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What does a camp cook do?

Updated January 8, 2025
6 min read
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Camp cook responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real camp cook resumes:

  • Operate mixers and manage ingredients to meet product quality and uniformity standards.
  • Work with propane refrigerators, freezer and stoves.
  • Work remotely in Alaskan bush conducting salmon and otolith surveys, also are the camp cook.
  • Operate mixers and manage ingredients to meet product quality and uniformity standards.
  • Work remotely in Alaskan bush conducting salmon and otolith surveys, also are the camp cook.

Camp cook skills and personality traits

We calculated that 35% of Camp Cooks are proficient in Food Preparation, Food Service, and Food Handling. They’re also known for soft skills such as Dexterity, Physical stamina, and Sense of taste and smell.

We break down the percentage of Camp Cooks that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • Food Preparation, 35%

    Assisted in menu creation and procurement, food preparation, and food service.

  • Food Service, 33%

    Work as a member of a food service team.

  • Food Handling, 15%

    Maintain proper/hygienic food handling techniques and overall sanitation requirements of food service area and the personnel.

  • Clean Kitchen, 5%

    Overlook kitchen-Customer Service-Prep Food-Restock Food-Clean kitchen

  • Allergies, 3%

    Verified patient information, new medications and allergies educated patients by providing medication and diet information.

  • Kids, 3%

    Guide the kids during hiking Assist campers with daily routine

Most camp cooks use their skills in "food preparation," "food service," and "food handling" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential camp cook responsibilities here:

Dexterity. The most essential soft skill for a camp cook to carry out their responsibilities is dexterity. This skill is important for the role because "cooks should have excellent hand–eye coordination." Additionally, a camp cook resume shows how their duties depend on dexterity: "wash hands, sanitize work area, cook meals according to specified menu.prepare and maintained accurate records of food inventory. "

Physical stamina. Another essential skill to perform camp cook duties is physical stamina. Camp cooks responsibilities require that "cooks spend a lot of time standing in one place, cooking food over hot stoves, and cleaning work areas." Camp cooks also use physical stamina in their role according to a real resume snippet: "formulated menus for therapeutic diets based on medical and physical condition of patients, intergrating them with basic institutional menus. "

Sense of taste and smell. This is an important skill for camp cooks to perform their duties. For an example of how camp cook responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "cooks must have a keen sense of taste and smell to prepare meals that customers enjoy." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a camp cook: "included high percent of vegetarian, non-dairy, gluten free and allergy concerns. ".

See the full list of camp cook skills

The three companies that hire the most camp cooks are:

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Compare different camp cooks

Camp cook vs. Cook chill technician

A cook/dietary aide is an individual who works along with the dietary managers, cooks, and dieticians. Dietary aides prepare meals, beverages, and snacks. They set up tables or dining areas with proper order and cleanliness. They serve meals and make sure that the hygiene and safety protocols for food are followed all the time. The skills significant for this job include attention to detail, strong communication skills, excellent customer service, and knowledge in food preparation and its safety protocols.

If we compare the average camp cook annual salary with that of a cook chill technician, we find that cook chill technicians typically earn a $2,721 higher salary than camp cooks make annually.

While similarities exist, there are also some differences between camp cooks and cook chill technician. For instance, camp cook responsibilities require skills such as "food service," "certifications," "food handling," and "clean kitchen." Whereas a cook chill technician is skilled in "haccp," "cooling towers," "kitchen equipment," and "fryers." This is part of what separates the two careers.

The education levels that cook chill technicians earn slightly differ from camp cooks. In particular, cook chill technicians are 1.2% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a camp cook. Additionally, they're 1.4% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Camp cook vs. Cook/dietary aide

A career as a cook/dietary aide brings a lower average salary when compared to the average annual salary of a camp cook. In fact, cook/dietary aides salary is $5,140 lower than the salary of camp cooks per year.Only some things about these jobs are the same. Take their skills, for example. Camp cooks and cook/dietary aides both require similar skills like "food preparation," "food service," and "food handling" to carry out their responsibilities.

While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that camp cook responsibilities requires skills like "certifications," "background checks," "kids," and "stoves." But a cook/dietary aide might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "meal service," "patients," "kitchen equipment," and "diet orders."

Cook/dietary aides may earn a lower salary than camp cooks, but cook/dietary aides earn the most pay in the hospitality industry with an average salary of $29,467. On the other hand, camp cooks receive higher pay in the education industry, where they earn an average salary of $39,029.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Cook/dietary aides tend to reach similar levels of education than camp cooks. In fact, they're 2.2% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 1.4% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Camp cook vs. Institutional cook

On average, institutional cooks earn lower salaries than camp cooks, with a $2,227 difference per year.Using the responsibilities included on camp cooks and institutional cooks resumes, we found that both professions have similar skill requirements, such as "food preparation," "food handling," and "clean kitchen.rdquo;

There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a camp cook is likely to be skilled in "food service," "certifications," "background checks," and "allergies," while a typical institutional cook is skilled in "kitchen equipment," "culinary," "slicers," and "mixers."

When it comes to education, institutional cooks tend to earn similar degree levels compared to camp cooks. In fact, they're 0.0% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 1.4% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Camp cook vs. School cafeteria cook

School cafeteria cooks typically earn higher pay than camp cooks. On average, school cafeteria cooks earn a $737 higher salary per year.While both camp cooks and school cafeteria cooks complete day-to-day tasks using similar skills like food preparation, food handling, and clean kitchen, the two careers vary in some skills.

Even though a few skill sets overlap between camp cooks and school cafeteria cooks, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a camp cook might have more use for skills like "food service," "certifications," "background checks," and "allergies." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of school cafeteria cooks require skills like "kitchen equipment," "safety standards," "cpr," and "haccp. "

In general, school cafeteria cooks earn the most working in the hospitality industry, with an average salary of $33,836. The highest-paying industry for a camp cook is the education industry.school cafeteria cooks reach similar levels of education compared to camp cooks, in general. The difference is that they're 0.8% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 1.4% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Types of camp cook

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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