Chad Clift took an unusual route to break into the food industry. He
moved to New York City and attended Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary
Arts after he graduated from high school—which isn’t unusual, but then
he did something extraordinary: he moved back home to found the
community five-star restaurant Swanky’s in Mossy Rock, Washington.
Here’s a more conventional track that you can use to break into the food industry:
- Get an apprenticeship. Chad Clift went to school to learn from top-notch chefs in a classroom and mock kitchen setting. He worked briefly as an apprentice to a top chef in New York before he returned home to Washington. Most chefs start their career apprenticing for more experienced chefs because the time with an expert who trains them gives them an excellent resource for references in the future and they can tell you about job openings themselves.
- Learn a wide range of skills. Retail workers call this being cross-trained. If you know how to make and do a wide range of things, you’ll find more opportunities in different areas of the food industry.
- Communicate and network. Working as a chef, as Chad Clift knows, is just like any other job. Opportunities will be there for those who have friends in the industry. Clift got much of his initial funding for his project in his hometown from connections he made in chef school.
