What does an assistant chef do?
It is the responsibility of an assistant chef to support the head chef of a catering business, restaurant, cafeteria, or bakery. Assistant chefs manage inventory and ensure compliance with food safety and kitchen cleanliness standards. They assist kitchen staff in the preparation of food. To get this job, one must be trained in a culinary school, have the needed cooking skills, and must have kitchen work experience. Strong teamwork ability and flexibility to work schedule are necessary for this job.
Assistant chef responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real assistant chef resumes:
- Direct daily activity of staff (prep cook, dishwashers and wait staff), and receive and manage inventory.
- Manage food inventory and assist chefs with menu development.
- Attain a broad knowledge of ingredient functionality in diverse culinary applications and comfort in a culinary setting.
- Learned the cuisine and intricacies of Tuscan style cooking as well as the influences from other regions.
- Prep vegetables and meat for chefs, wash and dry dishes, cups, and utensils, and stock new shipments.
- Maintain cleanliness and ensure proper preparation of orders.
- Maintain kitchens cleanliness and maintenance, temperatures and organization.
- Prepare and provide quality cuisine and other managerial duties as assigned.
- Assist in the development and execution of corporate procedures and policies for a substantial for profit culinary establishment.
- Own and operate successful gourmet restaurant/bakery/catering service
- Own and operate successful gourmet restaurant/bakery/catering service
Assistant chef skills and personality traits
We calculated that 14% of Assistant Chefs are proficient in Kitchen Equipment, Safety Standards, and Culinary. They’re also known for soft skills such as Business skills, Communication skills, and Creativity.
We break down the percentage of Assistant Chefs that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Kitchen Equipment, 14%
Organize and arrange kitchen equipment, work areas, counters and tables for daily cooking.
- Safety Standards, 13%
Cleaned dining and kitchen areas per health and safety standards.
- Culinary, 12%
Assisted in the development and execution of corporate procedures and policies for a substantial for profit culinary establishment.
- Customer Service, 10%
Provided support to management in kitchen operations, customer service and preparing American cuisine.
- Compassion, 7%
Treated all persons with compassion, dignity and respect.
- Kitchen Sanitation, 6%
Complied with scheduled kitchen sanitation and ensured all standards and practices were met.
Most assistant chefs use their skills in "kitchen equipment," "safety standards," and "culinary" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential assistant chef responsibilities here:
Business skills. One of the key soft skills for an assistant chef to have is business skills. You can see how this relates to what assistant chefs do because "executive chefs and chefs who run their own restaurant need to know how to budget for supplies, set prices, and manage workers so that the restaurant is profitable." Additionally, an assistant chef resume shows how assistant chefs use business skills: "worked under master chef david denis and expanded knowledge of french cuisine and small restaurant business. "
Communication skills. Many assistant chef duties rely on communication skills. "chefs must convey their instructions clearly and effectively to staff so that patrons' orders are prepared correctly.," so an assistant chef will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways assistant chef responsibilities rely on communication skills: "catered weddings, large parties andexpediting gourmet/fine dining for restaurant customers.constant communication/cooperation with head chef.asst. "
Creativity. assistant chefs are also known for creativity, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to assistant chef responsibilities, because "chefs and head cooks need to develop and prepare interesting and innovative recipes." An assistant chef resume example shows how creativity is used in the workplace: "support general lab / kitchen maintenance, product inventory, organization and cleanliness. "
Dexterity. For certain assistant chef responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "dexterity." The day-to-day duties of an assistant chef rely on this skill, as "chefs and head cooks need agility to handle knives properly for cutting, chopping, and dicing." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what assistant chefs do: "gained hands-on experience in the field of culinary arts, working with professional chefs and learning from their expertise. "
Leadership skills. Another common skill required for assistant chef responsibilities is "leadership skills." This skill comes up in the duties of assistant chefs all the time, as "chefs and head cooks must be able to motivate kitchen staff and to develop constructive and cooperative working relationships." An excerpt from a real assistant chef resume shows how this skill is central to what an assistant chef does: "prepared and cooked food while adhering to recipes, quality standards, and presentation leadership"
