Managing a busy café, parenting, upskilling…it’s all in a week’s work for Terence Bayley.
Recently celebrating one year of ownership of his popular Inverloch café The Local, Terence decided to shift things up a gear in terms of his service delivery. With no formal qualifications and staff shortages affecting the hospitality industry, Terence thought the time was right to solidify his self-taught kitchen skills to enhance the dining experience for his customers.
In pursuit of perfecting his skills, Terence enrolled in a Certificate III in Commercial Cookery course.
Now, Tuesday is TAFE day for Terence.
“With the view to move to a sit-down dining model as well as a takeaway model, I knew I needed to brush up on my skills in the kitchen and the logical thing to do was to enrol in TAFE where I could get the hands-on training I needed,” Terence said.
“After only five lessons, I was able to brush up on a few knife, prep and cooking skills that I haven’t done in the past, and I’m now feeling more confident in those culinary styles. The work/life/study balance has been challenging, but if you’re passionate about something like I am, then you find a way to make it work.”
Terence’s career transition from finance to food happened after about five years of living in Inverloch and commuting to Melbourne for his job as Senior Business Banking manager for one of the big four banks. Trading in his high-flying corporate job in the city for a sea change wasn’t necessarily always part of the plan but opportunity knocked, and Terence answered.
“The Local. Inverloch was my favourite coffee shop as they opened at 6am and I would stop in every morning before my daily drive back to Melbourne,” Terence explained.
“I have always had a passion for food and entertaining, so when I found out The Local was for sale, I took the opportunity to follow this passion.”
For a variety reasons, more and more people are deciding to make that leap of faith and follow their passions. Whether it’s starting a business, skill building to help fashion a career shift or turning your side hustle into a permanent pursuit, some formal training in the form of a certificate, diploma or apprenticeship can be an invaluable step in the process of achieving success in these self-fulfilling quests.
Terence has not only made the leap, but he’s also fully submersed in his new journey.
“I am in the café every day from 5am but on Tuesdays on leave about 8am to go to TAFE and then head back there after to prep for the next day,” Terence explained.
“I’m really looking forward to what the second and third years of this course as I feel those lessons will really assist with running the kitchen; better prep skills, better time management and being able to offer customers an even better experience.
“Jacki has been an amazing teacher. And without the support of my partner Bec, I wouldn’t be able to make it all happen. It’s definitely a juggling act, but I still manage to take the kids to their extra-curricular activities and be home with them for dinner.”
Do you love the idea of being a chef like Terence, creating delicious dishes and bringing joy to your diners’ faces?
To become a qualified chef you’ll need, well, a qualification. But when it comes to experience, on-the-job training is key. The best commercial cooking experience is through apprenticeships and work placements as you'll be working on the job - and getting paid, too!
Need any more reasons to get creative in the kitchen? Well here you go…
5 reasons to become a chef
There are a lot of reasons to go for a career as a chef and the inspiration to go in this direction is unique for everyone.
Here are our top five:
- Indulge your creativity
The sky's the limit with flavour combinations and food preparation. Once you reach a certain status in a commercial kitchen, you’ll be able to add your personal touch to existing menus, updating weekly specials and create new dishes altogether.
- There’s never a dull moment
Despite being on your feet all day and into the night and working under pressure, no two days are the same. This can make your role as a chef a fun and rewarding experience.
- Work anywhere
Think about it: everyone eats - all over the world. There will always be a demand for talented chefs, especially in metropolitan areas. This means that you could take your career on the road or even overseas.
- Work for yourself
Why not open your own restaurant or cafe! A Certificate IV in Commercial Cookery will equip you with the skills you need to start your own business. Once you’ve completed your qualifications and are confident with your skills, you could open a food establishment of your very own where you have creative license over the menu and literally everything else.
- Avoid the rut
The hospitality world offers you a lifestyle that truly differs from the rest. One of the biggest differences of being employed in hospitality is that you'll most likely enjoy an alternative to the nine to five type workday. You might work nights and weekends, but you can also avoid getting stuck in a repetitive routine.
By enrolling in a flexible Certificate III of Commercial Cookery course through us, you could get qualified and be well on your way to becoming a chef in no time.
Time to stir the pot?
Getting qualified and seeking out a career as a professional chef is a wildly exciting prospect and will no doubt be a journey you’ll never forget. The best move for someone starting out is to study hard and learn from the best. The way to do this is by enrolling at an accredited TAFE, just like us, and complete a certification where you will gain all the skills and knowledge needed to break into the hospitality industry. Once you’ve completed your qualifications and gained some experience, there’s nothing stopping you from taking the hospitality world by storm and creating culinary magic as chef in a commercial kitchen.
Every so often a student or friend will ask me “why did you get into the hospitality industry?” and the answer has never changed, I just want to make people happy. To be able to feed my passion (literally) to those around me makes me the happiest man in the world.
Anthony Paterson, Culinary Trainer TAFE Gippsland
If you have any questions about the process or about the courses in general, reach out today and one of TAFE Gippsland’s friendly recruitment officers is at the ready to help you begin your enrolment journey.