Food Jobs: 150 Great Jobs for Culinary Students, Career Changers and Food Lovers
Food Jobs: 150 Great Jobs for Culinary Students, Career Changers and Food Lovers
WINNER: 2008 Gourmand World Cook Book Awards: Best Food Book for Professionals
“In these difficult times, jobs are probably the most important issue, before banks or real estate … FOOD JOBS is packed with practical information, easy and even funny, very serious and accurate in its comments and advice. It is difficult to imagine how it could be better.”
- Edouard Cointreau, founder and president of the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards
Do you want to turn your passion for food into a career? Take a bite out of the food world with help from the experts in this first-of-its-kind What Color Is Your Parachute? for food related careers.
Maybe you’re considering culinary school, maybe you’re about to graduate, or maybe you’re looking for an exciting career change. How can you translate your zest for flavor into a satisfying profession? Should you become a chef or open a specialty foods shop, write cookbooks or try your hand at food styling? Culinary careers are as varied as they are fascinating–the only challenge is deciding which one is right for you. Filled with advice from food-world pros including luminaries such as Alice Waters, Chris Kimball, Betty Fussell and Darra Goldstein, Food Jobs will set you behind the stove of your dream career.
In this tasty, nourishing book, food industry veteran Irena Chalmers offers profiles of food jobs by the dozen–everything from the traditional (maitre d’, caterer, dietitian) to the behind-the-scenes (restaurant consultant, kitchen designer, hotel promoter) to the holy-cow-I-can-get-paid-for-that? (yacht chef, tea taster, fortune cookie message writer). Chalmers provides essential information for getting started and succeeding in your chosen culinary role including job descriptions, candid musings on what the job really entails and who it’s really for, and testimonials from the best in the field (Bobby Flay, Todd English, Gordon Hamersly, Francois Payard, Danny Meyer, Anthony Bourdain and more). The book also presents an array of resources on where to find more information to put you ahead of the competition. Bursting with real-life wisdom from those who’ve been there, Food Jobs will expose you to the myriad of different food jobs available and guide you to the one that’s right for you.
User Ratings and Reviews
5 Stars Review: Food Jobs by Ireana Chalmers
In 2003 I discovered a profession that I thought was perfect for my passions and talents, TV chef. I have spent the past half decade trying to reach this lofty, if bizarre, goal. It has been a tough road as, like I have said before, there are no vocational programs or community college courses to prepare me for it. But, finally, there is now an instruction manual.
Award-winning food writer Irena Chalmers (The Great Food Almanac - an IACP Julia Child Award winner) has published a new book that introduces and lays the groundwork for all those foodies who want to make their hobby their vocation: Food Jobs: 150 Great Jobs for Culinary Students, Career Changers and FOOD Lovers.
Chalmers’s career has been unprecedented. She is a renowned and respected food writer, editor, and publisher who has lent her talents to literally hundreds of titles, cookbooks, and guides. In addition to her work with books, she has also contributed articles to at least a dozen different magazines, including Chef magazine, where she served as the “Last Word” columnist for five years. She has also been a guest on over a hundred radio programs.
Upon receiving my copy of Food Jobs, it was hard to resist jumping past the first 136 pages to get to chapter 4, entitled “All Things Media.” Alas I was able to keep my personal ambitions at bay and for almost 15 minutes, too. The first section of chapter 4 deals with food writing. The list of food writers who have progressed from written page to small screen is impressive, like Michael Ruhlman, Jeffrey Steingarten, Anthony Bourdain, and even Chalmers herself. As the chapter unfolds you also get looks at less glamorous but possibly more rewarding food media careers like publishing, food styling and restaurant reviewing. And there are eight more chapters!
But the real magic of Food Jobs is that I discovered a lot of jobs that I had never thought of before. Professions like culinary tour guide, olive oil tester, and even fortune cookie message writer (somebody’s got to come up with that stuff) are all discussed, as are more conventional occupations like cruise-ship chef, menu designer, or product demonstrator. Chalmers’s work is perfect for those of you contemplating a career change or are just jazzed about food in general. Don’t be surprised if Irena Chalmers is toting home more hardware after the culinary awards festivals next spring.
5 Stars Food Jobs wins Best Book in the World for Food Professionals
Gourmand World Cookbook Awards Winner: Irena Chalmers & FOOD JOBS!
