what steps do I have to take to be a chef with a television show?

I asked Mario Batali ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mario_Batali ) about this very subject when he showed me around his recent Eataly expansion in Manhattan in May 2011.

Basically, you have to prove yourself as an apprentice and an assistant and become competent in a whole host of different cooking techniques, including the presentation, to wind up with your own television show. This will take many years.

Your end goal is definitely in the realm of possibilities, and I don't want to discourage you from pursuing it, but it requires a lot more work than many young chefs expect nowadays, who sort of expect to "run the show" after just a short while.

Read Batali's bio. His path to his food empire was certainly not paved with gold along the way and I would imagine the same is true of most celebrity chefs nowadays.

So: what are the first steps you take? Work in a restaurant to see if you have the commitment and desire to invest the effort in working your way up in the restaurant world.

If you like it, great; then you know you can put in the long hours and hard work - with no immediate payoff - to invest in your career as as a chef.

Otherwise, there is no shame in switching to something else that suits your interest.

To sum up, being a celebrity chef with your own restaurant, store, television show, etc. is the tippety top of the food chain, and you have to be comfortable with the roles that are required to get there as well if you want to eventually try to become one. Good luck - if you put the time in I am sure you can cook up something great!

It's awesome to find something you enjoy and feel good at it. As a junior, now is a good time to explore the restaurants that are around you. Being in New York, there are hundreds of restaurants that would take someone on (paid or unpaid) for a few months, maybe a summer, for what is called a trail or stage. Its like an internship. It gives you a chance to learn about how a professional kitchen works and begin to make some connections. This is not as much about being recognized as it is about continuing to learn. Do some research on restaurants that you can get excited about and seek out a trail or stage.