Chef - Cooking

Celebrity chef, Vikas Khanna, was 17 when started his own banquet and catering business.

He graduated from the famous Welcomgroup Graduate School of Hotel Administration, and then trained under renowned chefs of Taj Group of Hotels, Oberois, Leela Group etc.

He has also studied at the Culinary Institute of America, Cornell University and New York University and the prestigeous Le Cordon Bleu, Paris.

Why are we discussing about him at the moment is about the career he have chosen at right time had made him the wow ICON of FOOD industry.

Today, cooking is more than an activity confined to traditional kitchen – it is a high flying career option! The skills of a chef today have become very modern and now combine passion, creativity and hard work for the art of cooking.

To cater to the ever–growing market and demand for professional and competent chefs, a plethora of courses in food processing, catering technology and other relevant areas are being offered by different institutions.

Generally the hierarchy of chefs is something like this:

Chef Vikas Khanna

Executive Chef - Usually he is in control of everything inside the kitchen including menu creation, personal management and business aspects.
Sous Chef - He is the assistant chef and looks after menu-planning, costing and ordering.
Expeditor - They usually make sure that the food is plated in time for the waiters to serve orders.
Cooks and Assistants - They are assigned specific duties inside the kitchen. Usually a person starts from Commi3, then Commi 2, Commi 1, Demi-chef-de -partie and Chef-de-partie. As Chef-de-partie the person is usually made in charge of one section, like Chinese, French, Italian, Continental, Banquet, Pastry etc.

Chef Eligibility Criteria

Qualification: 

Minimum 10+2

Bachelor/Diploma of Hotel management

Certificate chef courses that last 6-12 month

Personal attributes: 

An inborn love for first-class food is the primary pre-requisite. Additionally, one must have an experimental bent of mind and the inquisitiveness to know the chemistry of different food ingredients. 

One should possess thorough knowledge about different varieties of foodand cuisine and how they are cooked, prepared and finally presented to the guests. One should possess an outgoing and friendly personality and also an ability to work in a team.

Chef Job Prospects

After completion of a diploma or the certificate course in Hotel Management, one can join a hotel as an intern or canopt for apprenticeship after 10+2 directly. 

A trained chef has many employment avenues which are varied and interesting. Hotels/restaurants, air catering, food processing companies, catering in confectioneries, cruise liner and corporate catering all require chefs. 

One can also dabble in the area of food writing like Ms. Tarla Dalal or one can choose to become an entrepreneur by setting up food chains. It is closely linked with the tourism industry which is already on the upswing.

Chef Pay Package

Graduates become trainees, who after being trained are paid about Rs.7,000 - Rs.10,000. Pay increases with experience and the lifestyle is brilliant.

Chef Institutes/Universities

Institute of Hotel Management, Catering Technology and Applied Nutrition (21 centres located in New Delhi, Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Bhopal, Bhubaneshwar, Calcutta, Chandigarh, Chennai, Goa, Gurdaspur, Gwalior, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Lucknow, Mumbai, Srinagar and Thiruvananthapuram & other places).

Institute of Hotel Management (IHM)

21 IHMs that are regulated by the National Council for Hotel Management & Catering Technology (NCHMCT). Click here to see list of all IHMs

Institute of Hotel Management (The Taj Group of Hotels)

Dr Rafiq Zakaria Campus,

Rauza Bagh, Aurangabad 431 001,

Maharashtra, India

Tel: 0240–238 1113, 0240–2381127

Fax: 0240–2381104

The Welcomgroup Graduate School of Hotel Management

Manipal, Karnataka, offers a degree level graduate programme.

WGSHA, Valley View International

Manipal - 576104

Ph: 0820 25711010820 2571101

Fax: 2571327

Email: office.wgsha@manipal.edu

Banarsidas Chandiwala Institute of Hotel Management & Catering Technology

(Approved by AICTE and affiliated Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University)

Chandiwala Estate, Maa Anandmai Marg, Kalkaji,

New Delhi-110019

Phone: + 91-11-26382276+ 91-11-26382276, + 91-11-4902030091-11-49020300, +91-11-49020301+91-11-49020301

Culinary Academy of India (CAI) (Affiliated to Osmania University)

6-3-1219/6A, Umanagar, Begumpet, Hyderabad - 16, A.P., India, E-mail: iactca@yahoo.co.in

The Oberoi Group's Systematic Training and Education Programme (STEP) - Kitchen Operations Programme [leading to Bachelor of Tourism Studies degree from the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU)]

7, Sham Nath Marg, Delhi-110 054, India 

Mail: step@oberoigroup.com

Phone: 011-23906422011-23906422/23.

Delhi Institute of Hotel Management and Catering Technology

National Park, Lajpat Nagar IV

Near Lady Shri Ram College

Delhi-110024, India

Phone: 011 2621 4812011 2621 4812

Email: dihm.net@gmail.com

College of Hospitality & Tourism (CHAT), Rai University

Saroda, Dholka Taluka, Ahmedabad, Gujarat – 382260

Admission Helpline:

+91-8980004322+91-8980004322, +91-8980004323+91-8980004323, +91-8980004324+91-8980004324, +91-8980004326+91-8980004326

Indian Institute Of Hotel Management & Culinary Arts

7-91/5, Nagendra Nagar, Habsiguda Cross Road, Habsiguda, Habsiguda, Hyderabad, Telangana 500007

Phone:040 2715 4304040 2715 4304

Exam has become suicide reason??

To most of us exams are worse than Chinese torture. Believe it or not there are people out there who can't wait to take an exam and prove themselves. If this is unbelievable, think of what you know you are good at and how you feel when you have a chance to demonstrate that skill.