Physical stamina. While "physical stamina" is last on this skills list, don't underestimate its importance to assistant chef responsibilities. Much of what an assistant chef does relies on this skill, seeing as "chefs and head cooks often work long shifts and sometimes spend entire evenings on their feet, overseeing the preparation and serving of meals." Here is a resume example of how this skill is used in the everyday duties of assistant chefs: "envisioned, initiated, planned, organized, funded and executed physical and conceptual development of tres p's cajun caf"
The three companies that hire the most assistant chefs are:
- MGM Resorts International22 assistant chefs jobs
- Enlivant10 assistant chefs jobs
- Sur La Table10 assistant chefs jobs
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Compare different assistant chefs
Assistant chef vs. Head cook
A head cook is responsible for organizing the food preparation, organizing the kitchen operations, and ensuring the quality of the food presented. Head cooks' duties include monitoring the food inventory, creating new recipes, researching current market trends, responding to guests' inquiries and complaints, distributing kitchen tasks to the staff, and maintaining budget goals while maintaining the highest food quality. A head cook must always adhere to the sanitary procedures and hygienic standards, as well as have a broad knowledge of the food industry.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, assistant chef responsibilities require skills like "culinary," "customer service," "compassion," and "chefs." Meanwhile a typical head cook has skills in areas such as "food products," "servsafe," "allergies," and "plan menus." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Head cooks tend to make the most money working in the manufacturing industry, where they earn an average salary of $43,083. In contrast, assistant chefs make the biggest average salary, $31,898, in the hospitality industry.On average, head cooks reach similar levels of education than assistant chefs. Head cooks are 0.7% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.2% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Assistant chef vs. Chef de cuisine
A chef de cuisine, also known as an executive chef, oversees a kitchen's daily operations in public and private establishments to ensure food quality and efficient services. Their duties require cooking and leadership skills because they involve leading menu development and meal preparation, coordinating staff, delegating responsibilities, selecting and sourcing ingredients, and handling customer issues and concerns promptly and professionally. Moreover, a chef de cuisine leads and empowers staff to reach the kitchen's daily goals while implementing health standards and regulations.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that assistant chef responsibilities requires skills like "safety standards," "compassion," "kitchen sanitation," and "chefs." But a chef de cuisine might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "food quality," "food safety," "guest satisfaction," and "sous chefs."
Chef de cuisines may earn a higher salary than assistant chefs, but chef de cuisines earn the most pay in the hospitality industry with an average salary of $53,893. On the other hand, assistant chefs receive higher pay in the hospitality industry, where they earn an average salary of $31,898.chef de cuisines earn similar levels of education than assistant chefs in general. They're 0.8% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.2% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Assistant chef vs. Chef de partie
A Chef De Partie is responsible for supervising a section of the kitchen, such as pastry, butchery, fish, or sauces. They enforce strict health and hygiene standards.
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, an assistant chef is likely to be skilled in "safety standards," "customer service," "compassion," and "kitchen sanitation," while a typical chef de partie is skilled in "food safety," "mise," "food quality," and "r."
Chef de parties earn the best pay in the hospitality industry, where they command an average salary of $39,260. Assistant chefs earn the highest pay from the hospitality industry, with an average salary of $31,898.Most chef de parties achieve a similar degree level compared to assistant chefs. For example, they're 1.7% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.1% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Assistant chef vs. Chef/catering
A Chef/Caterer is responsible for cooking dishes at events. They direct the kitchen staff and wait personnel in serving the food, attending to food stations, and setting up buffet tables.
Even though a few skill sets overlap between assistant chefs and chef/caterings, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, an assistant chef might have more use for skills like "customer service," "compassion," "kitchen sanitation," and "taking care." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of chef/caterings require skills like "food safety," "event planning," "beo," and "corporate events. "
Chef/caterings enjoy the best pay in the technology industry, with an average salary of $44,624. For comparison, assistant chefs earn the highest salary in the hospitality industry.chef/caterings reach similar levels of education compared to assistant chefs, in general. The difference is that they're 0.2% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.3% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Types of assistant chef
Updated January 8, 2025
