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.
view jobs near youaverage 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.
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.
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 job description
As a chef, you will be responsible for the following:
- creating menus: you research upcoming dishes in the hospitality industry, like the latest desserts, pastry, and pasta trends. You find new ingredients to enhance the dishes you cook from your research. You create menus for breakfast and dinner, including drink menus. You also develop recipes for various food items to ensure the chefs achieve the desired outcomes.
- preparing and cooking dishes: you need culinary skills to prepare and cook various dishes, from starters to desserts. Your job is to ensure the flavor and food presentation meets the desired standards. All the food leaving your kitchen should be carefully plated to look appetizing. Hence, you monitor the presentation and garnishing of all food served in restaurants.
- coordinating work activities in the kitchen: you are responsible for all the cooking operations. That involves coordinating the kitchen crew to ensure you prepare all food types according to the desired standards. You also plan the work schedules for the cooks and cleaning crew.
- performing administrative duties: you perform various administrative duties like ordering ingredients, managing food stock, and looking for vendors. You are responsible for food safety and ensuring the kitchen crew maintains hygiene standards. You also determine the cost of each dish and set the prices to attach to the menu.
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chef work environment
As a chef, various businesses employ you in sectors where there is a restaurant, catering, or cafeteria. You could work in restaurants, hotels, snack bars, canteens, and cruise ships. You may also land a job in a catering and banqueting company; hence, your work environment depends on your employer. You work indoors in a fast-paced environment in restaurants, cafes, hotels, and cruise ships. The role involves minimal traveling unless you work from a food truck or work for catering or banqueting services. As a chef, you should wear a chef's uniform at work.
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who are your colleagues?
Depending on your employer and the industry you work in, your colleagues might include kitchen managers, cooks, and head chefs. You might also be working in close proximity to baristas and cafe managers, as well as other specialists that could include, but are not limited to, receptionists, bartenders, dishwashers, event managers, and assistant managers.
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work schedule
A chef works throughout the week, including weekends and public holidays, since restaurants or hotels are typically open daily. Most employers provide leave days during the week. Sometimes, you work on rotational shifts, especially in busy work environments or on cruise ships. When you work in a pastry shop or a food truck, you are likely to work regular business hours with occasional evenings. Most chefs work on full-time schedules, but part-time opportunities are available, or you can find short-term contracts for working in events catering.
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job outlook for a chef
A career in the kitchen starts with an apprentice or chef de partie position. After working under the supervision of chefs, you progress to a chef de partie or station chef role before becoming a sous chef and later a head chef. When you have extensive experience managing kitchens, you can become an executive chef in a high-end restaurant. Alternative career options are becoming a kitchen manager or a restaurant manager. After gaining experience as an employed chef, you may open your own restaurant or pastry shop.
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benefits of working for randstad as a chef
Working through Randstad offers you a range of benefits:
- being paid weekly
- flexibility
- always a contact person you can fall back on and ask for help from
- many training opportunities
- a range of jobs in your area
Want a permanent contract? But you wonder why it would be interesting for you to work with a staffing company? A temporary job as a chef is often a stepping stone to an attractive permanent job. Every year, thousands of people earn a permanent contract with great employers thanks to a temporary job found through Randstad. What's more, many companies recruit their permanent employees through Randstad too!
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.
FAQs about working as a chef
Here you will find answers to the most frequently asked questions about chefs.
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what challenges do chefs have to deal with?
One of the most common challenges chefs have to deal with is working in a high-pressure environment. Moreover, you are likely to work long hours, especially during the holidays when restaurants receive many guests. You can, however, overcome these challenges by learning to be resilient, implanting effective strategies, and seeking support.
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what are the pros of being a chef?
The pros of being a chef are numerous; however, one that stands out is that it is one of the few career opportunities that allow you to be creative. Furthermore, being a chef puts you in an envious position to earn handsome salaries over time.
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do chefs get to eat what they cook?
Yes. As a chef, you should sample the dishes you make to ensure the flavors come out just as they should. You can get just one spoonful and taste the dish to ensure everything is okay before serving it to the guests.
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which states offer chefs the highest salaries?
According to BLS, the top five states offering professional chefs the highest salaries are Maryland, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Hawaii, and New Jersey. According to figures from May 2021, the yearly mean wage for chefs ranged from $79,190 in New Jersey to $32,750 in the lowest-paying state.
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how can chefs keep safe in the kitchen when cooking?
As a chef, ensure you wear the recommended attire, including shoes, when in the kitchen. You should also not rush and run around the kitchen. Furthermore, always keep an eye on the stove, have first aid kits nearby, and store dangerous objects safely.
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how do I find a job as a chef?
Applying for a chef job is easy: create a Randstad profile and search our chef jobs for vacancies in your area. Then simply send us your CV. If you do not have a resume, no worries. Just check out our resume builder. This state of the art tool will help you to create your own resume. Need help with your application? Check out all our job-hunting tips!
