{"id":6061,"date":"2020-11-11T13:00:56","date_gmt":"2020-11-11T19:00:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.escoffier.edu\/?p=6061"},"modified":"2025-02-05T08:18:11","modified_gmt":"2025-02-05T14:18:11","slug":"4-non-cooking-skills-that-all-chefs-need","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.escoffier.edu\/blog\/culinary-arts\/4-non-cooking-skills-that-all-chefs-need\/","title":{"rendered":"4 Non-Cooking Skills That All Chefs Need"},"content":{"rendered":"

Expert cooking skills may be enough for a place on the line or in the prep area. But for those who want to excel in their careers and earn the title of \u201cChef,\u201d there are additional strengths you must bring to the table.<\/p>\n

There are plenty of non-culinary skills that chefs must have, and these can be the difference between a brilliant career and an ordinary one. Here are four skills that will serve you well through any profession, but especially a future in the culinary arts.<\/p>\n

1. Excellent Communication<\/h2>\n

Most chef positions are supervisory. So whether you\u2019re a sous chef<\/a>, chef de cuisine, or executive chef<\/a>, you can expect to have some management responsibilities.<\/p>\n

Managing people always requires effective communication skills<\/a> so you can provide positive and negative feedback, instruction, delegate tasks, and mediate issues between staff members. Chefs must also take criticism with grace. Everyone, including the executive chef, has a boss, unless they\u2019re the owner. And even if they are, they still have to answer to customers and critics.<\/p>\n

\"Restaurant
\nCommunication is a learned skill, just like balancing flavors or making the perfect hollandaise. Culinary school<\/a> students receive feedback and suggestions from their Chef Instructors<\/a>, so they\u2019ve had practice with outside evaluation.<\/p>\n

At Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts, students working toward their associate degrees will take a Business & Professional Communications course where they work on their listening skills, verbal and nonverbal communication, conflict resolution, and debate techniques.<\/p>\n

Plus, online culinary school<\/a>\u00a0and online baking school<\/a> students gain additional valuable practice in their written communications. Online students will submit a written summary of their cooking assignments to their Chef Instructors for evaluation. This lets them hone their language around both food and flavor.<\/p>\n

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\"Lance“[Escoffier\u2019s online culinary program] has made me a better cook, a better baker, a better leader, a better businessman, and most importantly, a better teacher to my staff.”
\nLance McWhorter, Online Culinary Arts Graduate, Food Network \u201cChopped\u201d Contestant, Executive Chef\/Owner of Culture ETX Restaurant<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

2. Technology Know-How<\/h2>\n

The chef\u2019s life used to be relatively low tech. Tickets were hand written and passed to the kitchen, and inventory was a pencil-and-paper affair.<\/p>\n

Increasingly sophisticated POS systems and online inventory management software can make the modern chef\u2019s life easier, but only if they know how to use them!<\/p>\n

Technology isn\u2019t only changing in the back of house, either. Customers interact with restaurants differently than they used to, with smartphone apps, online ordering, self-serve kiosks, and table side tablets changing the way they place orders.<\/p>\n

\"Close
\nA survey by the National Restaurant Association showed that 70% of 18- to 34-year-olds feel restaurant technology increases convenience. And convenience is a driving factor for the younger generations \u2014 especially Gen-Z<\/a>. Chefs need to keep ahead of changes in tech and the way consumers respond to those changes if they want to stay competitive.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re seeing this even more post COVID-19. Restaurants have had to get creative with how they communicate and serve customers, moving to more digital models and away from in-person interactions.<\/p>\n

While chefs usually aren\u2019t in charge of restaurant tech, they may need to step in to troubleshoot an issue if something isn\u2019t working.<\/p>\n

Students in Escoffier\u2019s online programs<\/a> develop some basic technology skills throughout their programs. With a 100% online curriculum, students will watch videos, chat with their peers and instructors, and submit their assignments entirely online.<\/p>\n

\"Female
\nCulinary students also get the chance to build their professional networks<\/a> of both fellow students and Chef Instructors. Graduates can get advice from their industry peers about new tech innovations to try, and which to avoid!<\/p>\n

3. Math Mastery<\/h2>\n

Chefs are responsible for a lot more in a restaurant than just cooking the food! They also have to design recipes, place orders, establish the cost of each dish, and figure out how much to charge for them.<\/p>\n

This is all part of managing the restaurant\u2019s food costs<\/a>, and it\u2019s a vital part of every foodservice operation.<\/p>\n

Students in most Escoffier programs study these basics in Foodservice Math & Accounting. This course discusses concepts of accounting and managing food and labor costs. Some programs include additional levels of coursework on pricing menus and managing expenses. A degree in Culinary Arts<\/a>, for example, includes a Culinary Foundations course, which discusses portion sizing, food costing, and yield analysis to help students understand the numbers.<\/p>\n

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\"Escoffier“Anybody can say they are a chef. As far as the management portion, that is where Escoffier is really helping me actually run a restaurant, run a caf\u00e9, or run a business.”
\nTiffany Moore, Online Culinary Arts Graduate and Co-Founder\/Chef at Event Hall @ Cascade<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

4. Organization and Prioritization<\/h2>\n

You know how important mise en place<\/em> is at your station. And you know that the order of operations in cooking can be key \u2014 especially in baking!<\/p>\n

The same is true of your non-cooking responsibilities.<\/p>\n

Chefs have a lot to manage:<\/p>\n