For example, you know you can run faster than the wind and tomorrow is the school sports competition. Or you have a beautiful dress and tomorrow you get to wear it. Imagine the thrill and anticipation you will feel. For a lot of people, exams are like that. And you can feel that way too.

Here are the reasons we usually don't feel that way :

The number one reason we are scared of exams is because we know we are not prepared. If this is the case with you, unfortunately, there is no magic formula that can make exams tasty for you. Read the other articles in this section, and like top students, develop the habit of starting early. Decide on you about the your result from day one and visualize it everyday. You will be calm on exam day.

Many of us underestimate ourselves or our preparation. Most of us are better prepared than we think. Auto suggestions and affirmation scan help you feel more confident about yourself and your preparation. You can find some auto suggestions for students here.

Some of your friends may be on the verge of a nervous breakdown because of the coming exam. Others may be saying, "Oh I finished my preparation for this paper three months ago and I have reviewed everything 10 times!". Both can make you nervous. But don't let them. If you find you are being influenced by them, simply avoid them.

For some of us, even the possibility of not doing well in the exam is unthinkable. Subconsciously, we may be nurturing unreasonable beliefs such as 'If I don't do well in this exam I am a failure as a person', or ' If I don't do well in this exam my parents won't love me any more.' Thinking not doing well is absolutely unacceptable makes us exam phobic. If you think you have any such unreasonable belief deep down, you can change them by doing the negative thoughts meditation. Exams are important but they are not everything. So take it easy.

Classroom and How to Use NLP

In a majority of classrooms in educational institutions, it is quite rare to find a teacher or professor who employs NLP training methods and principles. But if used inside the classroom, NLP will doubtless improve many aspects of the learning environment and will lead to better teacher-student interactions. For this reason, more teachers need to be aware of NLP techniques and integrate them into their own teaching style.

The question is, how can neuro-linguistic programming be used in the classroom? There are myriad ways by which an educator can apply its principles. NLP is all about improving the way people perceive themselves, the world, and other people. Thus, by learning how to perceive things better and understand people deeper, an educator can improve in facilitating a more conducive atmosphere suitable for learning.

One of the core NLP concepts that an educator should be aware of is the principle of "mind mapping". A mind "map" in NLP is the way an individual perceives the world in general. Each person has a unique map, and it is influenced heavily by one's own beliefs, values and attitudes. To successfully lead an entire classroom to a positive learning experience, the educator should first influence the beliefs, values and attitudes of students towards learning. For example, a student in a math class may be getting low grades as a result of negative attitudes towards the subject. These negative attitudes are originating from his limiting beliefs. Perhaps he is constantly saying to himself that he is not smart enough to grasp mathematical concepts. The solution to this problem is not to give him more math lessons immediately. Rather, the teacher should first identify limiting beliefs and help transform them into empowering beliefs (the "I can" attitude). Once the beliefs are influenced in a positive way, the student's "map" changes for the better and he is able to perceive the world in a different light. Understanding internal states and knowing how to elicit them is a surefire way for a teacher to have high-impact classroom discussions.


An "internal state" is an attitude, impulse or feeling that a person can readily associate with his five senses. For example, being happy is an internal state that anyone can associate with feelings of fulfillment, and is often seen in outward manifestations such as laughing, smiling, or crying for joy. Some people associate being happy with feelings of physical pleasure. There are literally hundreds or thousands of internal states that a person is capable of having at different times. One can be happy, enthusiastic, excited, or energetic at different parts of the day. On the other hand, negative internal states include being depressed, confused, hesitant, fearful and many others.

An educator should be able to put the entire classroom into a particular internal state before proceeding with any lesson or discussion. For example, before starting with a math lesson, an educator can do a sequence of NLP processes that will help elicit internal states of excitement or curiosity among students. The idea is to get the students into a positive internal state before giving them the lesson.

Develop Skills and creativity in Children

Today, there are many online education resources for nursery and primary school children. They offer the best quality of products and offer materials for interactive learning. Different subjects are covered such as numeracy, science and many other types of arts and crafts and so on. You can find such resources at many online sites where they offer products appropriate for children in the learning stage.

All kids love painting as it is fun and messy and they get to use bright colours to create whatever they imagine. From the age of two to twelve, children can develop their artistic skills. Most children at the age of two start putting crayons on paper and start drawing and scribbling. Young children are very proud when they paint a picture. Apart from this, there are science resources where children can learn more about science in a very interactive manner. Learning science through such sources can also make them learn many other linked subjects.

You can buy pens and markers or crayons of various types. Art projects can be helpful for children in several ways; it promotes the fine motor skills as well as coordination. Children can also make use of drums and other percussion instruments as part of their educational resources. They can learn to make out the difference between fast and slow and try out new instruments. This can be very useful in expanding their imagination.

Some educational resources involve materials that can be used for art projects. You can have an art corner with easels and crayons and children can have fun trying out different sorts of materials. This teaches them to have a greater imagination and gives rise to a lot of creativity. They will also discover to transform ordinary materials, such as egg boxes and plain pieces of cloth into different objects. The child can also develop his motor skills with art projects. They can improve his muscle control when he uses scissors to cut things, manipulates clay and uses crayons for colouring and painting. As the child keeps practicing these skills with such resources, they can get mastery over activities, such as cutting with a knife or fastening the buttons on a shirt.

When the child cultivates the habit of learning through educational resources, they improve their self esteem. They can then keep the finished project on display and feel proud about it. It is the entire process of learning rather than the final product that is most important in the case of such resources.