Research Summary. We analyzed 13,669 chef resumes to determine which ones land the most jobs. Below you'll find examples of resumes that can help you get an interview (and a job offer) from companies like Ruby Tuesday and Aramark. Here are the key facts about chef resumes to help you get the job:

  • The average chef resume is 272 words long
  • The average chef resume is 0.6 pages long based on 450 words per page.
  • Customer service is the most common skill found on a chef resume. It appears on 13.5% of resumes.
After learning about how to write a professional chef resume, you can make sure your resume checks all the boxes with our resume builder.

Resume

Chef Resume Example

Choose From 10+ Customizable Chef Resume templates

Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Chef templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Chef resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.

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Entry level Chef Resume example

Chef Resume Format And Sections

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1. Add Contact Information To Your Chef Resume

Your name should be the biggest text on the page and be at or near the top of the document.

Your address doesn't need to include your street name or house number - listing your city and state works just fine.

Your email address should be professional, but not your current work email address. It's not a good look to use your work email for personal projects (job-searching).

Your social media can be included if you have a fully-fledged LinkedIn page or another social media page that showcases your relevant skill set.

Chef Resume Contact Information Example #1

Dhruv Johnson

d.johnson@email.com | 333-111-2222 | www.linkedin.com/in/dhruv-johnson

Do you want to know more?
How To Write The Perfect Resume Header
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2. Add Your Relevant Education To The Resume

Your resume's education section should include:

  • The name of your school
  • The date you graduated (Month, Year or Year are both appropriate)
  • The name of your degree
If you graduated more than 15 years ago, you should consider dropping your graduation date to avoid age discrimination.

Optional subsections for your education section include:

  • Academic awards (Dean's List, Latin honors, etc. )
  • GPA (if you're a recent graduate and your GPA was 3.5+)
  • Extra certifications
  • Academic projects (thesis, dissertation, etc.)

Other tips to consider when writing your education section include:

  • If you're a recent graduate, you might opt to place your education section above your experience section
  • The more work experience you get, the shorter your education section should be
  • List your education in reverse chronological order, with your most recent and high-ranking degrees first
  • If you haven't graduated yet, you can include "Expected graduation date" to the entry for that school

Chef Resume Relevant Education Example #1

Doctoral Degree In Culinary Arts 2011 - 2014

Arizona State University Phoenix, AZ

Chef Resume Relevant Education Example #2

Doctoral Degree In Culinary Arts 2010 - 2013

University of Illinois at Chicago Chicago, IL

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3. Next, Create A Chef Skills Section On Your Resume

Your resume's skills section should include the most important keywords from the job description, as long as you actually have those skills. If you haven't started your job search yet, you can look over resumes to get an idea of what skills are the most important.

Here are some tips to keep in mind when writing your resume's skills section:

  • Include 6-12 skills, in bullet point form
  • List mostly hard skills; soft skills are hard to test
  • Emphasize the skills that are most important for the job
Hard skills are generally more important to hiring managers because they relate to on-the-job knowledge and specific experience with a certain technology or process.

Soft skills are also valuable, as they're highly transferable and make you a great person to work alongside, but they're impossible to prove on a resume.

Example Of Chef Skills For Resume

  • Customer Service Skills

    Customer service is the process of offering assistance to all the current and potential customers -- answering questions, fixing problems, and providing excellent service. The main goal of customer service is to build a strong relationship with the customers so that they keep coming back for more business.

  • Food Service Skills

    The food service industry is a vast industry comprising of restaurants, caterers, cafeterias operating in institutions and any other business offering a meal not prepared at home. Foodservice operators require necessary utensils for preparing food for the consumers, foodservice distributors are the people who take care of this need for them.

  • Kitchen Equipment Skills

    Kitchen Equipment refers to all those essential items which are crucial for the task of cooking.

  • Quality Standards Skills

    Quality standards are a specific level of standards of products that are set by the companies for the customers that have to be met and maintained throughout the process until the time of delivery. Quality standards are information that includes the customer's requirements, guidelines, and characteristics for the needed final product or service.

  • Chefs Skills

    A chef is a professionally trained cook who is competent in all aspects revolving around preparation of food, with proficiency in various cuisine and specialization in one. The word "chef" is derived from the term chef de cuisine, that means director or head of the kitchen. A chef oversees all activities inside the kitchen, from menu creation, plating design, controlling raw material costs, management of staff, ordering and purchasing of inventory.

  • Cuisine Skills

    Cuisine refers to a certain style, method, or manner of preparing food peculiar to a particular country, region, or establishment. It is often characterized by distinctive techniques, ingredients, and dishes that are usually associated with a specific geographic region or culture. Examples include New Mexico Chile in New Mexican cuisine and Japanese rice in Japanese cuisine.

Top Skills for a Chef

Source: Zippia.com
  • Customer Service, 13.5%
  • Food Handling, 11.6%
  • Culinary, 11.1%
  • Food Service, 7.7%
  • Other Skills, 56.1%
Not sure which skills are really important?
3 Big Tips For Listing Skills On Your Resume
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4. List Your Chef Experience

The most important part of any resume is the experience section. Recruiters and hiring managers expect to see your experience listed in reverse chronological order, meaning that you should begin with your most recent experience and then work backwards.

