Food writer and chef Stephen Wong was a cooking hobbyist who stepped in for a vacationing chef and liked the work enough to turn pro.
"I've always enjoyed cooking, and I had just moved to Vancouver trying to escape the winters in Calgary, where I attended university," Stephen recalls. "My wife was working at a restaurant, and I cooked a few times for the staff and owner. When their chef wanted to take an extended holiday, the owner offered me a job working lunches, and so it went."
Although Stephen says that he was never officially certified, ". . . that was the 'good ol' days,' when work experience, relationships and market demand allowed for this approach. But I think some work experience before getting formal training will still help to get a sense of the reality of the work, and one will get much more out of the training. It's a bit like knowing what questions to ask so one can get more focused."
In hindsight, would he do anything differently? "In this day and age," he says, "I'd probably opt for a bit more formal training and do some travelling on stages to round out the experience. I'd recommend some hotel experience as well — to learn about state-of-the-art equipment, management systems and volume production."
If Stephen himself were recommending attributes for good networking candidates, what key points would he be looking for? "Proper training is always good, but I'd look for basic skills. I'd make them cook something or work a shift, and observe their work habits, good attitude, and how they fit in. For a young cook, the rest can come."
So how did Stephen manage to create his own luck? "I think I worked hard and showed that I could learn. I also wasn't afraid to chip in where the need arose, including stints in the dish pit, etc. I actually worked in the front end as well, and when the restaurant was sold in two years, I became the manager for the new owner, who was himself a chef."
Stephen also thinks that good networkers are also realistic: "You need to be able to work within the structure of the kitchen and fit in where you're placed and needed. Instant stardom is a pipe dream, mostly."
Stephen's advice to the aspiring cook is straightforward: "I'd say start cooking first at home. Take an interest in the field. Go to cooking school — VCC and PICA come to mind. Get placed in an organized kitchen as an apprentice. Finish the apprenticeship, then move around for varied style and experience.
"It's a wonderful, creative, portable job that can give you a lot of satisfaction. Armed with the skills, you can travel and branch out into other things to build an evolving career. Many cooks and chefs miss the other possibilities. Restaurant and hotel work is only a portion of it; there is catering, teaching, retail, etc. I'm personally now involved with a number of those things as I'm not getting any younger and can no longer sustain the physical side of the job. I've done a few cookbooks. I write about food and wine. I consult on retail recipe development. I organize or host food-related events and demos, and I teach occasionally. There are options. But the greatest pleasure for me is cooking all night, then going out and receiving good feedback about what you do. It is instant gratification that you don't get in many other jobs, assuming you aim to please. I miss that part of it, which I still get from demos and teaching."
Even with his networking luck, he says, "I think some work experience before getting formal training will help to get a sense of the reality of restaurant work. One has to like to cook, have good taste buds, not mind hard work, and like the adrenaline rush and the stress of service."
