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.

Chef/Catering Responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real chef/catering resumes representing typical tasks they are likely to perform in their roles.

  • Control food and payroll costs to achieve maximum profitability.
  • Train kitchen staff on HACCP guidelines, customer service, portion control and daily standards.
  • Work with a talent team of catering chefs prepping and cooking cater menu items for weddings, parties and corporate events.
  • Supervise setup, breakdown and maintenance of buffets for off-site catering company.
  • Pack meals and oversee delivery and set up of buffets and utensils when necessary.
  • Train new employee's in proper safety/sanitation guidelines with a HACCP style format that the group implements.
  • Collaborate with chefs, event managers, and convention leaders in planning and execution of highly successful events.
  • Develop and implement standards and operating procedures including food plating, garnishing, service, and presentation techniques.
  • Develop loyal customer base through positive culinary experiences.
  • Develop knowledge of authentic Italian cuisine and high-volume catering procedures.
  • Participate in special catering events and offer culinary instruction and demonstration of culinary techniques.
  • Own and operate successful gourmet restaurant/bakery/catering service
  • Own and operate successful gourmet restaurant/bakery/catering service

Chef/Catering Skills and Personality Traits

We calculated that 18% of Chef/Caterings are proficient in Culinary, Kitchen Equipment, and Menu Planning. They’re also known for soft skills such as Business skills, Communication skills, and Creativity.

We break down the percentage of Chef/Caterings that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • Culinary, 18%

    Participated in special catering events and offered culinary instruction and demonstration of culinary techniques.

  • Kitchen Equipment, 14%

    Operated grill, deli station and all kitchen equipment and assisted with salad bar set-up and prep.

  • Menu Planning, 13%

    Oversee full catering operation, party consultant, menu planning, function organizer, inventory, food costing and personnel supervision.

  • Food Safety, 6%

    Monitored and maintained records of refrigerated food storage conditions to ensure food safety.

  • Food Handling, 6%

    Keep a clean and sanitary work area that meets National Food Handling Standards.

  • Chefs, 4%

    Worked with a talented team of catering chefs prepping and cooking catered menu items for weddings, parties and corporate events.

Some of the skills we found on chef/catering resumes included "culinary," "kitchen equipment," and "menu planning." We have detailed the most important chef/catering responsibilities below.

  • Business skills can be considered to be the most important personality trait for a chef/catering to have. According to a chef/catering resume, "executive chefs and chefs who run their own restaurant need to understand the restaurant business" chef/caterings are able to use business skills in the following example we gathered from a resume: "developed this business to cater gourmet dinner parties. "
  • Another commonly found skill for being able to perform chef/catering duties is the following: communication skills. According to a chef/catering resume, "chefs must communicate their instructions clearly and effectively to staff so that customers’ orders are prepared correctly." Check out this example of how chef/caterings use communication skills: "establish and maintain good communication with airline personnel in charge of passenger food service. "
  • Another skill that is quite popular among chef/caterings is creativity. This skill is very critical to fulfilling every day responsibilities as is shown in this example from a chef/catering resume: "chefs and head cooks need to be creative in order to develop and prepare interesting and innovative recipes" This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "directed purchasing ($1m budget), and maintained production levels and quality/inventory/cost controls. "
  • In order for certain chef/catering responsibilities to be completed, the job requires the skill "dexterity." According to a chef/catering resume, "chefs and head cooks need excellent dexterity, including proper knife techniques for cutting, chopping, and dicing." As an example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies: "received hands-on training under the direction of the proprietor/head chef and assisted in menu planning. "
  • Yet another important skill that a chef/catering must demonstrate is "leadership skills." Chefs and head cooks must have the ability to motivate kitchen staff and develop constructive and cooperative working relationships with them. This is clearly demonstrated in this example from a chef/catering who stated: "provide leadership, professional expertise, and direction in the planning and execution of high volume catered events and culinary functions. "
  • Another skill commonly found on chef/catering resumes is "physical stamina." This description of the skill was found on several chef/catering resumes: "chefs and head cooks often work long shifts and sometimes spend entire evenings on their feet, overseeing the preparation and serving of meals." Here's an example from a resume of how this skill could fit into the day-to-day chef/catering responsibilities: "received gold rating on both food and physical safety portions of haccp audit. "
  • See the full list of chef/catering skills.

