Chefs and Head Cooks: Salary, Job Description, How To Become One, and Quiz

Job description

Chefs and Head Cooks direct and may participate in the preparation, seasoning, and cooking of salads, soups, fish, meats, vegetables, desserts, or other foods. May plan and price menu items, order supplies, and keep records and accounts.

• Monitor sanitation practices to ensure that employees follow standards and regulations.
• Check the quality of raw or cooked food products to ensure that standards are met.
• Estimate amounts and costs of required supplies, such as food and ingredients.
• Instruct cooks or other workers in the preparation, cooking, garnishing, or presentation of food.

Salary

Chefs and Head Cooks with little to no experience tend to make between $26320 and $35570 while the more experienced ones can earn over $64500 per year.

One of the easiest ways to increase your salary as a Chef and Head Cook is to move to a higher paying state like HI. Right now, the highest paying states for Chefs and Head Cooks are HI, NJ, DC, DE and CT.

However, a higher pay at HI doesn’t guarantee that you will make more because the living expenses at HI might be twice as high than where you are currently at now.

Three other factors that can increase your salary as a Chef and Head Cook is the degree you hold, the industry you work in, and lastly the company you work for.

Requirements

We asked other Chefs and Head Cooks what degree they had when they got the job and most of them said they had an Associate’s Degree followed by a Post-Secondary Certificate.

Other than that, we also asked them what did they major in and here are the most popular majors that came up.

Pros and Cons

Here are some of the pros and cons of being a Chef and Head Cook.

What is the job like

65% of Chefs and Head Cooks said they were satisfied with their job and 49% said they feel like their job is making other people’s lives better.

Heloise Blause

My Typical Day A typical day at work starts with a cup of coffee and sales reports from the previous day. It’s important to know the restaurant’s performance because you will base your ordering and menu on that for the current day. You should also ensure that you have more than enough stocks to run … Read More

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Charlie McKenna

Lillie's Q, a Southern BBQ restaurant company

I’m the Founder and Chef of Lillie’s Q, a Southern BBQ restaurant company and CPG brand. My typical day Each day is a little different but basically starts with a daily standup with our management team to assess plans and needs. Then you can find me double-checking inventory and deliveries to assess any issues, followed … Read More

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Chef Van Hurd

Citizen Chicken & Donuts

The life of a bakery chef can get crazy but when you do what you love everyday, it doesn’t feel like “work”, it just feels like I’m in my happy place- even at 3am. The crazy thing about donuts and bakeries is that the hours can start very early, and then restaurants end late. I … Read More

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Devan Cameron

Braised and Deglazed

I’m a Chef with over 15 years of experience in the hospitality industry in Canada, France, Italy, and the Netherlands. Working in the hospitality industry is hot, stressful and incredibly fast passed. If you find the right restaurant, you can find yourself working with some extremely passionate people. This is my own experience of working … Read More

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Is this right for me

You can read more about these career personality types here.

People who are suitable for this job tends to like starting up and carrying out projects. They like leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business..

They also like work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They like working with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery.

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