# Question?



## scott (Jun 6, 2006)

Do i have to go to cooking school to become a line cook, and what kind of pay can i make starting out or into the future?


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## mezzaluna (Aug 29, 2000)

Scott, that question belongs in the Culinary Students/Culinary Schools forum. I'll move it there.


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## chef david (Jun 2, 2006)

Well i Didnt need to have schooling to become a line cook in a 3-4 Star restraunt. I started at min. wage with no experience. Now with a few yearsof experience i can ask About 10.00 to 12.00 Im only a junior in High School


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## greasechef (May 20, 2006)

I'd suggest paying your dues for a few months as a dish-washer if you want to become a line cook. If you do decide to go to culinary school, do it after you've got a year or so behind you already. It would be terrible to go to school only to realize that you hate the business.

When you apply for a dish position, let the chef know that what you really want is to cook. Every chef out there will respect you for applying at the bottom in order to move up.

Working as a dishwasher, you will also learn some important stuff, like were everything goes. This is important if you are a linecook and you need something. This goes for pots and pans, as well as cans of tomatoes, and fresh parsley.

If you are lucky, the dish area will have a good view of the rest of the kitchen, watch and learn.

This is how I started 15 years ago. Within 10 years I was the exec chef at a 50 seat fine dining restaurant. Now, I am considering culinary school to "fill in the gaps".

So my advice, see if you like it first.

Edit: As for pay, it depends on location. 5 years ago I was making $75k/ year as a chef. Now, because of location, I am making $10/ hr ($20k/ year) as a baker. Here in Northern Vermont, I can't find better than $12/ hour. If I was on Cape Cod, I know that I would make $20+.


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## cakerookie (Sep 10, 2005)

Thats good pay.Considering when I was a line cook I started at $1.65 an hour try making it on that these days. Gasoline costs more than that. I was young at the time and still living with my parents so it did not hurt to bad.

Best Rgds Cakerookie...aka Rook


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