Cooking for the rich and famous can be a high-pressure job. You'll be expected not only to prepare fine gourmet meals but to present them in a visually pleasing way.

You'll spend hours on your feet, and may come to feel that the kitchen is your home as you begin preparation for one meal directly after cleaning up after the last one.

"The customer is always right," is a motto that could be applied to resort cooking more than almost any other job. As a chef you must be able to follow directions to the letter, work quickly and efficiently, and keep a clean work space. Your cooking will be held to the strictest standards. As someone who prepares meals at a luxury resort, you must be able to deliver exactly what you - via the menu - promise.

The transient nature of culinary careers at resort settings can be a challenge, as a chef who has worked in New England and Norway explains:

"You're working under one person and you learn the way they like doing things, then you move to another resort. You have to adjust to a whole new way of doing things."

She adds that each resort has its own pace:

"For example, a resort in New York might serve a seven-course dinner, so things are relaxed and move slowly. At a more rural or remote resort, things move much more quickly, and that can be a shock to the system. With that comes the noise level and other hazards of the job."

Finally, working as a chef requires a strong commitment to what you're doing. Working twelve or fourteen hours per day will teach you very quickly how committed you really are.

INTERVIEW - Resort Chefs >>>