I'm 26. Like many people, at this point of my life I'm still looking for the right career for myself. Currently I'm a network engineer doing consulting work. Is it my right choice? I don't know, because

1. I feel I still have a lot of potential to develop certain skills, especially people skills, so even though right now I'm a bit lacking on that I might become better later - or not.
2. In general, nowadays very few people's first job becomes their life-long career. So expect myself to switch later on.

If you ask me where my passion is, I say it's cooking. I have a dream of owning my restaurants and cooking out unique style dishes for people. Everyday my most anticipated activity is cooking dinner. But, I have the following issues:

1. I never had any formal training on cooking, and there is no "family recipe" since nobody in my family is good cook (except my late grandfather whose career was a chef, but I didn't get to learn anything from him). Besides the little experience I got from cooking since 16, I learned mostly everything from Alton Brown.

2. I will have to provide a stable life for my wife and upcoming daughter in a couple of months. So I will need to constantly have a well-paid job that matches up my current salary, in order to feed my family (my wife doesn't work because she wants to watch over the baby). This rules out any possibility of going to a cooking school, and abandoning my current job and trying to work as a chef with no prior experience while hoping to keep the same salary is also impossible.

3. Being an immigrant, I have no family heritage (money, that is) to fund a business.

4. I have this... thing... against dessert. I just don't like eating dessert or cooking it. I'm more of a savory guy.

5. I can't define a cooking style for myself (as in Italian, French, Southern Comfort, Asian, etc.). My cooking is all over the world, from northpole to southpole, I like eating and cooking all of their dishes. So I don't have a specialty... If I have to pick one, I'm very interested in northeastern european cuisine. I have been to places like Austria and Czech republic, and had friends with Polish origin, and I can tell you they have very darn tasty dishes that many Americans don't know of. BUT, like I mentioned earlier, I do not have any family recipe to use, so even if I try really hard and come up with my own recipe, it'll probably be very comic and unauthentic.

So I don't know where to start... and I don't even know if I'm destined to cook professionally or just as a hobby... So I'm sad :/

Do not take this the wrong way,
Your wife needs at least a part time job so that she can earn social security credits, otherwise if she is physically disabled or perishes, she/her minor surviors can obtain benefits. Otherwise, you are in for a long court battle to obtain SS benefits if the unthinkable happens to HER. Her contributions as a stay home parent are invaluable, and if something happens to her, you will be in need of child care. Child care is not cheap.

As for the resturant, my father's family ran one for decades, it is a lot of hard work. It is your life, twenty four hours, seven days a week. You not only have to worry about the food you will be preparing, but the business end as well, payroll, employee benefits, workers compensation insurance, unemployment insurance, health inspections, having enough qualified employees, suppliers, decorators, operators liscences, health liscences, liquor liscences, property taxes, income taxes, scheduling special events, advertising,,, it's a massive undertaking.
Good luck, if you do decide to open a resturant.

You want to become a chef and you're 26? Its too late, especially if you are expecting and in want of funds.

Look into getting some sort of hospitality qualifications (some are just day courses you can do over weekends!). I think front of house operations would suit you better, especially since you have no experience in the kitchen. You may be a passionate cook but a chef is a consummate professional - not everyone can make the transition. But, if you want it enough, you should be able to pull it off.

Basically what Mamagato said because it definitely isn't easy running your own business. Biggest thing you have to worry about is acquiring food at a reasonable price then reselling what you prepare adding in the cost for your business, employee's work, power bill, spices that were used in prep, gas bill, etc... . It's not hard, but it is indeed tricky plus with the current economy unless you can find a way to supply good food on the cheap it's very difficult to start up your own restaurant.



No I do not agree with that at all Electric you can become a chef at any age as long as you are willing to be diligent about it. Only time it is too late for something is if 1. you are dead or 2. you are on your death bed about to die. Otherwise there is ALWAYS a chance to do anything in this world. Right now even those that cook home meals can be considered chefs to a certain degree. Know for a fact that i'm proud to say i'm 1 of those people even though I started cooking at 16 I would still be considered 1 if I started tomorrow cooking a regular meal.

[censored]. I'm 27 going to culinary school and there are 50 year old men in my class

If you want it op, do it. Keep your job and go to school at the same time. It's gonna svck and it's gonna be hard but if you want it, you can have it. Just know that you probably won't have a restaurant until you are 40 at least and even then you will be in debt forthe next 5-10 years.

