If you are passionate about food, a Professional Chef Qualification from a well-renowned culinary school like CHS Hotel School is one of the best decisions you can make. The skills you learn in culinary school won’t only make you a better chef but also a professional in any business setting. Whether you want to work as a head chef in a commercial kitchen, run a food truck, become a personal chef, travel the world and work on super yachts, or manage a hotel, these skills are bound to impress prospective employers, colleagues, and guests alike and elevate your career.
Top Skills You Learn at Culinary School
Here are five transferable skills students learn at culinary school that will make them better chefs and professionals overall:
- Interpersonal, soft skills: Perhaps one of the most valuable aptitudes that students gain at culinary school is soft skills. During your three-year, full-time qualification in professional cheffing or hospitality, you will learn how to communicate effectively, manage conflict in high-pressure environments, cultivate a teamwork approach, and embrace diverse personalities and cultures. These skills translate to all industries and ultimately enhance your social skills in any professional setting across the board.
- Cooking methods: Any culinary qualification worth its salt will teach students a comprehensive range of cooking techniques, including roasting, frying, sauteing, broiling, steaming, stewing, boiling, and deep frying. Courses with a pastry offering, like the Professional Chef Qualification with Specialisation in Pastry, will also include comprehensive baking methods.
- Knife skills: Efficient knife skills are incredibly important in any kitchen. In fact, many may argue that the knife is a chef’s most important kitchen tool. Proper knife skills are necessary for precision and safety and include techniques like mincing, rolling, dicing, julienning, and the chiffonade technique.
- Time management: Time is everything in a professional kitchen. A simple delay or missed calculation can end up delaying the service and ruining meals. A chef qualification at a reputable culinary school will teach aspiring chefs how to manage their time effectively. At CHS, we offer the rare opportunity to take part in work-integrated learning where students will be placed in professional kitchens, guest houses and other establishments to immerse themselves in a practical environment where the importance of time management will be further cemented in their training. This skill is transferable to many industries.
- How to work effectively under pressure: During a busy dinner service or while hosting a big event, commercial kitchens are ablaze with hustle and bustle. Oftentimes, kitchen staff have to work under pressure to get all the orders out timeously and satisfy the guests. Culinary school teaches students how to work successfully under pressure and deliver results, even when they’re reaching their so-called ‘boiling point’.
Enrol at CHS and Begin Your Culinary Career Adventure
Browse our comprehensive course offerings and contact our professional team with any queries or concerns. The team at CHS are always on hand to assist.
