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All in the detail...
 Details missed out can lead to big trouble... did you hear about the accountant who left out a vital decimal point? Believe us, you don’t want to know.
These days everything revolves around deadlines, meetings, rushing around like headless chooks so much so that some actually thrive on flying by the seat of their pants and forget all about precision and attention to detail.
Practical skills are always important too as most jobs require using equipment of all sorts – even if it is just a phone or computer. The more practical you are, the more likely you’ll find easy and alternative ways to get your tasks done.
‘Chef, yes chef!’
G’day mate! Put another burger on the barbie and think sun, sea, surf... and of course, skills. We’re talking to Aussie chef, Ben O’Donoghue. You thought Desperate Dan had all the pies... well think again!
 Ben works in London and Australia, and is more than just your average chef. He is Creative Director of the Great Australian Pie Company, author of a variety of cookbooks and co-presents Australian cookery show, ‘Surfing the Menu’ as well as making numerous television appearances, even alongside the likes of Anthony Worrall Thompson!
After finishing the equivalent of A-levels (TEE) in Western Australia, Ben took a gap year and started working in a kitchen. One four-year apprenticeship later, he began working in restaurants throughout Australia, including award winning Jessica’s Fine seafood restaurant in Perth, and the groovy Tribeca restaurant in Sydney. Ben then worked at famous The River Café here in UK and went on to take position as Head Chef at the exclusive Monte’s Club in Knightsbridge with Jamie Oliver.
So how does Ben describe his job and the skills he uses?
'I’d  say my job is creative, putting together seasonal menus and coming up with fresh new ideas,’ says Ben. ‘And high on the list of skills is good communication and being organised. You need to be able to relay information, such as your ideas and why you’re doing things and also receive and understand what your superiors are telling you.’
Being a chef also means handling different types of equipment from wooden spoons to scary mincing machines, that could cause harm if not used properly. Paying attention to health and safety guidelines is a high priority, i.e. keeping the environment hygienic and safe whilst working in a methodical, systematic way without letting the work surfaces get cluttered.
Ben studied biology and geography at college before his apprenticeship, and enjoyed them. So are these subjects useful now? ‘I was always interested in biology and that background has really helped me. Take food science for example, you need to find the best thickening agents, not to mention biological safety... how to reduce contamination and how harmful micro-organisms grow. Plus there’s the whole animal husbandry side to a chef’s knowledge... farming and sourcing the best ingredients... meats, veggies and all.
 How many of us have sat in a science lesson, with a measuring cylinder full of liquid on the bench, squinting to see the meniscus ... and wonder, ‘do we really have to measure it so accurately?’ Chefs are lucky, they can get away with bunging any amount of ingredients together, can’t they? You’d think.
‘Accuracy and measuring skills are important in a professional kitchen,’ says Ben. ‘Especially when it comes to pastry... too much flour and fat can make the pastry oily and heavy. You need to pay attention when slicing prosciutto evenly and precisely. We need to make sure we get our savoury sauce recipes right, and control the portions and volumes. When you’re working at an industrial level, portions matter. If you’re making huge amounts of, say pies, you need to multiply up the amounts in a recipe... and this means getting your maths right.’
We asked Ben what his advice would be to Planet Science readers thinking about their future career.
‘The most important thing is to be passionate... and you get out of things what you put into them.’ So, with skills like these, the world is your oyster... (but don’t tell Ben, he’ll try and cook it... the oyster that is, not the world!).
http://www.benodonoghue.com
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