Also, you may not enjoy cooking professionally, you may come to hate it, that's why you find a culinary school that teaches more than just the kitchen, learn as much about the restaurant and hospitality field as you can, then make a choice

Sorry, but your currently not situated finacially or skill-wise to set up a restaurant. What you need is a [insert number of years here] plan if you want to eventually own a restaurant. If you don't plan, your not going to be situated to take out a loan (necessary for starting capital) and absorb the costs of net losses during early years. (A common risk with new small buisnesses is that they won't make a profit for the first couple of years)

Now if you want to begin cooking as a buisness, you can set up an out-of-home cooked meal service. Basically, the buisness model is as follows:

1. Find Clients

2. Agree to a transaction ahead of time. Either by phone call or whatever.

3. Make food.

4. Deliver food to the drop-off point. (client's house)

5. Client pays you.

Oh, and for pity's sake, follow Mamagato's advice about getting your wife a part-time job. OASDI isn't going to pay out surivors benefits to her dependents if something happens and she doesn't have a work history. Your probably not going to be able to rely on SSI.
edit 1: before anyone asks,

OASDI is american social security

SSI is supplemental security income. The categories of people that can qualify are similar to OASDI, with the exception that SSI is means-tested. This means that the government looks at what resources you have and how much money you make to determine eligibility.
edit 2: Technically, if something bad happened to the OP, like job loss, he'd probably have to appeal to TANF, SNAP, or another such program.

Hi! My name is Jerhicco, and I'm a chef. I have plans to open my own restaurant but am currently working in someone else's. A few things about the business to keep in mind.

- A restaurant is among the hardest businesses to keep open in America. Most reasons have already been listed.

- You need to cater to those around you. You can't expect to sell what you like and get people. You gotta sell what they like.

- Cooking is an insanely stressful job. You NEED to function well, or even better than you normally do, under pressure. There's no way around this. You MUST have it.

Of course the list could go on, but besides these three things, most others are after-thoughts. I suggest learning to cook first, situating a menu and drawing business plans. Get someone to invest in you. It's how I'm going to start, and I've got a guy willing to drop 50 grand. It costs A LOT to get started, but if it takes off, and it very well could, you'll be sitting pretty in a few short years.

If you have the skill and desire to do this, do it. You're not too old. My boss (The executive chef, with me as the head chef) is 44 years old. You simply need to keep up and there's no issue about age. I hope you do well. It's always nice to see another food enthusiast!

Minor children of deceased (or severely physically handicapped parents who are unable to work) are entitled to a monthly stipend through OASDI/SSI. The requirement is the equivalent of ten years of full time employment credits. If you don't have enough credits, and are disabled, it requires expensive legal processes to appeal.


Wyatt brings up a good point about the fact that you may grow to hate cooking. Be sure that is what you want to do.

Have you considered starting a catering or similar business part-time while you keep your day job?

I'm aware of the survivor stipend for OASDI, wasn't aware their was one for SSI. Must have gotten it confused with another program. However, work credits are NOT a requirement for SSI.

He has a wife and kid on they way and wants to maintain his current salary. Not going to happen inside of a couple of months. It was one of HIS stipulations, not mine.

You want to own and cook?

That's a bit ambitious IMO

It is a lot of work to manage a restaurant let alone be the cook as well. Pick one or the other. I'll make it a bit easier: You like cooking, do that.

It's also a lot of money to start up your own business. Unless you have the money to buy the restaurant, the supplies for the restaurant, the advertising for the restaurant, and your upcoming child....I'd say now is not the best time.

Go for the cooking though. Take a few courses at a community college and refine your skills. Try to get a job as a cook at a local restaurant and see how you like it. Cooking at home and cooking at a restaurant is a lot different and you might find you don't like it.

I agree with the part time catering activity. I'm too casual to be a chef and as a chef I never get to cook things I like.
Maybe I can make money by going to people's parties and such and cook for them every once a while
just don't know where to start lol

Start holding dinner parties. If you get a favourable reception, upscale by asking to cook for other people's dinner parties and being compensated by giftcards or cases of beer.

Ask your wife is she knows any potential customers.

Good luck. First maybe I don't have a good understanding of english language but at 26, you will be a cook not a chef. In french, a cook is cooking. A chef is directing cooks and helpers (the sauce boys...). To be a chef is not only to know how to cook casual food from time to time. But to have a consistent quality, to manage a party of cooks and helpers etc... This is totally different of your idea. In addition, managing a restaurant is another thing. Don't expect to cook.

So my idea: if you have cash and ideas, find 2 associates: one with serious cooking experience (around 15-20 years) who will be the chef and one with management experience. If you have no cash and only ideas, good luck...

Sadly, it's not about being a good cook or having talent or desire.

It's about getting the masses to the slop trough.

I know a lot of bad places to eat that are thriving because they serve garbage and the masses gobble it up...it's also cheap.

I know many places with good food that are barely getting by or have closed because people won't pay the premium for decent food. Those that have done well rely on a niche market that they count on showing up for more.