    The three companies that hire the most prestigious chef/caterings are:

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    What Banquet Cooks Do

    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.

    In this section, we take a look at the annual salaries of other professions. Take banquet cook for example. On average, the banquet cooks annual salary is $13,094 lower than what chef/caterings make on average every year.

    Even though chef/caterings and banquet cooks have vast differences in their careers, a few of the skills required to do both jobs are similar. For example, both careers require culinary, kitchen equipment, and menu planning in the day-to-day roles.

    These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. A chef/catering responsibility is more likely to require skills like "food safety," "kitchen operations," "cost control," and "event planning." Whereas a banquet cook requires skills like "cleanliness," "food preparation," "roasting," and "sauces." Just by understanding these different skills you can see how different these careers are.

    Banquet cooks really shine in the manufacturing industry with an average salary of $41,429. Whereas chef/caterings tend to make the most money in the technology industry with an average salary of $44,624.

    The education levels that banquet cooks earn is a bit different than that of chef/caterings. In particular, banquet cooks are 0.7% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a chef/catering. Additionally, they're 0.5% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

    What Are The Duties Of a Head Cook?

    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.

    Now we're going to look at the head cook profession. On average, head cooks earn a $3,281 lower salary than chef/caterings a year.

    Not everything about these jobs is different. Take their skills, for example. Chef/caterings and head cooks both include similar skills like "kitchen equipment," "kitchen operations," and "quality food" on their resumes.

    While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, several resumes showed us that chef/catering responsibilities requires skills like "culinary," "menu planning," "food safety," and "food handling." But a head cook might use skills, such as, "meal preparation," "food preparation," "food products," and "servsafe."

    It's been discovered that head cooks earn lower salaries compared to chef/caterings, but we wanted to find out where head cooks earned the most pay. The answer? The manufacturing industry. The average salary in the industry is $43,083. Additionally, chef/caterings earn the highest paychecks in the technology with an average salary of $44,624.

    When it comes to the differences in education between the two professions, head cooks tend to reach similar levels of education than chef/caterings. In fact, they're 0.5% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.5% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

    How an Assistant Chef Compares

    Executive chefs are considered the lead chefs in a restaurant. They manage the restaurant's kitchen, including all other chefs employed by the restaurant. Executive chefs are in charge of creating menu items and ensuring that the restaurant's menu is in line with the restaurant's identity. They handle the management of the pantry and ensure that it is well-stocked. They also ensure that all kitchen equipment and fixtures are working well. Executive chefs are responsible for training new chefs on the job to ensure consistent food quality.

    The assistant chef profession generally makes a lower amount of money when compared to the average salary of chef/caterings. The difference in salaries is assistant chefs making $10,023 lower than chef/caterings.

    Using chef/caterings and assistant chefs resumes, we found that both professions have similar skills such as "culinary," "kitchen equipment," and "menu planning," but the other skills required are very different.

    Some important key differences between the two careers are a few of the skills necessary to fulfill responsibilities. Some examples from chef/catering resumes include skills like "food safety," "event planning," "beo," and "corporate events," whereas an assistant chef might be skilled in "customer service," "compassion," "kitchen sanitation," and "taking care. "

    Additionally, assistant chefs earn a higher salary in the hospitality industry compared to other industries. In this industry, they receive an average salary of $31,898. Additionally, chef/caterings earn an average salary of $44,624 in the technology industry.

    Assistant chefs typically study at similar levels compared with chef/caterings. For example, they're 0.2% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.3% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

    Description Of an Executive Chef

    Now, we'll look at executive chefs, who generally average a higher pay when compared to chef/caterings annual salary. In fact, the difference is about $11,723 per year.

    While their salaries may vary, chef/caterings and executive chefs both use similar skills to perform their jobs. Resumes from both professions include skills like "culinary," "kitchen equipment," and "menu planning. "

    Each job requires different skills like "chefs," "quality food," "event planning," and "beo," which might show up on a chef/catering resume. Whereas executive chef might include skills like "food preparation," "customer service," "food quality," and "patients."

    In general, executive chefs make a higher salary in the hospitality industry with an average of $60,122. The highest chef/catering annual salary stems from the technology industry.

    In general, executive chefs reach similar levels of education when compared to chef/caterings resumes. Executive chefs are 0.9% more likely to earn their Master's Degree and 0.3% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.