If you’ve got a passion for food yet you’re leery of taking on the headaches of owning and operating a traditional restaurant, there are still several great ways to turn your enthusiasm into a career. Read on for three different ways you can find a rewarding job working with food.
Cook in a Ghost Kitchen
The concept of a ghost kitchen might sound spooky, but it’s one of the hottest trends in the food world. Basically, a ghost kitchen is a facility for preparing and cooking meals that doesn’t feature a direct customer interface. That means no counter service, no tables, and no in-person customers. These kitchens are usually geared toward providing delivery-only meals, and often the facilities will house more than one provider or brand under their roofs.
Industry leaders like Reef Kitchen are at the forefront of the concept by building out production spaces for major national chains, but restaurateurs large and small are using the idea to expand into the booming food delivery market. Working in a ghost kitchen will allow you to focus on producing the best possible meals without the distractions of front-of-house management. A chef can be a chef and just cook, rather than getting bogged down in operational details.
Become a Personal Chef
If you’ve found working in a commercial kitchen to be too competitive or stressful, or if you simply just want to be your own boss, then pursuing a career as a personal chef might be a great choice for you. You can set your own schedule and take on as many or as few work contracts as you like, and the type of cooking you do is entirely up to you.
You may opt to specialize in advanced preparation, perhaps visiting clients once a week to put together several days’ worth of meals for busy individuals or families. Providing catering services for parties and meetings is another area you could focus on. While solid cooking knowledge is required for work as a personal chef, strong people skills are also useful. Building and maintaining a client base requires good communication and the ability to understand people’s needs.
Teach Cooking Skills Online
One more way to share your joy for cooking is to teach others what you know. You can drum up business and give lessons entirely on your own through an online meeting platform from anywhere you have a stable internet connection.
Another option is to sign up with a service where people share skills and interests, which can simplify the process of finding clients and getting your content online. Uploading lessons to a course aggregator gives you a built-in audience, and you’ll be able to connect with students interested in everything from basic cooking skills to high-end mastery.
From working in a ghost kitchen to sharing your cooking knowledge with others, there are a lot of great ways to have a successful career in the food industry without having to run your own restaurant. Look into one of these options and start enjoying a fun foodie job today!
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