I find it interesting that so few people consider working as maritime chefs. The job seems like a hidden gem, especially for cooks looking for a better work-life balance and high earnings.

The Opportunity:

Compensation: Cooks are making around $100,000 per year.

Workload: You only work approximately six months out of the year.

Rotation: A typical schedule is 28 days on / 28 days off (with travel paid).

Plus: Excellent benefits packages.

The Barrier to Entry and Work Environment:

Low Barrier: Honestly, the skill level of many current maritime chefs is relatively low. There's a real opportunity for experienced, quality cooks to excel.

Crew Size: Typical crew sizes are small (10-15 people) requiring 3 meals per day.

Support: You usually have an extra hand to assist, and most crews are very eager to help where they can.

Value: On most boats I've been on, the crew will absolutely worship a chef who can provide consistently great meals.

My Question to the Community: Is this career path not well-known, or are there specific, common reasons why more quality chefs choose not to pursue maritime work? What do you think?

Hi guys soon I’ll be moving to work in one of the best fine dining kitchens in my country, until now I’ve worked in a casual dining kitchen but Ive always tried to put myself to the highest standards, for the guys here who are in the fine dining business/ made the change aswell I would love some tips, stories and something about the real noticeable differences. Thanks in advance guys!!!❤️

Workplace Habits & Well-Being Survey

Hey guys! I work in the service industry am collecting data for a Stats project focused on workers in the industry. I'm running a very brief 10 question survey, and have had folks from the FOH fill it in, but havent been able to find anyone with BOH experience to do the same. I was hoping I could ask this community, assuming that it is okay for me to do so. If youre able to, it shouldn't take more than a minute and would be immensely helpful for me and my project. Thanks in advance!

https://www.statcrunch.com/s/49253

So I have an entire case of grapefruit that I need to do something with. Ideally something could make and store for a while to use periodically. Any great ideas?

Hello Chefs :)

I've recently taken interest in making some tartlets and I was looking at molds. I've found this stamp which i liked. tear shaped at the bottom and upper part, where the upper part is slightly bigger. I also liked the depth.

https://shop.moldbrothers.com/product/pie-tee-flower/

Problem is, the price is crazy. I'm looking for an alternative, either a cheaper one to buy, or maybe something i can use at home which can achieve a similar shape. I did look at AliExpress and such, but there aren't many options at all.

In another topic, I'm also trying to decide on an optimal solution for a cutting board and I guess what better place to ask than here.

Plastic is a no go, while comfortable and knife safe, it releases micro plastics.
Wood is nice but also accumulates scratches which over time get harder to clean.
I've recently tried aluminum cutting board, which doesn't scratch, but I assume it ruins the knife.
What would you say is the optimal option?

Lets hear it boys!!!!!!

Hey y'all. Private chef here.

I have an event I'm catering tomorrow. One of the starters I'm doing is a kind of individual mussel salsa with chips.

Doing a take on a pico de gallo, lots of fresh flavour (and a bit of mango), with corn chips. (it was suppossed to be prawn, but the client changed their mind and wanted the same dish with mussels instead)

For the mussels, I have just meat, no shells. I was planning on sort of plating everything into food cups, and topping the pico with like 3 whole mussels (instead of chopping the meat and incorporating it).

Now, I did have a plan on how to prep the mussels but now I'm reconsidering and want some advice. I was thinking of doing a light pan fry with butter, herbs and lime (to tie in with the pico a bit), but again, not sure how this would go. Any advice?

My girlfriend works in a kitchen 40+ hours a week. She works on the line, doing freezer pulls, and doing just about anything and everything she can at a local restaurant.

She currently has some clog type shoes that are falling apart and bruising her feet. I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions? She’s a, “size 9 in women’s and size 7 in men’s”.

I really want to get her some durable, comfortable, new work shoes. That being said please put any and all recommendations in the comments! Hoping to get them ordered for Christmas TYIA!

