handler certification course. Make sure to verify the certification requirements for your specific state!

Find out what it takes to get a food handler certification.

Cooks, Private Household

Prepare meals in private homes. Includes personal chefs.

Work involves designing, building, or repairing of equipment, materials, or structures, engaging in physical activity, or working outdoors. Realistic occupations are often associated with engineering, mechanics and electronics, construction, woodworking, transportation, machine operation, agriculture, animal services, physical or manual labor, athletics, or protective services.

Realistic

Work involves following procedures and regulations to organize information or data, typically in a business setting. Conventional occupations are often associated with office work, accounting, mathematics/statistics, information technology, finance, or human resources.

Conventional

Work involves creating original visual artwork, performances, written works, food, or music for a variety of media, or applying artistic principles to the design of various objects and materials. Artistic occupations are often associated with visual arts, applied arts and design, performing arts, music, creative writing, media, or culinary art.

Artistic

Work involves helping, teaching, advising, assisting, or providing service to others. Social occupations are often associated with social, health care, personal service, teaching/education, or religious activities.

Social

Work involves managing, negotiating, marketing, or selling, typically in a business setting, or leading or advising people in political and legal situations. Enterprising occupations are often associated with business initiatives, sales, marketing/advertising, finance, management/administration, professional advising, public speaking, politics, or law.

Enterprising

Work involves studying and researching non-living objects, living organisms, disease or other forms of impairment, or human behavior. Investigative occupations are often associated with physical, life, medical, or social sciences, and can be found in the fields of humanities, mathematics/statistics, information technology, or health care service.

Investigative

Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed

Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.

Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.

Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.

Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.

Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.

Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.

Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.

Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.

Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.

Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.

Actively looking for ways to help people.

Obtaining and seeing to the appropriate use of equipment, facilities, and materials needed to do certain work.

Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.

Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.

Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.

Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.

Talking to others to convey information effectively.

Cooks

Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations

Cooks and Food Preparation Workers

Peel, wash, trim, and cook vegetables and meats, and bake breads and pastries.

Cool, package, label, and freeze foods for later consumption and provide instructions for reheating.

Plan menus according to employers' needs and diet restrictions.

Shop for or order food and kitchen supplies and equipment.

Prepare meals in private homes according to employers' recipes or tastes, handling all meals for the family and possibly for other household staff.

Keep records pertaining to menus, finances, and other business-related issues.

Stock, organize, and clean kitchens and cooking utensils.

Direct the operation and organization of kitchens and all food-related activities, including the presentation and serving of food.

Specialize in preparing fancy dishes or food for special diets.

Plan and prepare food for parties, holiday meals, luncheons, special functions, and other social events.

Cooks, Private Household

Overview

Career

What Cooks, Private Household Do

Other Job Titles Cooks, Private Household May Have

Tasks & Responsibilities May Include

Cooks, Private Household

Overview

Career

What Cooks, Private Household Do

Other Job Titles Cooks, Private Household May Have

Tasks & Responsibilities May Include

Education

Level of Education Attained by Cooks, Private Household

Majors Related to Career

Related Careers

Related Leaders