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Chef skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
Chef example skills
Below we've compiled a list of the most critical chef skills. We ranked the top skills for chefs based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 13.5% of chef resumes contained customer service as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a chef needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 chef skills for your resume and career

1. Customer Service

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.

Here's how chefs use customer service:
  • Provide exceptional customer service to ensure future business with skill enhancement through Culinary Arts training.
  • Gained valuable customer service skills, improved capacity to work efficiently in high-stress environments.

2. Food Handling

Here's how chefs use food handling:
  • Facilitated improvements in food handling and preparation within corporate kitchen -Monitored temperature and refrigeration controls according to NYC Board of Health guidelines
  • Performed food handling, preparation, and customer service duties for family-owned and family-friendly traditional fish and seafood restaurant.

3. Culinary

Here's how chefs use culinary:
  • Motivate the kitchen team to strive for culinary excellence at maximum efficiency, comply with Company procedures and maximize profitability.
  • Worked in busy Continental-French restaurant after graduating the Culinary Institute of America and moving to California.

4. Food Service

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.

Here's how chefs use food service:
  • Worked closely with Food Service Director, communicated directly with University Administrators planning and executing special events.
  • Improved food service quality by implementing new and trendy menu items and balancing nutritional selections.

5. Kitchen Operations

Here's how chefs use kitchen operations:
  • Promoted exceptional customer service by overseeing all kitchen operations for 223-guest room and 66-meeting room premiere conference and corporate education center.
  • Managed daily kitchen operations and create standards that exceed safety and health regulations; identify and provide solutions for any problem areas

6. Kitchen Equipment

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

Here's how chefs use kitchen equipment:
  • Worked closely with management to maintain property safety and consistent preventative maintenance on all kitchen equipment.
  • Follow sanitation and safety procedures including knife handling and kitchen equipment.

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7. Quality Standards

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.

Here's how chefs use quality standards:
  • Work involves supervisory responsibility for kitchen personnel and equipment to insure proper sanitation; and quality standards are maintained.
  • Prepare food according to company specifications and maintain consistency in food quality standards.

8. Cleanliness

Here's how chefs use cleanliness:
  • Prepared catering orders, delivered as necessary and maintained kitchen cleanliness and order.
  • Maintain and support the restaurant kitchen environment by monitoring kitchen cleanliness.

9. Quality Food

Here's how chefs use quality food:
  • Received and prepared food orders for customers and expedited high quality food with efficiency and accuracy.
  • Applied multiple cooking/baking skills resulting in delivery of quality food and customer satisfaction.

10. Chefs

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.

Here's how chefs use chefs:
  • Adapted professional cooking methods for household environments, modifying recipes for recreational chefs and supermarket shoppers.
  • Executed Executive chefs requests when working independently.

11. ServSafe

Here's how chefs use servsafe:
  • Supervised crew members and all catering functions* Created menu plans weekly* Responsible for purchasing and verifying orders* ServSafe Certification
  • Maintained kitchen sanitation by following ServSafe guidelines.

12. Cuisine

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.

Here's how chefs use cuisine:
  • Managed inside outside functions to integrate operations, quality cuisine selections, and organizational objectives.
  • Contributed to re-launching a newly renovated restaurant featuring a new menu consisting of modern cuisine.

13. Fine Dining

Here's how chefs use fine dining:
  • Developed and executed fine dining menus.
  • Prepared Italian cuisine in fine dining atmosphere

14. Food Production

Here's how chefs use food production:
  • Assured consistency and quality of food production through a variety of means, including monitoring inventory and developing weekly specials.
  • Coordinated all hot banquet functions including purchasing, food preparation and plate-up* Supervised hot food production for Sunday brunch

15. Food Storage

Here's how chefs use food storage:
  • Inventory, proper food storage and oversee patients' diets* Doctors' lounge, cafeteria, catering and Meals on Wheels.
  • Monitor and coach other cooks on food preparation, sanitation, and proper food storage in ordinance with HACCP guidelines.
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List of chef skills to add to your resume

Chef skills

The most important skills for a chef resume and required skills for a chef to have include:

  • 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

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.

Updated January 8, 2025

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