Chef's Diary

just a brief word concerning the overall image of the restaurant industry, or more exactly, the life of a chef & restaurant owner.

When I started on my career conversion “thing” over 2 years ago, I decided that I should start by asking people what they thought of changing from being a Senior IT Consultant to being a Chef. Well, it has to be said that the almost 100% reaction was a negative one.

Yes, there’s no doubt, everyone thought that it was a magical idea, and there’s no doubt that the subject of cookery was much more interesting to people at a party, for example, than that of IT Consultant ! However, when it came to their opinion regarding actually stopping working in an office and getting behind the stove….well, their opinion changed rather radically.

“You must be mad !!”

“You’re going to go from a good salary and 45/50 hours a week to a crap salary and 80/100 hours a week !!!”

No joke….I must have asked the opinion of over 50 people, all from varying backgrounds…..from our cleaner who comes for 2 hours once per week (there’s something that might have to stop, come to think of it !), to other chefs and restaurant owners in Paris, to friends, to Cookery School teachers, and even to TV personnalities !!! All without exception mentioned one of the 2 above quotes (or both, or others !), all actively encouraging me not to enter the crazy, stress-ridden world of Chefs and restaurant ownership.

The TV Personality deserves a little explanation – just before Christmas 2006, my Mother in Law (belle mère) went to the FNAC to buy me a cookery book by Jean-Pierre Coffe (a well known French cookery radio and TV personality who defends traditional French cuisine and local products) based on a TV series he takes part in “Vivement Dimanche”. As it happened, he was there in person doing a book signing. Lydia told M. Coffe about my project and he bascially advised me to stay in consulting, keeping la cuisine as a passion (rather than a job).

Anyway, my point is that I received very little encouragement (from outside of my close circle of family and friends, that is) and this seems to be a general problem with the restaurant trade. Even though chefs are hugely admired (here, in the UK, over in the States and elsewhere, I imagine), the actual industry (and the hours and the pay !) seem universally to be shunned / criticised…especially by youngsters. As a result, in my build up to starting my cookery course I read as much as I could on chefs who were passionate about cooking. This gave me the burning desire & positive image that I needed (especially a series of articles about and the autobiography by Gordon Ramsay).

I will certainly endeavour to be as positive about my new trade whenever I talk about it. Sure there are plenty of negative aspects, but the burning passion is one huge positive that (at the moment) outshines all problems. I know that I’ll ahve difficult times ahead…..but then I had many when I was a consultant….at least these “difficult times” will concern something that makes me tick and is a real passion !

Vive la Cuisine !!!

I wanted to give those who are interested a summary of what a French Cookery Diploma (the CAP Cuisine, similar to an NVQ in the UK) is all about – specifically for those English speaking people who love cooking and fancy knowing exactly what all French chefs learn when they first start cooking. Clearly this is just my own personal view of what the entry-level cookery diploma here in France is all about.

When, 2 years ago, I was thinking about doing the CAP Cuisine as a means of preparing me for changing career, many people told me that it was out of date, useless, unneccessary, out of touch…. Despite this advice, I was convinced that the CAP would give me a very good base from which I would then be able to discover & develop my own cookery technique. Up until now (7 weeks into the 30+ weeks of training) I haven’t changed my mind. However, take note that I am talking about a CAP which has a placement in a restaurant……half of the time at school and the other half in a restaurant (well, 2 in my case, but usually it’s just one). In my opinion, this outplacement period is absolutely critical. There are schools which only propose the “theoretical” part, that is, just the school without the time in a restaurant…..OK, it’s quicker, but a hell of a lot less interesting….in my opinion.

In any case, I would like to explain why the CAP Cuisine is important and why it’s not simply a diploma which allows us to get onto a “fast track” (which is not necessarily true anyway).

For starters, I am doing my CAP in Further Education (basically, education for adults) which, strictly speaking, is for those who left school at least over 1 year ago, up to adults who are 40+ years old (and with experience in many other sectors). Furthermore, my school proposes a 14 week period in a restaurant in Paris, with the time in the restaurant split evenly with the 16 wks or so spent at school (4 weeks school, 4 weeks restaurant…..perfect !!).

So, who’s in our group ? There are 12 of us – 4 men and 8 women, aged between 21 and 48. We were all in school up until, at the very least, 18 years of age, so academically, we have a decent level (which is pretty rare for a CAP cookery diploma, seemingly). What backgrounds are we from ? IT Consultant (me), IT Department head, Dietician, Consultant at the Job Centre (for executives / managerial staff), waitress, accountant, Supermarket Cash Till operator, student, amongst other things. We’re all very motivated with differing goals for where we want to go once qualified – restaurant (of course), B&B, Cookery Training, Take Away, Chefs.

Why a CAP Cuisine, with a placement ?

First of all, without a CAP you cannot have a apprentice if you are the chef in your own restaurant. In my case, I couldn’t accept that restriction. It’s true, I could open a restaurant and cook, but I would not be able to use an apprentice (much cheaper) and would thus have to hire qualified staff. The other point is that here in France, if you don’t have a nationally recognised diploma, banks are not interested in funding your ventures. Unless you’ve got loads of cash, this is usually a huge sticking point !

