Cooking: Is it a Craft or a Profession?

[ChaosSpiral]

So I have a weird character concept for a friend of mine's 3.5 campaign. He is doing something odd and he wants every character to have a craft, profession, or knowledge. I had the bright idea that I wanted to make a strange traveling chef, adventuring for the rarest ingredients. Finding himself in the frozen wasteland that we have found ourselves lost in. Main issue is.... I don't know if Cooking would be a craft cause it makes delicious food or would be the profession Cook. I know it is silly but what do you guys think?

[Vertharrad]

Profession (cook or cooking).

[BowStreetRunner]

Here is a list of every reference to a Craft or Profession that I was able to dig up way back when I was trying to put together a comprehensive list of skills.

Craft (basketweaving, bookbinding, calligraphy, carpentry, cobbling, gemcutting, leatherworking, locksmithing, painting, pottery, sculpting, shipmaking, stonemasonry, weaving) [only mentioned on PH70]
Craft (generalized rules) [PH71, CAd 97, EL 40]
Craft (alchemy) [PH71, DrU 45, EL 38, RDr 97]
Craft (armorsmithing) [PH71]
Craft (blacksmithing) [PH71, HB 94]
Craft (boat building) [Sto 84]
Craft (bowmaking) [PH71]
Craft (musical composition) [RS 131]
Craft (poisonmaking) [CAd 97, DrU 46]
Craft (siege engine) [HB 94]
Craft (weaponsmithing) [PH71, HB 94]
Craft (writing) [RS 131]
Craft (trapmaking) [PH71]
Profession (apothecary, boater, bookkeeper, brewer, cook, driver, farmer, fisher, guide, herbalist, herder, hunter, innkeeper, lumberjack, miller, porter, rancher, scribe, stablehand, tanner, teamster, woodcutter) [only mentioned on PH80]
Profession (executioner) [BV 39]
Profession (miner) [PH80, RDr 98]
Profession (sailor) [PH80, Sto 87]
Profession (siege engineer) [PH80, HB 95]

[Celestia]

Craft (writing)
Profession (scribe)
Wait a second...

[InvisibleBison]

Cooking can be both Profession and Craft. The difference is that Profession operates at a higher level of abstraction than Craft. When you're using Craft, you're creating a specific thing - in this case, a piece of food. When you're using Profession, you're earning money by working a trade - in this case, by cooking and selling food. If you can afford the skill points, your character probably should have both Craft and Profession; if not, I'd probably prioritize Craft, to represent your character's skill at producing food.

[BowStreetRunner]

Cooking can be both Profession and Craft. The difference is that Profession operates at a higher level of abstraction than Craft. When you're using Craft, you're creating a specific thing - in this case, a piece of food. When you're using Profession, you're earning money by working a trade - in this case, by cooking and selling food. If you can afford the skill points, your character probably should have both Craft and Profession; if not, I'd probably prioritize Craft, to represent your character's skill at producing food.

I'd pretty much agree with this. Think of it this way...lots of people can cook (craft) to some degree or another. Not every one can make money doing it (profession). Plus there are plenty of people working in the kitchen (profession) doing part of the job of making a meal who can't sit in a kitchen and make anything by themselves (craft).

[Lapak]

Someone with Craft:Food is a cook, and possibly a great one.

Someone with Profession:Cooking is a chef.

[Khedrac]

In general those with a high Wisdom take Professions, those with high Intellignce take Crafts...

To me they are different approaches to the same end and I am happy to let players schoose the one they will be better at.
So, "Cooking" is a craft, "Cook" and "Chef" are professions.

[SimonMoon6]

Wait a second...

I assume the difference is that a scribe merely copies words that have already been written, whereas someone with Craft (writing) is actually creating new written works.

