After an ethereal meal at Restaurant Daniel, do you secretly, or not so secretly, wish that you could recreate the fricassée of Dover sole with rock shrimp at your next dinner party? When calling Per Se for a reservation, do you ever feel like asking for a job instead? How can aspiring cooks, whether they want to make a career out of it or not, get into a bustling restaurant kitchen?

Becoming familiar with the restaurant scene in your area is the first step. Review food magazines, the New York Times and your local newspapers' food sections, and food blogs to create a list of appealing restaurants and then visit them. Eating out is an enjoyable way to do research and get to know chefs and their restaurants. Relationships develop over time, and restaurants appreciate their regulars, so frequent a place where you would like to work as often as possible. Sitting at the bar and ordering a drink and an appetizer or two will allow you to visit more places than you might if you had to pay for a tasting menu every time. However, service is highly intense and pressure filled part of the day, so there may not be more than a few minutes or possibly seconds for a conversation with the chef.

When you do get to meet the chef in his or her restaurant, asking an authentic question or two, about a specific technique or ingredient or anything that really intrigues you, may make your encounter more meaningful than if you simply "want to say hi to the chef." Engaged chefs like to discuss their work, and are more likely to spend time talking about it with someone who is genuinely interested.

David Lerner, a prominent New York psychologist, dined in at Arpège in Paris last August, and did just that: "Granted it was during the off-season and the restaurant was filled with Japanese and American tourists, but the staff seemed surprised to see that I was dining alone and had asked to slow down the progression of my meal," he explained. "And when I carried on about the turnips, Alain Passard came out of the kitchen and sat down at the table with me and we talked for a long time, all because I kept raving about those turnips."

There are some nearly guaranteed ways to meet chefs: Sitting at the chef's table, which is often located in the kitchen itself, is a perfect way to meet the chef (if one potentially pricy). In restaurants with an open kitchen, you might also be able to sit at a counter right by the kitchen, which will allow you to strike up a conversation with the chef and cooks if they are not too busy. Many restaurants, like Patina in Los Angeles and L'Etoile in Madison, Wisc., also offer in-house cooking classes where you can create seasonal dishes directly with the executive chef of the restaurant.

Volunteering is another way to gain great exposure and a possible foot in the door. It puts a face to an experience. A chef may not remember you specifically among the many volunteers, but he or she may remember that the Starchefs Rising Star Awards went flawlessly and you were a part of that. Food enthusiasts, with and without experience, flock to the James Beard Foundation to work with the visiting chefs from around the country who host showcase dinners. Not only do volunteers get to meet and work with restaurant chefs and cooks (a great networking opportunity), but they see how chefs work, how they teach, and how they handle stress.

Before you commit to a full externship or "stage," you may want to try out life as a chef for a short period of time. VocationVacations allows you to "test drive your dream career"; for a small fee you can spend two days with a chef, a brew master, a food critic, or a personal chef to get a glimpse of your new life. Other programs, like Chef for a Day at Brennan's in Houston, offer the chance to spend a day in a restaurant and participate in food preparation, as you learn tips and techniques directly from the chef.

Externships provide new cooks the opportunity to work or "shadow" in a kitchen. Externship length is often determined by the restaurant, though some are more flexible than others. Some training helps when trying to get chefs to take you seriously; if you have not yet attended culinary school or have no restaurant experience, invest in special skill classes, such as knife skills or culinary boot camps. They will help you be faster, which is essential in a professional kitchen. Obviously the more time and interest a cook can contribute to a kitchen the more likely he or she will be taken seriously.

Chefs do want to see that you are interested in their food, their concept, their history, especially if you're thinking about joining their restaurant. When interviewing a potential stagiaire or cook, Akhtar Nawab, Executive Chef of E.U., says "If I ask a question: ‘I look for no less than a one-year commitment, do you think that is something you can offer?' I look for a decisive, uninhibited ‘yes.' I look for absolutism. I need to know that they are at least familiar with what we are trying to do." And as much as chefs want to find the right candidate for their kitchens, it is important to find the right kitchen for you. "Don't work at a place where you don't believe in the food you are making or the chef behind it," Gina DePalma, executive pastry chef of Babbo, asserted. "Never become the kind of cook that just collects a paycheck, because eventually it will eat away at you, and it will show on your plates and in your attitude. Instead, try to find a place that excites you, with a chef that is willing to invest in you and thinks of you as a valuable member of a team."

Ready for a full-time job? Sending a letter or even just a resume is a simple yet effective way for people to get into high-end restaurants. "Often, chefs don't have time to meet with the candidate when the candidate is dropping off his/her resume," David Lee, sous chef of The Modern, explained. "Therefore, having a good resume is essential. I look for candidates with passion, not necessarily with loads of experience. Being able to express yourself on paper is a communication skill. Being able to pay attention to little things is another skill that is crucial. I don't like to see a resume with spelling mistakes and grammatical errors. Taking some time to articulate yourself properly will give you a better chance of getting the job that you want."

Passion always sets one cook apart from another. Every chef will tell you that this is a difficult industry, one you have to dedicate your life and time to, so passion will be the motivation that drives you through the double shifts and endless herb plucking. Nicole Kaplan, executive pastry chef of Del Posto said, "the hours are long, the pay is low. Hopefully [prospects] are already aware of the downsides to this industry and still are excited to be doing it. I want to hire people who someday will take my job, not the ones to whom it is just a job."

"My advice would be to find the right place, and make sure that you are ready to dedicate the time to be successful," said Eric Ripert, chef-owner of Le Bernardin. "Have a long term goal and make sure what you do today does not clash with that vision. Have realistic expectations. For example, if you plan to be home on holidays or early in the evening, this is not the profession for you."

Regardless of the path you choose to make your way to a high-end restaurant's kitchen, it is important to understand what working in the food industry entails. "If you have no experience, or even limited experience, work in a restaurant for free for a time," said Dan Barber, chef and co-owner of Blue Hill and Blue Hill at Stone Barns. "Make sure it's a place you want to invest time working in, as in, will this restaurant provide me with the kind of knowledge and training I want for my future? If it's an easy answer, you probably haven't invested the time to make the right decision."

Then, sometimes it's just plain luck and unexpected timing. Mario Batali used to periodically answer the reservation line at Babbo, so a simple phone call could have put you in contact with him directly. You might run into a chef at the market or in a bar. Have a 30-second speech ready for such occasions, so that you can make the most of them.

-- Courtney Knapp