Top 20 Skills that Culinary Professionals Need
Do you think that being hot in the kitchen is the key to a Culinary Career? There are a lot of skills that the Human Department and Hiring Manager are looking for in candidates. It’s important for Culinary professionals to have technical skills and personal skills. These are skills that will not only help you as a novice prep cook to a professional Chef.
The top 20 skills that culinary professionals need are:
- Ability to mentor
- Ability to develop a business
- Ability to develop a menu
- Actualization Potential of Self
- Actualization Potential of Others
- Basic Education
- Community Interest
- Creativity
- Drive
- Drive for a continuous education
- Experience in hiring, training, and scheduling staff
- Financial Accountability
- Leadership Skills
- Management Experience
- Mastery of your craft
- Networking Skills
- Palate Development
- Passion for the industry
- Professionalism
Many of these skills have a self explanation. What actually is a skill in Community Interest, actualization potential of self and actualization potential of others? Community Interest is the skill to network with the community and let your career be a tool to improve things in your community.
This could be done by teaching children about healthy cooking, strongly suggesting that the place you work at uses locally grown food, strongly suggesting that the place you work at uses products from local businesses, or making sure that your establishment gives back to the community in some form or fashion.
Actualization potential of self would be taking the steps to develop yourself and others. Most of the time this is done by taking classes to further your skill in the culinary world. Then taking the skills that you have learned and working with others to develop their potential while they are a part of your team.
Some skills come from an education in culinary arts. Some skills are natural or learned through life experiences. Don’t worry about having every professional skill at once. As they say, Rome wasn’t built in a day. Your professional culinary career will not be perfected in a day. Try to look at each day as a new day to improve yourself and your career. Many employers seriously seek Culinary professionals who are connected to their community and volunteer.
