How to Win the Long Game.

Fight like hell--but be patient.

Hope is not a strategy. Luck is not a factor. Fear is not an option. - James Cameron

The hardest steel is thrust into the fire a thousand times. Do not be tempted to take a sous chef position straight out of culinary school (if you even went). Instead, work for as long as you can for as little as you can afford to in the best kitchen that will have you. Yes, you may have graduated from culinary school, but believe me when I tell you that your education is only beginning, and that the worthwhile career of a chef is one of constant learning.

If you go from your commencement ceremony straight to a management position in a hotel or casino or some such, your learning will stagnate, and there is little chance that you will ever retrace your steps and learn all the things you need to know before rising to the management ranks in a solid kitchen.

Do you know why you’re in such high demand as a junior sous chef candidate upon graduation day? Two reasons: