Is a chef a good job for someone with aspergers syndrome?

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claymonster
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29 May 2013, 6:04 pm

My 14 year old nephew has always had an obsession with cooking and baking. He says he wants to be an executive chef one day. He's already started off his journey by getting a job as a busboy in a restaurant. I think it's great that he's making something out of his obsession, but I worry about how stressful it will be for him.

So yeah, my question is, would becoming a chef be a good job choice for someone with Aspergers Syndrome? Are there any chefs or cooks here that could tell me how the career is for them?



chris5000
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29 May 2013, 6:06 pm

it depends where you are a chef at
some places would be really unfriendly but others would work well



redrobin62
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29 May 2013, 6:14 pm

I'm a foodie and love sampling foods from all cultures in existence. I think being a chef would be a wonderful thing but you do have to work hard and produce under pressure. I wouldn't, however, volunteer to be a contestant at one of Chef Ramsay's restaurant shows, though. He's too rough.



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30 May 2013, 1:29 am

I couldn't handle it on s sensory and multitasking level. Everyone is different, though.



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30 May 2013, 2:47 am

I was a busboy and made drinks at a fast food restaurant for almost a year, and while I was fine when things were calm, as soon as business picked up, I really struggled to keep up; I made mistakes on the drinks and couldn't clear the tables fast enough, I really hated it there and started developing severe anxiety regarding my work. Being the head of a busy restaurant, primarily responsible for all of the orders that are going out, will be ten times as stressful as that, however, if your son works well under pressure, and he's really determined to work at it, then there's no reason he shouldn't at least try. If he can find a job at a place that rarely gets busy, say in a very small town, that might be the best place to start until he gets a feel for how the business works.


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vanhalenkurtz
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30 May 2013, 4:00 am

It's people work.


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30 May 2013, 5:52 am

A commercial kitchen can be stressful, chefs are often temperamental with anger management issues, bullying could be an issue. A good team will help and support each other, comradery often develops if encouraged.

A lot depends on how well the kitchen is managed and if the systems in place are functional, same as any other job really.

Starting at this age, your nephew is going to get a good understanding of the basics. Once he develops his own methods of working I'm sure he could do well.



Ettina
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30 May 2013, 8:11 am

If his intense interest is cooking, and he's good at it, then chef sounds like a great job. (You don't need good people skills - chefs have a reputation for being temperamental.)



Rudywalsh
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30 May 2013, 8:27 am

It's a stressful job. I was a chef for a while and couldn't stand the stress of someone shouting at me and telling me what to do.

If it is your sons passion i'm sure he will do fine. Just make sure he either has an understanding boss who is nice to work with, or he can become his own boss.
If he is a good chef, then there is good money to be made in been a private chef, door to door.



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30 May 2013, 9:01 am

I could never handle all the pressure and crowds and noise and having to do ten things at once while being yelled at by a tyrannical boss. Just like I could never handle any other real job. :(



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30 May 2013, 5:35 pm

He's going to have to communicate with the servers and change orders on the fly, and he'll have to multi task like crazy. I couldn't do it, but I think he should definitely look into it. His passion for it might motivate him to find a way to balance his issues and doing his job.



Callista
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30 May 2013, 5:39 pm

He likes cooking and baking, specifically... I wonder if a position as a head chef would really be the best one for him? It seems that in big restaurants, the chefs do a lot of delegating; they don't really do the work themselves because they have to look at the big picture. What if he were to, say, work at a bakery, or work as a cook at a restaurant instead of being in charge of one? It depends on how much he wants to do the precise work of cooking and how much he would prefer to try to make up new things. At any rate, he's 14 now and that's high time to put him through a home ec or cooking class, if his high school offers one. It'll probably be too easy for him, but at least it'll expose him to how other people think about food and entertaining people.


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tall-p
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30 May 2013, 10:24 pm

claymonster wrote:
Are there any chefs or cooks here that could tell me how the career is for them?

Long ago I lost my job in an advertising company as an artist, and I took a series of jobs waiting tables. I enjoyed waiting tables... they were the most social jobs I ever had. But I wasn't making much money. My sister in law suggested we make carrot cakes and sell them to my restaurant. The business took off and I ended up serving 80 restaurants for 15 years. I had many of the best restaurants in Washington DC, and Baltimore as my customers. The Palm, The Prime Rib, The National Press Club, Kramer Books and Afterwords, in D.C., and the Belvedere Hotel in Baltimore were all faithful accounts. This is a business that can be started up in your home, and is still possible in most cities.

I would be more than happy to give you my original carrot cake recipe if you would like to try it. There's none better. Guaranteed.


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30 May 2013, 10:40 pm

definite NO



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30 May 2013, 10:44 pm

Long hours and you would be boss to a lot of people with all types of personalities and have to deal with a lot of compromise i.e. whoever owned the restaurant might disagree with your way of doing things.

I'd say probably not.

Maybe chef in a test kitchen or something like that.



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30 May 2013, 10:46 pm

tall-p wrote:
I would be more than happy to give you my original carrot cake recipe if you would like to try it. There's none better. Guaranteed.


If that is open to anyone, I would like it, if you feel like PMing it, but it is up to you.