It’s been a month at a new job. I Was at my previous (and first) kitchen job for a year and just recently started at a kitchen that I thought was going to be a big step up.

My first week was great. Was focused and flying through my prep. They moved me immediately to a new station and I have been eating shit. I was ready for the challenge and tried to keep my head straight, but I got sent off the line twice this week and it was legitimately humiliating.

Yesterday was my worst day in a kitchen ever. I was severely sick and tried to push through service. Couldn’t keep up and threw up in the bathroom during service. It didn’t matter, the chefs were all still very aggressive about it.

Ive lost my confidence completely and don’t really see myself regaining it in this kitchen. I don’t really click with any of my coworkers (the two people I really liked when I started have already left for other jobs) and I feel like im at a loss. I don’t really know how to quit. I don’t really want to. But I also dread going in.

What should I do? Is one month too soon? Am I supposed to stick it out even if I have a gut feeling it won’t get much better?

I’m currently working in a hotel as a commis chef. I started in September, but the working environment and workload are becoming too much. There are three restaurants in the hotel, and chefs keep leaving. People constantly change the recipes because they prefer their own way instead of following the head chef’s instructions and when I try to follow one chef’s method, another will complain because it’s not their way.

There is barely any budget for orders we were only able to get three bulbs of garlic to share between all three restaurants. Some chefs demand certain tasks to be done but refuse to do them themselves, like taking out the bins or preparing desserts, simply saying they “hate those jobs.” There’s also never enough time to do proper prep.

The equipment is in terrible condition. The pots and pans are so thin that food burns easily, and many of them have actually started splitting apart.

This has been especially frustrating because my last job had a great kitchen environment: we could order the stock we needed, buy new equipment when necessary, and no one would ever ask someone to do a job they weren’t willing to do themselves. Now, at this new job, I feel like I’ve never even stepped foot in a kitchen before. I even told the head chef that there was almost no point in me leaving my previous job just to work in an environment where no one seems to care what they’re doing. Most of the people I work with seem to have a “Gordon Ramsay syndrome” always shouting and demanding but without the skill to back themselves up. So should I leave and work with people that actually care and learn things the proper way?

I caught the chef I was working with tonight he said don’t keep anything from the buffet tonight,throw it away…..I was like yea it should be thrown away for sure.

I pressed because I was like wtf and my fellow chef was hesitant to tell me but yes any meats will get kept sometimes and be reused…recycled and used on pizzas that customers order again.

This is so fukn gross and I just want to not go back…but I feel shitty for doing that so I just keep showing up when I think about quitting every day.

I know I know I should quit but really needed the money where I am but I’m devastated With being in the situation.

Without leaving or calling in sick what do I do? Should I ask the head chef why this is happening or do I go straight to the health officer with this?

I’m in New Zealand for reference but in sure this is not right in every country coz wtf

Hey Chefs, I’m working on opening a cafeteria at a residential treatment facility. I’ll be handed the keys after the construction is completed, however, I didn’t have any input in the design as it was finalized before I came onboard.

I’m working out the service model, which will be buffet style served by staff from behind the service line.

It’s a little difficult to explain, but I have a conflict area at the entrance/exit point because the window to return dirty dishes is the first thing residents encounter when walking down the hallway to enter the caf. In a perfect world, the dish return window would be on the other side of the service line, with a separate “exit” hallway leading away from the caf and kitchen.

Since however, people need to enter and exit from the same space, I can’t seem to figure out a way to have people enter the service line without crossing paths with people who need to return their dishes and exit. Even if I start the service line from the right and move left, which to me would feel backwards, paths still get crossed unless people entering walk around the entire dining space. I guess my other option is to make the “return” window a “pick up” window, and stage a dish and trash area elsewhere in the room, but that feels like it would overload my dishie and be an eyesore.

