what is a chef?

A chef is a professional who oversees food preparation. You use your culinary skills to manage a kitchen and ensure restaurant customers receive the best service. Unlike other kitchen employees, a chef cooks and manages the kitchen. That means you plan menus, research new dishes for the restaurant, and experiment with different ingredients to provide a unique experience for visitors.

As a chef, you require impressive culinary skills and food preparation expertise to coordinate work activities in the kitchen. Since you are responsible for both flavor and presentation, you need creativity to ensure the dishes taste great and look appetizing. Aside from cooking preparation and coordinating kitchen staff, you also perform administrative duties like ordering ingredients, sourcing vendors, and managing food stock. You work with the restaurant manager to set food prices and determine the cost of the dishes.

Your duties differ depending on the size of the establishment. When you work in a large high-end restaurant, you may take up a managerial role and only cook when devising new dishes for the menu. In less formal establishments, a chef's duties are managing food stock, cooking, and keeping the kitchen clean and tidy.

Chefs work in any establishment that prepares food, from snack bars to hotels, cafes, restaurants, cruise ships, and companies offering catering services.

Would working as a chef suit your culinary skills and passion for making every moment memorable through great meals? Then read on to find out what competencies and qualifications you need to thrive in a chef role.

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average chef salary

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the average hourly wage of a chef in the U.S. is $27.07, and the average annual wage is $56,310. Your take-home at entry level will be lower than what experienced chefs earn. Besides, your salary matches your responsibilities and your rank in the company. For example, head chefs earn more than chef de parties because they also carry out supervisory duties.

how to increase your salary as a chef

A chef's remuneration package depends on various factors, including responsibilities, work experience, and company size. For instance, head chefs earn more since they take up additional responsibilities like inventing new dishes and ordering inventory. Chef de parties receive less pay as they are junior kitchen staff whose role is to cook and serve dishes based on the recipes provided.

When you have extensive experience and culinary mastery, you are able to negotiate a better remuneration package due to the skills you bring to the table. Working for large restaurants can be rewarding as they have the resources to pay better salaries than snack bars and less formal establishments.

Wondering what you can earn as a chef? Find out immediately with the Randstad salary checker! You can quickly and easily see what the average salary of a chef is.

Female working on tablet in kitchen on kitchen counter looking on tablet
Female working on tablet in kitchen on kitchen counter looking on tablet
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types of chefs

Some of the types of chefs include:

  • executive chefs: You manage all the kitchen activities as an executive chef. While you don't cook the meals, you taste the dishes before the kitchen staff serves them to customers. You also review the plate presentation and develop new menu items.
  • butcher chefs: as a butcher chef, you prepare the meat before it moves to different workstations. You prepare various meat types and cuts based on the menu to ensure the chefs have well-prepared meat for customer orders.
  • pastry chefs: as a pastry chef, you prepare baked goods and desserts. Your job is to mix the batters, prepare dough for various pastries and desserts, and ensure customers receive their desserts on time.
  • chef de parties: as a commis chef, you are a junior-level worker who assists in meal preparation. Your job is to shadow chefs and assist at various workstations. You prepare ingredients and clean the work areas.
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working as a chef

Working as a chef is an exciting and fast-paced job that involves numerous responsibilities. Read on for details on the specific tasks, work schedules, and career prospects involved in the role.

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chef skills and education

To become a professional chef, you may want to start as a line cook and then work your way up. The more experience you gain, the more progress you will make, and soon you may climb to an advanced position before starting to work as a professional chef. In this role, education may not be strictly required. However, it is advisable that you combine experience with post-secondary training to stand a chance for better opportunities and decent pay.

As an aspiring professional chef, you may want to pursue formal training via culinary programs. You can pursue these formal training programs in universities, culinary institutes, and community colleges. They range from certificate programs, which you complete in just a few months, to bachelor’s degrees, which may take up to four years to complete. Depending on your goals, it's also possible to consider an associate’s degree, which you would earn in two years.

Experts highly recommend culinary programs because they offer you an opportunity to learn a lot. These programs focus on hands-on training in the kitchen and in-class theories and instructions. In most cases, they will comprehensively touch on topics such as food preparation and nutrition, baking and cooking techniques, and safety and sanitation while in the kitchen.

Other educational programs you can consider to excel in a role as a professional chef are the voluntary certification, where you showcase your culinary skills and increase your opportunities of moving to the next level, and formal apprenticeship programs, which blend classroom education and hands-on training. Most employers prefer to hire chefs with post-secondary training; therefore, it is important that you consider some kind of formal training.

skills and competencies

Some of the skills and competencies of a chef include:

  • organization skills: you should maintain an organized workflow in the kitchen and prepare food promptly. Lack of organization can lead to mixing up orders or menu items and presenting the wrong dishes to customers.
  • multitasking skills: you cook a range of food items on the menu and perform other tasks. Multitasking skills help you coordinate the various elements of food preparation.
  • creativity: you rely on creativity to develop a unique menu and create impressive food presentations. You are also in charge of the décor, seating arrangements, and tableware to enhance the dining experience.
male preparing food in the kitchen
male preparing food in the kitchen
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FAQs about working as a chef

Here you will find answers to the most frequently asked questions about chefs.

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