Find restaurants near you that are looking for help and apply in person. You'll probably be bussing tables or cleaning at first, but you'll get a look into what working in this industry is like. 

Apply for a restaurant job.

Watch an episode of "Mind of a Chef"—it'll take you behind the scenes with famous chefs as they seek inspiration, create recipes, and find the right ingredients.

Enter the mind of a chef!

Watch a day in the life of a restaurant line cook who also holds pop-up dinners. Compare the pros and cons of a restaurant vs. a more private environment. Which seems like a better fit for you?

Evaluate the type of structure you'd prefer as a chef.

Learn about food safety, sanitation, and more through a food handler certification course. Make sure to verify the certification requirements for your specific state!

Find out what it takes to get a food handler certification.

The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).

The ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).

The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.

The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.

The ability to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects.

The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).

The ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.

The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.

The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.

The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.

Cooks, Private Household

Prepare meals in private homes. Includes personal chefs.

Work involves designing, building, or repairing of equipment, materials, or structures, engaging in physical activity, or working outdoors. Realistic occupations are often associated with engineering, mechanics and electronics, construction, woodworking, transportation, machine operation, agriculture, animal services, physical or manual labor, athletics, or protective services.

Realistic

Work involves following procedures and regulations to organize information or data, typically in a business setting. Conventional occupations are often associated with office work, accounting, mathematics/statistics, information technology, finance, or human resources.

Conventional

Work involves creating original visual artwork, performances, written works, food, or music for a variety of media, or applying artistic principles to the design of various objects and materials. Artistic occupations are often associated with visual arts, applied arts and design, performing arts, music, creative writing, media, or culinary art.

Artistic

Work involves helping, teaching, advising, assisting, or providing service to others. Social occupations are often associated with social, health care, personal service, teaching/education, or religious activities.

Social

Work involves managing, negotiating, marketing, or selling, typically in a business setting, or leading or advising people in political and legal situations. Enterprising occupations are often associated with business initiatives, sales, marketing/advertising, finance, management/administration, professional advising, public speaking, politics, or law.

Enterprising

Work involves studying and researching non-living objects, living organisms, disease or other forms of impairment, or human behavior. Investigative occupations are often associated with physical, life, medical, or social sciences, and can be found in the fields of humanities, mathematics/statistics, information technology, or health care service.

Investigative

Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed

Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.

Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.

Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.

Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.

Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.

Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, and rules of composition and grammar.

Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.

Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.

Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.

Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.

Actively looking for ways to help people.

Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.

Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.

Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.

Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.

Talking to others to convey information effectively.

Managing one's own time and the time of others.

Cooks

Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations

Cooks and Food Preparation Workers

Peel, wash, trim, and cook vegetables and meats, and bake breads and pastries.

Cool, package, label, and freeze foods for later consumption and provide instructions for reheating.

Plan menus according to employers' needs and diet restrictions.

Shop for or order food and kitchen supplies and equipment.

Prepare meals in private homes according to employers' recipes or tastes, handling all meals for the family and possibly for other household staff.

Keep records pertaining to menus, finances, and other business-related issues.

Stock, organize, and clean kitchens and cooking utensils.

Direct the operation and organization of kitchens and all food-related activities, including the presentation and serving of food.

Specialize in preparing fancy dishes or food for special diets.

Plan and prepare food for parties, holiday meals, luncheons, special functions, and other social events.

Cost tracking software

Intuit QuickBooks

YouTube

APPCA Personal Chef Office

Cooking e-books

Email software

Web browser software

WordPress

Work scheduling software

Food inventory software

Bakers' knives

Boning knives

Scorers

Serrated knives

Deep-fat thermometers

Kitchen thermometers

Oven thermometers

Refrigerator thermometers

Fish spatulas

Offset spatulas

Omelet spatulas

Slotted turners

Ladles

Serving spoons

Carving forks

Meat forks

Colanders

Fat skimmers

Basting brushes

Poultry basters

Swivel peelers

Vegetable peelers

Nonstick saute pans

Saute pans

Mixing bowls

Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.

Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.

Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.

Developing, designing, or creating new applications, ideas, relationships, systems, or products, including artistic contributions.

Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.

Performing general physical activities includes doing activities that require considerable use of your arms and legs and moving your whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling materials.

Monitoring and controlling resources and overseeing the spending of money.

Monitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems.

Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.

Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.

Continually or almost continually

More than half the time

How much does this job require using your hands to handle, control, or feel objects, tools or controls?

Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls

How frequently does your job require you to use E-mail?

Every day

Once a week or more but not every day

How often does this job require the worker to meet strict deadlines?

Once a month or more but not every week

How much decision making freedom, without supervision, does the job offer?

A lot of freedom

Some freedom

Limited freedom

Very little freedom

How often does this job require working indoors in an environmentally controlled environment (like a warehouse with air conditioning)?

Never

How much freedom does the worker have in determining the tasks, priorities, or goals of the job?

How often do you have telephone conversations in this job?

How much does this job require the worker to be in contact with others (face-to-face, by telephone, or otherwise) in order to perform it?

Constant contact with others

Contact with others most of the time

Contact with others about half the time

Occasional contact with others

How frequently does your job require face-to-face discussions with individuals and within teams?

Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams

Cooks, Private Household

Overview

Career

What Cooks, Private Household Do

Other Job Titles Cooks, Private Household May Have

Tasks & Responsibilities May Include

Cooks, Private Household

Overview

Career

What Cooks, Private Household Do

Other Job Titles Cooks, Private Household May Have

Tasks & Responsibilities May Include

Education

Level of Education Attained by Cooks, Private Household

Majors Related to Career

Related Leaders