How to Become a Professional Chef in India | Eligibility and Salary
There are plenty of private professional chef jobs that would help candidate to earn and learn the valuable experience. Students can check chef jobs on www.hospitalityhope.com or www.naukri.com.
Want to become a professional chef in India? It’s an awesome career where you get to cook tasty food, be creative, and make people happy with your dishes. India has so many yummy foods—like spicy curries, crispy dosas, and sweet desserts—and the demand for good chefs is always growing in restaurants, hotels, and catering.
Here’s an easy guide to help you become a professional chef, step by step.
- Love Cooking First
To be a professional chef, you need to enjoy cooking. Start at home—try making simple dishes, play with spices, and see what tastes good. India has lots of food styles, like Punjabi, South Indian, or Bengali. Cook for your family or friends and find out what you like doing most.
– Tip: Watch cooking videos or follow chefs like Sanjeev Kapoor, ranveer brar and many other chefs to get ideas.
- Study Cooking
You don’t need to be a genius, but learning from a school helps a lot. There are places in India that teach you how to cook like a pro, use knives, and keep food safe.
- Courses: You can do a short course (1-2 years) or a longer one (3-4 years).
- Cost: It’s between ₹50,000 to ₹3 lakh, depending on the College/Institute.
- Practice in a Kitchen
Cooking at home is fun, but working in a real kitchen is where you learn fast. Get a small job or internship in a restaurant or hotel.
- Start Easy: Help out as a kitchen assistant.
- Learn from Pros: Work with an experienced professional chef to see how it’s done.
- Try Everything: Cook Indian food, Chinese, or even cakes to know more.
- Learn Important Skills
Being a professional chef isn’t just cooking. You need these skills:
– Cutting: Learn to chop veggies and meat fast and neat.
– Taste: Know how to mix spices like haldi, jeera, or garam masala.
– Looks/Presentation: Make food look pretty on the plate.
– Speed: Cook many dishes without getting slow.
– Cleanliness: Keep the kitchen safe and germ-free.
- Pick Your Favorite Style
There’s so much to cook in India. Choose what you want to be best at:
– Indian Food: Like biryani, tandoori, or idli.
– Bakery: Cakes, breads, pastries.
– Foreign Food: Pizza, sushi, or noodles.
– Healthy Food: Light meals for health lovers.
– Tip: Do short classes to get better at your favorite.
- Make Friends in Food World
Meet people who love food too. Go to food events or cooking contests.
– Show Off: Join competitions to get noticed.
– Use Phone: Post your food pics on Instagram or YouTube.
– Team Up: Work with food vloggers to get famous.
- Get a Certificate
A certificate proves you’re serious. Apart from school, you can get:
– Food Safety Certificate: From FSSAI in India.
– Extra Ones: Like NSDC Skill Courses if you want to work in India and AHLEI Certified courses to work outside India!
- Start Working
After learning, get a job! Beginners earn ₹15,000–₹30,000 a month. With time, you can make ₹50,000 or even ₹2 lakh in big places.
Jobs You Can Do:
– Restaurant Chef: Cook in small or fancy places.
– Hotel Chef: Work in big hotels.
– Your Own Shop: Open a food stall or catering.
– TV Chef: Become famous on shows.
Tip: Be patient—it takes time to become a big chef.
- Keep Learning
Food keeps changing. Learn new tricks, try new recipes, and travel to taste India’s different foods.
- Face the Tough Parts
Being a chef is hard sometimes—long hours, busy kitchens, and tired feet. But if you love it, keep going!
Becoming a professional chef in India is fun and full of opportunities. Start small and practice cooking at home, join a course, and practice a lot. With hard work, you can be a star in the kitchen. Want to lead the food industry? Enroll in NFCI Hotel Management and Culinary Courses and learn from the best to become a top professional chef. Grab your spoon and start today!
