Hey Maria!! Seek out small local restaurants, bakeries, and delis to get some experience. As a restaurant owner, I LOVE new employees like you because I can train them my way! As a PhD Nutritionist, my facility specializes in fat free, sugar free-no Splenda, and gluten free products to serve, deliver, and ship. We make our brownies out of black beans,no flour, our tortillas and icing out of cauliflower, and our Hearty bean burger took 4th in Taste of Home. I've been on Dr. Oz, GMA, GMH, and starting a build your own restaurant for Food Network this spring. Don't let people crush a dream!!! It is long hours and hard work; but very rewarding!! Try a hands on cooking class to check your true interest; then apply for a grant. You can receive up to 6000.00 in tuition! As a Doctor, I truly believe the right foods are a cure all and many of my patients are off all diabetes meds, BP and cholesterol meds, and cancer Rx because of tasty dietary changes. Cooking can be fun, it is a way to show your creativity, and you can save lives!! Go for it!! Good Luck!!

Most Colleges have a great introduction to Culinary Art class it's only a years course. It will help you a lot if that's what you looking for.

Apply to Argosy or Arts institute of Atlanta, or the cordon blue institute.

The best suggestion that I have for you is to locate if there is one in your hometown or surrounding area a culinary school. Also yes, a local restaurant which might offer you the chance to get into the kitchen.

Cooking at home and cooking professionally are two very different critters. I would suggest reading Anthony Bourdain's, "Kitchen Confidential". Professional kitchens are harsh environments. You have to be fast, be able to follow instructions the first and every time. If you are remotely sensitive about anything, it is not the place for you. The hours are long, the pay is low, you are on your feet the entire time, and you have to have thick skin. That said, it can also be very rewarding and fun. I would suggest contacting some local caterers first, as a way to ease your way in. The pace tends to be less frenetic and it is a good starting point. Good luck.

Hi Maria, you might have to travel to make your dream come true, Look for opportunities outside of your area, I am sure you will find something. Be creative, maybe you could volunteer, Are you willing to travel? How bad do you want it?

Maria,

I do not wish to crush your dreams but I want to give you some perspective. The chefs that you see on Food Network all have careers that are 20+ years or more. If you chose the life of a chef you are choosing to marry a business that will be your life. It is long hours and hard work. However, if all you can think about is being a chef from the moment you wake up until you go to sleep then pursue your dream.

You love cooking when are at home so hone those skills and then be bold enough to find a restaurant you love, meet with their head chef tell them what your dreams and desires are and asked to be hired on.

Sounds crazy? Maybe but with a total of a year and a half that is exactly what I did when I was in college and I ended up working here - www.galthouse.com .

I still love to cook but I did not make it my career.

All the best in your pursuit and I look forward to seeing the next post from Chef Maria Snyder.

Maria, I have worked every position within the restaurant industry from sommelier to head chef, it has been a wonderful learning experience. work extremely hard on your knife skills and approach the finest restaurant that sparks your culinary interest and see if you can do a kitchen trail, start high you want to learn from the best, culinary schools are popping up everywhere and the talent level of the instructors is becoming watered down. find the best and keep going back. I did my externship with Jonathan Waxman at Washington Park, worked hard, stayed late and was asked to join the staff. being with his talented changed my view on cooking forever. best of luck, Jason C.

Well, if tuition is an issue, I would apply at any local high-end restaurants. You'll probably start out washing dishes and doing a lot of grunt work, but if you work hard and focus and become reliable (and a lot of people go in and out of this industry; turnover is very high) the chef(s) may start to include you on the line doing some cooking. And then moving you up further. That's how some great chefs got their start in the business. But you'll have to suck it in and expect to start at the bottom rung and work HARD. And LONG hours! (And that's not a bad thing; you can still experience the vibe and the work flow of a professional kitchen---and I'm not talking about fast food places.) Good luck, keep us posted.

If you love being in a kitchen your half way there brush up on your knife skills at home find a good school and apply we all started some where. Good luck