[Falontani]

Craft: Food
Profession: Chef/Cook

I would choose Craft: Food over Profession: Chef/Cook because per the SRD
Fabricate
Transmutation
Level: Sor/Wiz 5
Components: V, S, M
Casting Time: See text
Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Target: Up to 10 cu. ft./level; see text
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: No
You convert material of one sort into a product that is of the same material. Creatures or magic items cannot be created or transmuted by the fabricate spell. The quality of items made by this spell is commensurate with the quality of material used as the basis for the new fabrication. If you work with a mineral, the target is reduced to 1 cubic foot per level instead of 10 cubic feet.

You must make an appropriate Craft check to fabricate articles requiring a high degree of craftsmanship.

Casting requires 1 round per 10 cubic feet (or 1 cubic foot) of material to be affected by the spell.

Material Component
The original material, which costs the same amount as the raw materials required to craft the item to be created.

So if you need a good meal on the fast you can just cast fabricate and turn your ingredients into the food, whereas a Chef's Spell would be:
Heroes’ Feast
Conjuration (Creation)
Level: Brd 6, Clr 6
Components: V, S, DF
Casting Time: 10 minutes
Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Effect: Feast for one creature/level
Duration: 1 hour plus 12 hours; see text
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: No
You bring forth a great feast, including a magnificent table, chairs, service, and food and drink. The feast takes 1 hour to consume, and the beneficial effects do not set in until this hour is over. Every creature partaking of the feast is cured of all diseases, sickness, and nausea; becomes immune to poison for 12 hours; and gains 1d8 temporary hit points +1 point per two caster levels (maximum +10) after imbibing the nectar-like beverage that is part of the feast. The ambrosial food that is consumed grants each creature that partakes a +1 morale bonus on attack rolls and Will saves and immunity to fear effects for 12 hours.

If the feast is interrupted for any reason, the spell is ruined and all effects of the spell are negated.

[Telonius]

The skills are related, but not identical. How I'd parse it:

Someone with Craft (Cooking) can earn money making delicious meals.

Someone with Profession (Restaurateur) can earn money running a restaurant.

[Vaern]

The difference between the two is that craft is used for the creation of specific items, while profession is a measure of labor performed over the course of a week. The way I see it, craft is an active skill while profession is generally used passively during a campaign's downtime.
A high check in craft (cooking) would indicate that you have created a single meal of high quality and value. In the wild, you may have someone roll a survival check to gather scraps of edible ingredients. A high craft check may allow a good chef to cook these scraps into a meal fit for a king.
A high check in profession (cooking) determines your income from cooking over the course of a week -- this may not necessarily indicate that your food was especially high quality during that period, but may also reflect a high volume of sales of average food, high customer satisfaction, and efficient management of your establishment.

[KillianHawkeye]

If you do cooking on a TV show, it actually becomes a Perform skill. :smallwink::smallbiggrin::smallcool:

[ChaosSpiral]

Thanks for the information folks :D I think Craft: Cooking feels like its more what I am thinking of but Since it feels like there are two different skills I'll mess with my skills and get both... sacrificing much more useful skills to add more flavor *Ba dum tish* In all honesty though my dm gave everyone 1 more skill point per level to put in the chosen art so I have plenty since I made a scout :D

[Jowgen]

You familiar with Shokugeki no Soma? Nakiri Alice is Craft (Cooking), Ryō Kurokiba is Profession (Cook).

[Ninjaxenomorph]

In a Pathfinder web serial, there was a character that was a royal cook. He was also a high level alchemist. Since Profession (cook) is a thing by RAW, he probably combined that with Craft (Alchemy). I'd say they would be complementary skills anyway, in the way that Appraise and Craft (Gemstones) would be.

[Kobold Esq]

If you do cooking on a TV show, it actually becomes a Perform skill. :smallwink::smallbiggrin::smallcool:

Alternatively: teppenyaki.

[tadkins]

If you're trying to make a Gordon Ramsay style character you best put in some Intimidate points as well. :D

[ExLibrisMortis]

Anything can be a Perform, Profession, or Craft skill, depending on whether you do it with style, intuition, or abstract thought.