A Life and Career in the Kitchen

Cooking is one of those rare professions that mixes business with pleasure. Make no mistake–life in a kitchen is about hard work and long hours. But what defines this career path compared to others with the same physical demands, is that today most people who choose culinary careers, do so out of their passion for food and cooking. It is true that working in a kitchen is difficult, but the profession, like other professions, evolved as society moved from the Industrial Revolution into the 20th century. For kitchens in particular, the number of work hours have been halved since Auguste Escoffier’s time, and technological advances ranging from air conditioning to lightweight clothing have made for a less onerous work atmosphere. Heavy copper cookware has been replaced by lighter, more durable stainless steel and aluminum versions, convection ovens and induction plates reduce the temperature in the kitchen, and steam kettles allow for the preparation of large amounts of stock. As a result, today’s chefs and cooks no longer labor under the same physical demands as in the past. In the 1960s with the appearance of nouvelle cuisine, cooking took on the faces and personalities of the chefs and chef restaurateurs, changing not only the direction of cooking, but that of the profession of chef.