Culinary Career

How to Unlock the Career:

This is the 2nd Career you'll be able to unlock, and would probably do so upon getting your 2nd sim. Unlike the Barista career, this would have 5 stages of position like the other jobs that are available. The Chef career takes place in the restaurant, which is located at the market square. So technically, you need to reach level 4 (which would unlock, the market square) in order to unlock the career. The restaurant is on the northwest corner of the market place, sitting beside the fashion studio building.

However, if you're already an employee there and you wish to access your work place, simply pick the sim that is currently enlisted in a position there (or working out the story), and then pick the car icon in the left most part of the screen, and then the star icon (star icon indicates that the sim currently has a job / or in shift -- otherwise, you'll see a briefcase icon), that will instantly bring you to the sim's work location.

Out of the Frying Pan (Culinary Career)

- a struggling restaurant needs your help.

Level // Required Career Points to Advance // Story Progress

Level 1 - 30 career points - unlocks 1st Chapter (Grill Gofer)

Level 2 - 90 career points

Level 3 - 180 career points - unlocks 2nd Chapter (Flavor Savior)

Level 4 - 300 career points

Level 5 - 420 career points - unlocks 3rd Chapter (Dish Whisperer)

Level 6 - 600 career points

Level 7 - 780 career points - unlocks 4th Chapter (Umami Expert)

Level 8 - 1050 career points

Max Level - Top Position (Longshot Chef)

Quick notes:

New Chapter Starter Events - every new chapter (or promotion in careers) in the game, there will be some sort of starter events -- that will be played out similar to a work shift. As you advance through the chapters of any career, the duration needed to qualify in these starter events become longer (e.g. 1st chapter is more like that of a Quick Shift, but during the 3rd to 4th chapter, they will take 3-4 hours like the Standard Shift). Take note that the career points you earn here will be carried out to the next chapter.

The career level isn't exactly in-sync with the story progress. For example, if SIM "A" has reached Level 5 and "Dish Whisperer" story progress in the Culinary career and then shifted to another career, when he/she gets back to the Culinary career, he/she'll continue from where he/she left off (which will be Level 5 Chef and Dish Whisperer in the story progress). However, if SIM "B" will take on the Culinary career, he/she will start from Level 1 of the career, although story progress would remain to be in "Dish Whisperer" until the new sim reaches a level where the story could progress (e.g. Level 7 -- the requirement of Umami Expert Chapter).

Quick Shift - rewards 30 career points (usually an hour)

Standard Shift - rewards 90 career points (usually 3-4 hours)

Long Shift - rewards 180 career points (usually 6-8 hours); becomes available at Level 4 in career.

Quick Shift (with bigger rewards) - becomes available at Level 6 in career, rewards 75 career points.

Standard Shift (with bigger rewards) - becomes available at Level 7 in career, rewards 225 career points.

Every time you reach new heights in this career, you'll be able to unlock a certain collection of items relevant to the career itself. Usually, you'll find this in the career collections when in "Build Mode". To see where the newly unlocked items are, simply follow through the options with a red dot marker on top as this indicates that there is something new to find there.

To get you the shortlist of what items to expect (to unlock), click on the sim setting button (on top of the car icon button at the lower left part of the screen), pick the "All Stories" blue-button on the "stories" window, and when you get there, pick the career tab (2nd tab on top of the screen), and then the career which you are prospecting. For instance, the Culinary career would give you professional kitchen stuff like Gourmet Kitchen Island, a Utensil Rack, and a Pot Rack.

You should be mindful of the items you unlock though. Even if you get to "Unlock" something when you progress, this does not necessarily mean that you already have the actual item. What this usually mean is that you are entitled now to purchase that unlocked item. In most cases, you'll unlock multiple stuff each time you earn progress (e.g. a step-up in your Career position). Also, everything that you purchase for workplace will continue to be there even if the particular employee you set there shifts into another career.

See to it that you are aware what you pay for. Oftentimes, you'll encounter stuff that needs to be purchased with SimCash -- which are notably harder to come by. During the initial levels, try to stick to the stuff that are sold in Simoleons, and save up your SimCash for unlocking your 3rd sim to enable you to multitask on 3 Sims at a time.

Shifting to another Career:

Make sure you have the pre-requisites of the career you want. Usually, different careers in the game have level restrictions -- most notably the careers that are located in Downtown which requires your player level to be at least 15 (to unlcok downtown in the map). Aside from that, each of the buidings there have their own level requirements -- like for instance, the "Club" for the DJ career, which needs you to be at least level 23 before you get to unlock it.

Most of the buildings found in the game are the ones that bring you the different job posts. Aside from the cafe and restaurant which you get to unlock for free during the tutorial phase, each time you unlock a new building, you'll have to pay a fee. This fee also increases every time you unlock a new building/career.

For example:

Career Location -- Unlock Fee

Cafe -- Free

Restaurant -- Free

3rd Location (either medical center, agency, or fashion studio) -- 100 Simoleons

4th Location (either medical center, agency, or fashion studio) -- 575 Simoleons

...and fees go higher as you unlock further careers in the game.

To actually get a new career, simply click on the briefcase icon found upon entering the building of your new career choice. If you will shift from a top position of your previous career, you'll have to pay 100 Simoleons before being able to shift to the new career. Otherwise, you'll be asked to pay only 25 Simoleons.