Posted by Erin * July 7th, 2009
Food Jobs Cover
FOOD JOBS: 150 Great Jobs for Culinary Students, Career Changers and Food Lovers by Irena Chalmers had been awarded the 2008 Best Food Book for Professionals in the World, following her January award of Best in the U.S. by the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards committee. FOOD JOBS was selected from more than 6,000 submitted titles in 40 languages from 107 countries.
The Gourmand World Cookbook Award has recognized FOOD JOBS for offering uniquely practical and vital insights and answers to entering one of the few industries that is growing in the U.S. and around the world.
Edouard Cointreau, founder and president of the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards, calls FOOD JOBS very timely, useful and needed. “In these difficult times, jobs are probably the most important issue, before banks or real estate,” said Cointreau. “FOOD JOBS is packed with practical information, easy and even funny, very serious and accurate in its comments and advice. It is difficult to imagine how it could be better.”
Follow Irena Chalmers’ I’ve Been Thinking blog @ http://www.foodjobsbook.com/
More about the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards @ http://www.cookbookfair.com/
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2 Stars Good book if you are clueless about the food industry…
I consider myself to be relatively knowledgeable about the food industry…I bought this book thinking it had some secrets and would expose me to food-related jobs that I hadn’t realized…while there are a few interesting areas of this book, for me at least, nearly every job examined in this book were either already known to myself or were simply so niche that they were just included to take up space. Some of these jobs include “Ice Cream Namer”, “Olive Oil Taster”, and “Truffle Salter”. While I have no doubt that there are people who perform these jobs, they are in such small demand that I think it is a bit misleading to suggest that people are actually looking to have these positions filled.
With that issue out of the way, I think this book could be useful for certain people who are really in the dark about available food-related jobs. With that said, after reading this book, you will have a tough time getting any of these jobs with the exception of working in a restaurant, retail setting, or starting your own business. The majority of these jobs are 90% dependent on the connections you have with people in the business. Additionally, many of these jobs are based on people being “experts” in a particular area, something that is very tough to convince others of.
The other issue I have with this book is that it is really more of a tool to get your thoughts going rather than a useful handbook or guide that goes into depth on how to make it in a particular area of the food industry. Much of the book is based on starting a small business of some type…this is great and all, but for the most part, one would be much better off working in a similar, already established business while studying the essentials of running one. Overall I think it really depends on what you already know about the food industry in regards to how much you will benefit from this book…I think for many it is great but some like myself will be disappointed…I guess my expectations were too high from reading all the positive reviews.
5 Stars Very Informative!!!
I love this book!!! When I tell my friends that I am going to pursue my dreams and attend culinary school, their first remark is always, “Can’t wait for you to open your restaurant!”. However, I knew from the beginning,that working as an executive chef was not the path for me. This book not only opened my eyes to the MANY opportunities in the food service industry, but also inspired me to think outside the box. Get this book if you love food and are interested in working in this field but you are not sure exactly what it is you want to do. I am positive that it will help you find your way!
5 Stars If you are passionate about the food industry, you will love “Food Jobs”
Have you ever dreamed of working in the food industry but weren’t sure what kind of job you would like? Do you love food but without a culinary degree you thought you could never follow your passion? With captivating humor and insight, Irena Chalmers has written a guide to help career changers, culinary students, and food lovers explore the many facets of the culinary world.
It takes great skill to describe positions so that people think, “Hey, I could do that.” Irena recently wrote, “If you can do crossword puzzles and read a map, you have the kind of brain that would enable you to be a cookbook indexer or a fact checker.” I immediately sat up and thought I may have the skills to break into the business after all!
I look at Irena’s delightful listing of unusual food jobs as proof that there is truly something for everyone. No matter how esoteric your passions, there is someone out there that needs your expertise. From those who want to cook on the line, to product demonstrators, anthropologists, and cookbook doctors, there is something for everyone.
Start reading this book and your synapses will immediately begin firing. One option after the other, comments from some of the best minds in the business, references to books you should read, organizations you can join, and blogs to follow - the opportunities are endless and the only limitation is your own imagination. Buy “Food Jobs” and start on your path to becoming a happier and healthier person.
Food Jobs: 150 Great Jobs for Culinary Students, Career Changers and Food Lovers
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