Australia, we’re in the midst of a crisis.
Forget global warming or the struggling dairy industry. We are experiencing a chef-shortage crisis. And celebrity chef, Colin Fassnidge, has blamed it on the ‘laziness’ of Australia’s youth.
The head chef of Sydney's 4Fourteen restaurant told The Daily Telegraph, "I think it’s a generational thing, myself."
“A lot of young people don’t want to work hard — it’s now all about kids with tweezers wanting to put dots on plates. So when they start out, they’re like ‘oh this is hard’. Being a chef is like being in the army. You have to get stuff done, and it has to be good.”
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The Quicky
Top Comments
I wouldnt want to be a chef ever
Long hours crap.pay screw that
Do you think the ongoing debate about penalty rates that continues to drag on might have anything to do with shortages in hospitality?
The wage to cost of living ratio today is far worse than it was for much older generations. For a new school graduate deciding whether to invest in four years of training to become a chef, the payoff for the inhospitable working hours and conditions could possibly become a lot less very soon.
If I was evaluating a choice between an apprenticeship in a kitchen and an apprenticeship in something such as construction, I know which would have more financial appeal. It's not a matter of greed, it's a matter of survival.
As for Mr Fassnidge, respect begets respect. Continue to cry out about an entire generation being lazy if he likes but I can't see that motivating more young people to apply to work for him.