Secondly, the CAP teaches you all of the basics of traditional French recipies and technique. Furthermore (and in my opinion more important) you learn how to organise yourself in the kitchen and how to plan your cooking (2 or 3 dishes to prepare, at the same time, what order to do them so that all is ready for service ?)

3rd point is that the discussions that you have with the people that you encounter – the other students, the teachers, the chefs / sous-chefs / commis with whom you work. These discussions are very important for developing our personal projects for when we finish the training.

What Subjects are in the CAP ?

There are 5 (note : the documents attached are in French – takes me too long to translate everything, and I’ve got school work to do !!!),

1) Practical Classes (Travaux Pratiques), 15 per week with 3*5 hour sessions.
2) Organisation & Provisions / Stock
3) Science applied (Sciences Appliquées) to Cookery, Hygiene and Equipment
4) Cookery Technology (Techno Culinaire)
5) Understanding of the Economy and Environment (Connaissance de l’Economie et de l’Env)

…and my opinion ?

In general, all topics in the CAP are useful. There’s no doubt that the academic level is basic, which is sometimes frustrating. Especially in the Economy and Environment classes (which treats all legal, management, cost control, profit issues, and so on) which skim the surface of a topic which interests all those who want to create their own business within 2 years.

However, that said, even if the academic level is basic, the teachers (or at least, ours) are top quality. They’ve all been in the business (that is, the restaurant trade) for many years before becoming teachers (in search of a calmer life, generally !) and thus we can talk with them of many, many interesting topics outside of what is covered by the syllabus. This is one of the main reasons for doing the CAP in Further Education. Once you put motivated adults together with professional teachers with good experience, a special energy is created (I referred to this in my post « The Exponential Curve Effect…. ».

If I had to list the classes by order of importance, I’d say

– potentially crucial, but at the CAP level it’s very, very basic. However, we’re now starting to talk about things that are more interesting and useful for later lives and projects, but this is on an informal basis.

The Placement in the Restaurant – How does it work and what advice would I give ?

I would simply like to say that a training course without a placement, split evenly with time at school over the length of the training, would most likely not be very good (though obviously, for those who don’t have 8 months spare, then an intensive 4 month cookery training – even though purely academic – would be better than nothing). Before choosing my school, I looked into a number of other schools in and around Paris. There were those with the CAP in 3 or 4 months but no placement. There were those with a placement, but with the number of hours in Practical Classes (very important since, even though the placement is a critical part of the training, being able to practice the basic techniques in the “protected” academic environment, under the guidance of a teacher, is also vital) reduced to the bear minimum.

I had made my mind up – I wanted a course which had one half placement and one half school…..and I am well and truely happy with my choice.

In our group we have people placed in the Public Service (Hospital, School, …), hotel restaurant, traditional restaurants (2 Michelin stars, gastro, brasserie, trendy & chic….) and we had the choice of restaurant at the very start of the course.

So, I hope that this brief summary gives you an idea of what a basic cookery course here in France involves. I’d be interested to know what the equivalent is like in other countries. Seemingly, from what I hear from people within the school, other countries are taking the lead in the cookery school domain.

Déjà, je vais écrire cet article en anglais et français / For starters, I’ll be writing this article in English and French.

For the English version, click here

Je voudrais partager avec ceux qui sont intéressés une synthèse de notre CAP de Cuisine afin de vous donner une idée concrète de ce que c’est un CAP Cuisine ici en France. Je ne dis pas que mon expérience est la seule et il y a forcement plusieurs façons d’enseigner le référentiel du CAP.

Quand, il y a 2 ans, je pensais au CAP Cuisine comme façon de me préparer pour une évolution de ma carrière, plusieurs personnes m’ont dit que c’était ringard, inutile, pas nécessaire, déphasé…… Malgré ce conseil et ces avis, j’étais persuadé que le CAP me donnerait une très bonne base à partir de la quelle je pourrais découvrir « ma cuisine » tout en ayant les « bases » sous le coude. Pour l’instant (après 7 semaines) je n’ai pas changé d’avis. Par contre, attention, je suis en alternance…..moitié du temps à l’école et l’autre moitié dans une cuisine dans 2 restaurants. A mon avis, cette période en entreprise est primordiale. Il y a des écoles qui ne proposent que la partie « théorique » sans stage en entreprise – la CAP est plus rapide, mais beaucoup moins intéressant…..à mon avis.

En tout cas, je voudrais vous expliquer pourquoi le CAP Cuisine est important et pourquoi ce n’est pas tout simplement un diplôme qui nous permet de grimper plus vite dans l’hiérarchie d’une cuisine – ce qui n’est pas vrai, de toute façon.

Déjà, il faut préciser que je fais mon CAP en formation continue, qui est, strictement parlant, pour ceux qui sont sortis du système scolaire depuis plus qu’un an – c’est-à-dire, entre qqn qui a quitté l’école en troisième jusqu’aux adultes de 40+ ans qui ont de l’expérience dans d’autres secteurs. En plus, mon CAP Cuisine propose une grosse période de formation en entreprise (c’est-à-dire, nous travaillons dans une cuisine dans un restaurant parisien). Plus exactement, j’ai 14 semaines en entreprise et 16 à l’école.

