Executive Chef Pauly Sing Says “Passion” and “Right Attitude” are Key Ingredients to Career Success.
It may be tough at the top… but the journey can be just as challenging! Not least, for an aspiring chef in a profession that probably, like no other, demands absolute dedication and resilience to achieve success in your chosen career.
Up and coming Executive, Sous Chef, Pauly Sing believes “passion”, a “strong work ethic” and “right attitude” are the key ingredients needed to overcome many of the obstacles along the way. Not least, the relentless pressure of a full-on restaurant kitchen.
Natural love and ability for cooking
Pauly currently plies his creative skills in the cuisine arts at Central Victoria’s Ballarat leading restaurants, ‘Moon and Mountain’ and ‘Ragazzone’. However, his natural love and ability for cooking was instinctively recognised at a very early age.
“I was always in my Grandmother’s bakery, sitting on the bench, helping with pastries and learning from her; this is where my spark developed to become a chef”. There was even a first ‘spark’ of success when the fledgling chef, aged just 6 years old, was featured in the local newspaper working alongside his Nan in her bakery.
“The kitchen is one of the most stressful jobs in the world”
Although Pauly admits he was already a “picky eater” during his childhood, it’s recalled very clearly that he “was always fascinated by restaurant kitchens when dining out with his family”. It wasn’t long before Pauly was on the inside of the kitchen door and starting his apprenticeship during his teens. It was also an early wake up call says Pauly, “I was put through enough ‘bad’ experiences to make anyone want to leave the trade, but I stuck with it to pursue my passion with food”.
Dealing with the many pressures that build up in the kitchen can be one of the biggest obstacles for a chef or restaurant worker to overcome. Pauly is unequivocal, “The kitchen is one of the most stressful jobs in the world, not everybody can do it or keep going along the path. There is a lot of sacrifices needed to make a career as a chef”.
Opportunity to open first restaurant aged 21
Pauly was certainly made of the right stuff, which led to taking on early managerial duties. Not only did he display advanced cooking skills at an early age, as his apprenticeship came to an end he now found himself running a busy kitchen in Noosa resort on southern Queensland’s Sunshine Coast. Aged only 21, Pauly was then was given the opportunity to open his first restaurant in Shanghai – complete with an Australian theme, no less.
Important to have support from your family and friends
In his current position as Sous Chef, Pauly believes that if you have “strong support from the team you are working with, and you have a strong passion, you will succeed”. Touching again on the pressures that build up in a restaurant kitchen, “Managing a work life balance is one of the biggest stresses. Missing out on being with friends and family can take its toll, so it’s important to have support from your family and friends, also”.
Which invariably leads to the question, what does Pauly do to de-stress when he is away from the restaurant kitchen?
“I am always working with new ingredients and equipment”
No prizes for guessing! As every truly dedicated, restaurant professional with a passion for food – when Pauly is not at work, all he does is cook! “I am at home experimenting with ideas that come to me in the kitchen. I am always teaching myself and developing new skills, working with new ingredients and equipment”.
A new generation of young chefs should definitely take a note from the Pauly Sing menu of how to make it in the food industry. According to Pauly, “Its not all about fame or ‘Master Chef’ as seen on TV. The industry is cut throat and exhausting”. His advice to be successful is to “have passion for food, the right attitude to get the job done, and a strong work ethic”.
Ingredients that really have helped Pauly Sing ‘overcome kitchen stress to plate up his career success!’
Check out Pauly Sing’s culinary skills: https://www.instagram.com/chefpaulysing/
