We have prepared for you an inspiring interview with the experienced chef Alexander Bozhilov.

He is a Bulgarian Chef with international background in gastronomy who is willing to share with you some insights about Chef’s position and his life as food appreciator and “cooking artist”.

We are finding him in a university’s training kitchen, where he is currently leading youth towards successful carrier in the culinary world.

Question (Q) - "How did you become a chef? Was it an area you always wanted to pursue?"

My father was the one who introduced me into the profession of the cook. He was also a Chef for whole his life and this was a path I’ve always knew I’ll take some day. Personally, I’ve always seen myself as a cook and I continued to pursue this profission willingly.

Q - "In which institution did you took your vocational training course?"

I completed my secondary education at a VET school specialized in catering in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, where I acquired valuable basic culinary competences – both theoretical knowledge and practical skills. Soon after graduating I decided to travel and work as a cook abroad and also to explore the world. I’ve learnt may things in the process, but I would say that the preparation I got at school laid the foundations and opened many doors for me professionally and contributed to my further employment first abroad, and then also when I returned to Bulgaria.

Q - "Did your professional training meet what is expected of you as a "Chef" and as a "leader" in a top kitchen?”

The education I received gave me a solid foundation to build on but it prepared me to be a cook, not exactly a Chef. Following my professional path I‘ve faced many challenges, I’ve learnt many lessons, and many choices I had to make. So generally, the practice and experience I had shaped me as a professional and as a leader in the kitchen. Of course the personal attitudes and quilities were also cruitial in this process. I wanted to become a Chef one day and purposefully developed those set of skills that I need for the position.

Q - "What do you think are the most important skills and attitudes a chef should have?"

Anyone who has decided to become a Chef (one day) should know that this profession requires not only a lot of dedication and work, but also a set of key skills that are needed for successful development and employment.

For example, a very important moment in the daily work of the chef is the work under stress and constant tension, and the ability to make decisions very quickly in a dynamic environment. Creativity and innovative thinking are also extremely important skills that come into hand, not only when designing and preparing innovative dishes, but also in case of an unexpected problem that cannot be solved in the traditional way.

Q - "Do you consider that these skills and attitudes are included in the provision of vocational training that exists in the culinary field in Bulgaria?"

In general, yes. I believe that the necessary skills and competencies for the profession of cook in Bulgaria are at the required level. In the last years, the overall quality of the vocational education in Bulgaria has improved significantly, students have more and more opportunities to go on mobility, to travel abroad and gain international experience. As a principle they are quite well prepared to enter directly to the labour market but usually on lower positions – such as cook, comis, etc. The Chef position requires grater amount of professional background and experience and usually the employers will not offer this job to a recent graduate. Some of the trainees advance very fast because of their personal desire and motivation – they step on what they have learnt at school and continue to build on it by constantly improving themselves through personal reading, self-learning, etc. Unfortunately in this they could not rely on official educational or training programmes, because such do not currently exist as options.

Q - "Leave a message for the new generation of chefs"

The message I would like to transfer to the young chefs is to be dedicated to what they do, to invest passion, energy and desire, and most of all: to do everything with a lots of love.