Alors, dans notre groupe nous avons quel type de profil, déjà ? Nous sommes 12 – 4 garçons et 8 filles, âgés entre 21 et 48. Nous avons presque tous le niveau BAC, voire plus – il n’y a que moi qui n’a pas le niveau BAC, et cela parce que je suis anglais et qu’il n’y a pas d’équivalence entre notre « A » Level et le BAC (malheureusement confirmé par la Maison d’Examens à Paris). Quels métiers là-dedans ? Consultant en informatique, ancien responsable de service informatique, diététicienne, conseillère à l’ANPE, correcteur dans la presse, étudiante, maîtrise d’info et communication, serveuse, comptable, diverse (caissière, vendanges,….), entre autres. On est tous très motivé et nous avons des idées différentes pour nos projets finaux – restaurant (bien sûr), chambre d’hôte, formation aux particuliers, restauration rapide, chef de cuisine.

Pourquoi un CAP Cuisine, en alternance ?

D’abord, sans CAP on ne peut pas prendre des apprentis quand on est le chef cuisinier de notre propre affaire. Pour moi, ceci ne serait pas possible. Oui, je pourrais ouvrir mon propre resto mais je ne pourrais pas prendre un apprenti en cuisine. Il faudrait embaucher déjà un autre cuisinier qui a le CAP Cuisine, qui pourrait lui prendre un apprenti à ma place.

Deuxièmement, on apprend les bases de toutes les recettes et techniques de la cuisine française traditionnelle. De plus (et à mon avis plus important) on apprend comment s’organiser en cuisine et comment planifier notre production (si nous avons 2 ou 3 recettes à réaliser, en même temps, par quoi faut-il commencer, comment avancer et comment faire en sorte que tous les 3 plats sont prêts pour le service ?).

Troisièmement, c’est les échanges avec toutes les personnes que l’on croise – soit les autres étudiants, soit les profs, soit les cuisiniers que l’on rencontre pendant le stage. Ces échanges sont très important pour faire avancer et évoluer nos projets personnels (mon projet évolue déjà).

Quelles matières ?

Il y en a 5,

1) Les Travaux Pratiques (Travaux Pratiques), 15 heures par semaine avec 5 heures par séance.
2) Organisation et Approvisionnement
3) Sciences appliquées (Sciences Appliquées) à l’alimentation, à l’hygiène et aux équipements
4) Technologie Culinaire (Techno Culinaire)
5) Connaissance de l’Economie et de l’Environnement (Connaissance de l’Economie et de l’Env)

Et mon avis ?

En générale, toutes les matières proposées dans le CAP ont leur place. C’est clair que le niveau scolaire / intellectuel est basic, qui est parfois frustrant. En particulier, les cours de « Connaissance de l’Economie et de l’Environnement » (qui traite les aspects juridiques d’une entreprise, la gestion, le coût de revient, marges, et ainsi de suite) glissent à peine sur la surface d’un sujet qui nous intéresse tous (surtout vu que nous sommes nombreux à avoir envie d’ouvrir une affaire d’ici 2 ans).

Mais, ceci dit, même si le niveau nécessaire pour réussir le CAP n’est pas très « poussé », les profs (en tout cas, à notre école) sont d’une très bonne qualité. Ils ont tous trempé dans le métier depuis longue date, et donc en dehors du référentiel standard, nous pouvons discuter de plein choses différentes……d’où vient l’un des intérêts principaux, à mon avis, de passer un CAP en Formation Continue. Une fois des adultes motivées se trouvent en face des professionnels qui connaissent bien le métier d’un cuisinier, il y a une dynamique et une énergie qui se créent. J’y faisais référence dans mon post « The Exponential Curve Effect…. ».

Si j’ai dû classer les cours par ordre d’importance, je dirais

Le Stage – comment ça marche et quel conseil ?

Je voudrais simplement dire qu’une formation sans stage, en alternance, risque de ne pas être très intéressante…..à mon avis. Avant de choisir mon école j’ai passé pas mal de temps à parler avec d’autres écoles de cuisine sur /autour de Paris. Il y en avait qui proposait le CAP dans 3 ou 4 mois, mais il n’y avait pas de stage. Il y en avait qui proposait un stage mais qui « coupait » au minimum les heures de travaux pratique à l’école (très important que ce soit le stage en entreprise, la possibilité de répéter les gestes de base dans le cadre de l’école sous la houlette de l’un de nos profs est aussi primordiale – donc il ne faut pas réduire les heures de TP au minimum).

J’étais clair dans ma tête – je voudrais une formation avec la moitié stage, et la moitié formation à l’école…..et je suis bien content avec mon choix.

Dans notre groupe nous avons des stages en restauration collective, restauration hôtelière, restauration traditionnelle (tous les styles – 2 étoiles, gastronomique, brasserie, branché, chic)…..et nous avions eu le choix de stage au début de notre formation.