The hospitality industry is the industry that is responsible for providing primarily food services and accommodations in places such as hotels, resorts, conference centers and theme or amusement parks. It includes the catering business, which provides food services to institutions (such as schools, hospitals, or governmental operations), private industry (such as corporate cafeterias or motion picture studios), and private parties primarily.

Food production is a department in a hospitality establishment which is involved in preparation of food – a process, in which raw materials are cooked, combined and transformed to make a dish. Thus, food production is a key function of the hospitality industry. The food production department comprises of main kitchen, banquet kitchen, soup section, pantry section, pastry section, baking & confectionary section, and vegetable section. Sections may vary based on the scale and star category of a hotel or hospitality establishment.

With increased inflow of both international and domestic tourists, the scope of food production has been widening at a fast pace in India. Today, a chef does more than cooking and has to handle many responsibilities. Being a chef requires great experience and a flair for cooking. A chef is responsible for overseeing subordinates and the work they do. The chef is also responsible for menu planning and menu engineering; and the special dishes to be added from time to time. He/she is also responsible for creating recipes, indenting and costing. A chef supervises the purchasing, preparation of food, organization of kitchen, equipment required in the kitchen, recruitment of staff, maintaining the cleanliness and inspecting the quality of raw materials to be used in cooking; and at the same time be aware of safety standards.

Pursuing a career as a chef is challenging, exciting and rewarding at the same time. Promotion from a junior chef to a head chef may take years and is competitive, but if one has that extra edge and is focused, one could be a famous chef at a young age. One can even opt for self-employment and if one has the confidence and skills, one can open up one’s own restaurant/hotel/cafe.