Chef/catering resume examples from 2025
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How to write a chef/catering resume
Craft a resume summary statement
A resume summary is your opening statement that highlights your strongest skills and top accomplishments. It is your chance to quickly let recruiters know who you are professionally - and why they should hire you for the chef/catering role.
Step 1: Start with your professional title, or the one you aspire to.
Step 2: Detail your years of experience in chef/catering-related roles and your industry experience.
Step 3: What are your biggest professional wins? Here is your opportunity to highlight your strongest accomplishments by placing them at the start of your resume.
Step 4: Don't forget, your goal is to summarize your experience. Keep it short and sweet, so it's easy for recruiters to quickly understand why you're a great hire.
These four steps should give you a strong elevator pitch and land you some chef/catering interviews.Please upload your resume so Zippia’s job hunt AI can draft a summary statement for you.
List the right project manager skills
Use your Skills section to show you have the knowledge and technical ability to do the job. Here is how to make the most of your skills section and make sure you have the right keywords:
- Look to the job listing. You often need to include the exact keywords from the job description. Take note of the skills listed for the job.
- Put all relevant hard and soft skills in your skills section.
- Be specific. If you are too broad, you may not be giving the best picture of your skills and leave the hiring manager uncertain of your abilities.
- Be up to date. Software names change and companies merge. Don't look out of touch by being careless.
- Be accurate. Spelling and even upper or lowercase can dramatically change meanings. Make sure you are correctly listing your skills.
Here are example skills to include in your “Area of Expertise” on a chef/catering resume:
- Culinary
- Kitchen Equipment
- Menu Planning
- Food Safety
- Food Handling
- Chefs
- Fine Dining
- Kitchen Operations
- Quality Food
- Food Production
- Quality Standards
- HACCP
- Cuisine
- Cost Control
- Food Cost
- Event Planning
- Recipe Development
- Portion Control
- Garnishing
- BEO
- Menu Development
- Private Parties
- Labor Costs
- Inventory Control
- Food Service
- La Carte
- Buffets
- Corporate Events
- Off-Site Events
- Food Storage
Zippia’s AI can customize your resume for you.
How to structure your work experience
Your employment history is arguably one of the most important parts of your resume. It shows you have experience and foundation in your field to successfully master the chef/catering position. Here is how to most effectively structure your work experience:
- List your most recent experience first, followed by earlier roles in reverse chronological order. Employers care about your most recent experience the most.
- Start with your job title, company name, city, and state on the left. Align dates in month and year format on the right-hand side.
- Include only recent, relevant jobs.
How to write chef/catering experience bullet points
Remember, your resume is not a list of responsibilities or a job description. This is your chance to show why you're good at your job and what you accomplished.
Use the XYZ formula for your work experience bullet points. Here's how it works:
- Use strong action verbs like Led, Built, or Optimized.
- Follow up with numbers when possible to support your results. How much did performance improve? How much revenue did you drive?
- Wrap it up by explaining the actions you took to achieve the result and how you made an impact.
This creates bullet points that read Achieved X, measured by Y, by doing Z.
Here are effective examples from chef/catering resumes:
Work history example #1
Line Chef
Pro Resources Staffing Services
- Used broilers, fryers and other cooking equipment.
- Served as a liaison between both FOH and BOH by being available to either serve or cook when needed.
- Prepared food with the chef and sous chef for events, while following safety and sanitation rules.
- Implemented production objectives for Sous Chefs and Line Cooks; directed and executed special projects for Executive Committee Events.
- Cooked line positions as needed to include, Saute, Grill, Fry, and Expediting.
Work history example #2
Prep Chef
McDonald's
- Used creative and attractive portions and arrangements of food on serving dishes and trays.
- Assisted Chefs in assembling of courses, distribution of dishes as well as creating dishes for celebrity guests before shows.
- Experienced knife handler and culinary artist
- Trained employees and team members on kitchen protocol and procedures as well as signature salads & dishes.
- Washed dishes, cleaned bathrooms, bused tables, and prepped food for the line cooks.
Work history example #3
Chef/Catering
Darden Restaurants
- Inspected supplies, equipment, and work areas to ensure conformance to established standards in sanitation and food quality.
- Maintained a running inventory of prepared foods and dry items to assist chefs with tracking and reducing food costs.
- Started in the corporate test kitchen as the Sous Chef for our Concept Chef in menu development and training techniques.
- Worked grill station, saute station, and assemble station.
- Served local and international cuisines.
Work history example #4
Head Chef
Hilton Worldwide Holdings
- Supervised all banquet culinary staff including 2 sous chefs.
- Managed and trained a team of pastry chefs on equipment, food handling/preparation, portion sizing while maintaining health standards.
- Learned German cuisine and European recipes * Worked in a 5 Star kitchen under a respected chef
- Created and implemented two new restaurant menus, in addition to new menu items for banquets, VIPs and sales calls.
- Demonstrated executive management leadership for staff of 3 Sous Chefs, Executive Steward, Purchasing Agent and 200+ staff.
Zippia’s AI can customize your resume for you.
Add an education section to your resume
The education section should display your highest degree first.
Place your education section appropriately on your resume. If you graduated over 5 years ago, this section should be at the bottom of your resume. If you just graduated and lack relevant work experience, the education section should go to the top.
If you have a bachelor's or master's degree, do not list your high school education. If your graduation year is more than 15-20 years ago, it's better not to include dates in this section.
Here are some examples of good education entries from chef/catering resumes:
Associate's Degree in culinary arts
Johnson & Wales University, Providence, RI
2005 - 2007
Doctoral Degree in culinary arts
Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI
2016 - 2019
Highlight your chef/catering certifications on your resume
If you have any additional certifications or education-like achievements, add them to the education section.
Start simple. Include the full name of the certification. It's also good to mention the organization that issued the certification. Next, specify when you obtained the certification.
Here are some of the best certifications to have on chef/catering resumes:
- ServSafe Food Protection Manager Certification
- Certified Food Manager (CFM)
- Food Safety Manager Certification
- Certified Nutrition Specialist (CNS)
- Certified Master Chef (CMC)
- Certified Executive Chef (CEC)
- Certified Professional - Food Safety (CP-FS)