PEDESTRIAN.TV has partnered with the William Angliss Institute aka the specialist training centre for food, tourism, hospo and events. Find out more HERE.
Food, sweet food. It gives you something to do with your hands during an awkward convo, makes hangovers slightly more bearable, proves that it’s OK to moan in public, and is just downright imperative to living a fulfilled life.
And look, in a world where avocado lattes and rainbow burgers are a thing, we really didn’t think food in its current form could get much better. But imagine if you were getting paid to indulge in your love of food. It’d be the dream, yeah? Well, no need to wake from this one cupcakes, because below are several professions you can crack into if you froth on good grub.
1. BECOME A SAVAGE FOOD CRITIC
Look, you can’t just wake up one day and say, “I’m gonna be a food critic!” unless you’ve got writing skills and true knowledge of the field. For example, you can’t just say that the sauce was good and you’d be a return customer because of it. You’d have to be more like, “The glaze was cooked to perfection and an outstanding balance of sweet and sour, which complemented the moist chicken breast phenomenally.“
Think of a basic menu then think of one of those jibberish menus that are hard to decipher on an empty stomach. You’ll need to be the latter.
But if you reckon you’ve got what it takes, you’ll literally be able to wine and dine for free just for your valued opinion. Start a blog so you’ve got something to show for yourself should the job listing come up.
2. GET ‘ROUND THE ACT OF MYSTERY SHOPPING
When you work at a fast food chain you may get to eat mistake orders – you know, when back of house make a burger with chilli even though the customer clearly said no chilli. Better in your mouth than the bin, right?
But you’ll also come across beautiful creatures called “mystery shoppers” who literally order from you, eat the order, judge your service and get paid for it. Yes, not only do they get the meal for free, they get paid to eat it as well. That’s really something. Find out more HERE but be warned, this kind of work in generally part-time or casual. You’re not going to make a living off the gig, but it *is* quite the way to spend your free time.
3. USE YOUR INFLUENCE FOR THE GREATER GOOD
Yes, this is the world we live in now. If you’ve got anywhere over a couple of thousand followers on the gram (+ decent engagement) you should look at monetising your food intake. Even if you can’t actually receive money for eating somewhere and tagging them on the ‘gram, you should be able to get the meal for free. How? Lauren Dunn of The Cooked Cook, who has just over 2K followers, told PEDESTRIAN.TV:
“I have always been a massive foodie and wanted to find a way to monetise my love of eating and cooking.
“I have only been up and running on Instagram for a couple of months and have already been contacted by a range of cafes, restaurants and brands to come and eat for free or to sample their products in exchange for coverage on my Instagram account.”
4. TASTE LIKE YOU’VE NEVER TASTED BEFORE
Legit taste testers generally work in a food company’s product development department testing variations of ingredients, textures and flavours, so that it’s tip top for the consumer by the time it hits shelves. You may require a degree in nutrition. You may also get fat. But if you wanna temperate test whether or not it’s for you, ALDI takes applicants for their ALDI Testers Club HERE and Taste.com.au has a program called Taste Testers HERE.
5. GET INTO THE HOSPO INDUSTRY
Chefs might actually make the food, but they also care about the food, presentation and multi-sensory experience rather than just scoffing it down. Trust me, I dated a chef and he did not like my ravenous and unappreciative ways when it came to dining out. Plus, you’ll bet your sweet tookus that chefs get complimentary dishes where they work and cop leftovers.
William Angliss Institute has courses for all-things food and hospitality from commercial cookery to patisserie – available in Melbourne, Lilydale and Sydney. Their midyear intake’s also available rn.
Plus, a qualification (read: credibility) will put you in a more sustainable spot against the Insta crowd, and you won’t be taken for a ride for the sake of easy publicity.
Go on now, taste the rainbow of employment.
Photo: 30 Rock.