Don't just list your job duties below each job entry. Instead, make sure most of your bullet points discuss impressive achievements from your past positions. Whenever you can, use numbers to contextualize your accomplishments for the hiring manager reading your resume.

It's okay if you can't include exact percentages or dollar figures. There's a big difference even between saying "Managed a team of engineers" and "Managed a team of 6 engineers over a 9-month project."

Most importantly, make sure that the experience you include is relevant to the job you're applying for. Use the job description to ensure that each bullet point on your resume is appropriate and helpful.

Don't have any experience?
How To Show Your Experience On a Resume... Even When You Don't Have Any
Work History Example # 1
Chef
Ruby Tuesday
  • Created high brand recognition through courteous hospitality and high quality cuisine.
  • Served as a Chef, planned and cooperated in culinary events, while developing successful entrees.
  • Helped Manage the Culinary Department and provided oversight on all aspects of food production.
  • Trained in all FOH and BOH positions, filling in wherever needed.
  • Managed inventory and purchasing, while maintaining excellent food cost.
Work History Example # 2
Chef
Hilton Worldwide Holdings
  • Hired as Sous Chef to open a Mexican cuisine restaurant located at the Hilton Hotel for two years.
  • Managed team of 26 cooks, 3 supervisors and 2 Sous Chefs.
  • Created award winning cuisine that balanced taste as well as nutritional value.
  • Trained on all stations of the main kitchen serving 1000 guests nightly.
  • Inspired a Rooftop Garden to table approach with emphasis on artisanal presentations with fresh micro amuse and fusion technique and cuisine
Work History Example # 3
Chef (Part-Time)
Mitchell's Fish Market
  • Managed Chefs feature book, for future menu items.
  • Trained and Certified Staff in Serve Safe and HACCP Programs.
  • Directed runners and servers to deliver complete orders.
  • Expedited daily lunch and dinner service.
  • Monitored sanitation practices to ensure that employees follow standards and regulations.
Work History Example # 4
Pastry Chef
Eddie V's Prime Seafood
  • Hired, trained, and managed all BOH team members.
  • Opened the West Avenue location as the Executive Sous Chef.
  • Supervised hot kitchen, garden manger and pastry kitchen with a staff of 23 cooks, sous chefs and interns.
  • Improved overall business efficiency while working in a fast paced environment.
  • Prepped vegetables, meat and seafood Worked salads and deserts Washed dishes and mopped floors 2 summer seasons
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5. Highlight Your Chef Certifications On Resume

Certifications can be a powerful tool to show employers that you know your stuff. If you have any of these certifications, make sure to put them on your chef resume:

  1. ServSafe Alcohol
  2. Certified Culinary Administrator (CCA)
  3. Certified Food Manager (CFM)
  4. Food Safety Manager Certification
  5. Certified Master Chef (CMC)
  6. ServSafe Food Protection Manager Certification
  7. Certified Professional - Food Safety (CP-FS)
  8. Certified Nutrition Specialist (CNS)
  9. Certified Executive Chef (CEC)
  10. OSHA Safety Certificate

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6. Finally, Add a Chef Resume Summary Or Objective Statement

A resume summary statement is a 1-3 sentence spiel at the top of your resume that quickly summarizes who you are and what you have to offer. In this section, include your job title, years of experience (if it's 3+), and an impressive accomplishment, if you have space for it.

Remember to address skills and experiences that are emphasized in the job description.

Are you a recent grad?
Read our guide on how to write a resume summary statement

And If You’re Looking for a Job, Here Are the Five Top Employers Hiring Now:

  1. Romano's Macaroni Grill Jobs (77)
  2. Hilton Jobs (135)
  3. Marriott International Jobs (51)
  4. Darden Restaurants Jobs (96)
  5. The Walt Disney Company Jobs (56)

Common Chef Resume Skills

  • Customer Service
  • Food Handling
  • Culinary
  • Food Service
  • Kitchen Operations
  • Kitchen Equipment
  • Quality Standards
  • Cleanliness
  • Quality Food
  • Chefs
  • ServSafe
  • Cuisine
  • Fine Dining
  • Food Production
  • Food Storage
  • Safety Standards
  • Fifo
  • Portion Control
  • Dinner Service
  • Sanitation Standards
  • Menu Planning
  • Broilers
  • Cost Control
  • Roasting
  • HACCP
  • Guest Satisfaction
  • Fryers
  • Labor Costs
  • Food Cost
  • Product Quality
  • Food Preparation
  • Inventory Control
  • Menu Development
  • Kitchen Sanitation
  • Food Processors
  • Exceptional Guest
  • Food Orders
  • Dishwashers
  • Garnishing
  • Steamers
  • Room Service
  • Sanitation Practices
  • Slicers
  • Excellent Guest
  • Recipe Development
  • Line Cooks
  • Allergies
  • Stoves
  • Garde Manger
  • Saut

Entry Level Chef Resume Templates

Chef Jobs