Question: I’m interested in becoming a chef. Can you suggest websites or ideas that would give me practical experiences to “test-drive” the field?
Answer:

Here's a link to an interesting interview with a real chef. He talks about how he found his way to becoming and chef and what he likes about his work: THE RELUCTANT GOURMET: Chef Alan Bickel

Here’s another good suggestion from one of our readers:

I just returned from spending a few hours at the local "soup kitchen" in our town. It is a great way to get experience if you want to explore the food industry and what it's like to work as a professional cook. There was a professional chef directing the operation. Cooking for a few hundred people takes a lot of skill and knowledge about how to organize things like coordinating others with specific tasks and figuring out how much food to portion out for the numbers you're feeding. Volunteering your time is the easiest way to get into a kitchen setting. Your local homeless shelter or soup kitchen is always looking for help.