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The differences between chef/caterings and cooking chefs can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a chef/catering and a cooking chef. Additionally, a chef/catering has an average salary of $47,693, which is higher than the $34,973 average annual salary of a cooking chef.
The top three skills for a chef/catering include culinary, kitchen equipment and menu planning. The most important skills for a cooking chef are food service, food handling, and kitchen equipment.
| Chef/Catering | Cooking Chef | |
| Yearly salary | $47,693 | $34,973 |
| Hourly rate | $22.93 | $16.81 |
| Growth rate | 15% | 15% |
| Number of jobs | 20,512 | 136,558 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 50% | Associate Degree, 31% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
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.
A cooking chef oversees all people performing kitchen duties under their mandate. These professionals oversee timeliness, sanitary issues, ingredient preparation, meal preparation, and final presentations. Besides engaging in menu planning and creating recipes, a cooking chef also performs several administrative tasks from one day to another. They place supply orders, track inventory, calculate payroll, calculate costs, and handle complaints from the employee or customer. Moreover, a cooking chef trains the kitchen staff to ensure they perform their duties correctly.
Chef/caterings and cooking chefs have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Chef/Catering | Cooking Chef | |
| Average salary | $47,693 | $34,973 |
| Salary range | Between $27,000 And $84,000 | Between $24,000 And $49,000 |
| Highest paying City | Newark, NJ | Teaneck, NJ |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Cornell University | Memphis Country Club |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a chef/catering and a cooking chef in terms of educational background:
| Chef/Catering | Cooking Chef | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 50% | Associate Degree, 31% |
| Most common major | Culinary Arts | Culinary Arts |
| Most common college | Boston University | Drexel University |
Here are the differences between chef/caterings' and cooking chefs' demographics:
| Chef/Catering | Cooking Chef | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 71.6% Female, 28.4% | Male, 76.3% Female, 23.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.9% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 16.4% Asian, 10.6% White, 56.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | Black or African American, 10.6% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 17.9% Asian, 12.0% White, 53.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 9% |