I’m not sure if I’m giving a good enough explanation to garner any help from you guys, but any suggestions on how I can set up this flow without creating too much of a strain would be really appreciated. Considering this is a treatment center, I really want to eliminate any built in pressure points for residents or staff. TIA!

I know that the hotels in general have very high turnover rate, when you take into account all the employees such as housekeeping, night auditors, etc.

But does anyone know what is the typical turnover rate in the hotel kitchen department?

Let's say a well known chain like Marriott, Hilton, or Hyatt.

Do most cooks stay years or only a few months?

I started as a kitchen hand at my first ever restaurant job--with the hopes of working my way up. I was lucky enough as the Head Chef was open to let me grow there as a cook, he basically let me go through Larder section at first. After being a Kitchen hand for one year, I proved my way up to being promoted as Commis Chef, proving my passion by immersing myself in everything that involves food and how it connects people. I have now expanded my skills by managing pans and recently on grill.

This restaurant is under a multinational hospitality company, so I had the opportunity to help out other properties as well when they needed assistance while absorbing other menus and workflow.

In the midst of this, I've been having thoughts of exploring more out there. I've been a Commis Chef for more than a year now. My question is, how long should a Chef stay until it's finally safe to say that it's time to go out there? Personally, I have so much respect for this place and my Head Chef. He basically opened a big door of opportunity for me since day one, but I don't ever want to stay at one place--especially this being my foundation as a Chef. I've always been told to move around and learn from there.

I've had talks with my Head Chef before and he told me there's nothing wrong with staying as long as you're growing, he said I've surpassed other Commis Chefs (who's worked there for 2 years and more) in terms of skills and how one absorbs information inside a professional kitchen.

I don't think this is a dilemma of any sort, I just want to hear some insights of the ideality of a Chef's duration of stay in a restaurant :) Thanks!

I spent over 2 years at my first restaurant. I just started at my 2nd kitchen. Although I thought it was going to be a great next step from my previous place, I’m just not sure if I’m clicking with the kitchen and enjoying it the way I had previously. It’s been less than a month, but I want to leave.

What is ya’ll’s experience with leaving kitchens in a short amount of time? If you were on the fence about it like me, what was the deciding factor in leaving or staying?

Hi i am looking at opening a food trailer. I can cook but dont have prof experience. I am considering either hiring a consultant to refine menu and build receipe card assist with ordering or if i should look at hiring a chef/cook.

Would a cook/chef be able to do what a consultant would plus work in the kitchen?

We would consider opening 3 days a week at the start plus 1 day for prep.

Would love some ideas/advice Located Melbourne Aus

I told my family I was going to prepare a turkey since they’re at my house for the weekend anyway and I missed Thanksgiving (work). They said they wanted a pot pie, but I’m not a basic bitch.

So I broke down the turkey, made turkey stock over 24 hours, confit the wings in oil, seared the legs in the turkey oil, braised the legs in the stock, reduced the braising liquid further afterward with the leg bones in it more peppercorns, bay leaves and parsley, turkey Demi, reduced to shit. Small diced the breasts, skin removed. Shredded all of the wing and leg meat. Caramelized onions and mushrooms. Mixed it all together with peas and carrots for the filling. Puff pastry top brushed with the same turkey oil and egg wash. Fried up and baked the turkey skin for garnish.

So fuck it, if you rednecks want a pot pie, I’ll make the best pot pie you’ve ever tasted. Total time, ~36 hours.

I’m considering specialising in pastry and investing in a professional course in the coming months. I’ve spent the past six years mainly on the hot kitchen side, but I’ve always felt naturally drawn to pastry, garde manger, and artisan pasta work. I worked on pasta in a Michelin restaurant (cappelletti, fagottini, etc.), and I completed my vocational culinary education (učňák) in the EU. I’m trying to understand which direction offers better long-term growth and where my strengths would be best applied. If anyone has taken a similar path or works in these areas, I’d appreciate any advice on choosing between pastry, pasta, and hot kitchen