A chef is the master of the kitchen-someone who is creative and innovative with food. Chefs are the pride and reputation of each restaurant or dining establishments. They make sure every meal served is fresh and oversees the kitchen operation. They also create recipes, study menus, and prepare significant-high-quality dishes that represent the restaurant. They say academic requirements aren't needed, but anyone who has a passion for food and cooking can be a chef.

Chef Responsibilities

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

  • Prep; cook; deliver and manage off site catering events per BEO orders.
  • Integrate key culinary leaders into casino and food and beverage operations, achieving positive results and industry awards.
  • Prepare any there require drinks or food that is necessary for that BEO.
  • Train all BOH employees on new recipes and procedures of preparation for all menu items
  • Maximize productivity, profit and loss with continual on the job training of BOH staff.
  • Follow mandated health regulations with a HACCP program and proper sanctification procedures.
  • Prepare catering orders, deliver as necessary and maintain kitchen cleanliness and order.
  • Maintain cleaning schedule and ensure proper implementation of company policy regarding proper HACCP procedures.
  • Celebrate old-fashioned menu and simultaneously introduce creative dishes without losing the foundation cuisine by which the club operate.
  • Create and prepare international cuisine for executive clientele by using ingenuity, organization, efficiency in production and attention to detail
  • Prepare private dinners and buffets for senior management.
  • Prepare foods of all types for receptions, buffets, holidays, and special occasions.
  • Maintain all inventory and price with vendors, placing orders for all kitchen and FOH needs.
  • Provide meals for the casual caf, restaurant, lounge and room service.
  • Train interns and keep the public caf stock with meals on a daily basis.

Chef Skills and Personality Traits

We calculated that 13% of Chefs are proficient in Customer Service, Food Handling, and Culinary. They’re also known for soft skills such as Business skills, Communication skills, and Creativity.

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

  • Customer Service, 13%

    Provide exceptional customer service to ensure future business with skill enhancement through Culinary Arts training.

  • Food Handling, 12%

    Facilitated improvements in food handling and preparation within corporate kitchen -Monitored temperature and refrigeration controls according to NYC Board of Health guidelines

  • Culinary, 11%

    Motivate the kitchen team to strive for culinary excellence at maximum efficiency, comply with Company procedures and maximize profitability.

  • Food Service, 8%

    Worked closely with Food Service Director, communicated directly with University Administrators planning and executing special events.

  • Kitchen Operations, 6%

    Promoted exceptional customer service by overseeing all kitchen operations for 223-guest room and 66-meeting room premiere conference and corporate education center.

  • Kitchen Equipment, 4%

    Worked closely with management to maintain property safety and consistent preventative maintenance on all kitchen equipment.

Some of the skills we found on chef resumes included "customer service," "food handling," and "culinary." We have detailed the most important chef responsibilities below.

  • Business skills can be considered to be the most important personality trait for a chef to have. According to a chef resume, "executive chefs and chefs who run their own restaurant need to understand the restaurant business" chefs are able to use business skills in the following example we gathered from a resume: "supervised all operations, initiated eclectic cuisine expanding business from 200 to 400 covers daily, california/eclectic cuisine. "
  • While it may not be the most important skill, we found that many chef duties rely on communication skills. This example from a chef explains why: "chefs must communicate their instructions clearly and effectively to staff so that customers’ orders are prepared correctly." This resume example is just one of many ways chefs are able to utilize communication skills: "cook and plan meals maintain quality and cleanliness operate various cooking equipment excellent communication skills"
  • Chefs are also known for creativity, which can be critical when it comes to performing their duties. An example of why this skill is important is shown by this snippet that we found in a chef resume: "chefs and head cooks need to be creative in order to develop and prepare interesting and innovative recipes" We also found this resume example that details how this skill is put to the test: "celebrated old-fashioned menu and simultaneously introduced creative dishes without losing the foundation cuisine by which the club operated. "
  • A thorough review of lots of resumes revealed to us that "dexterity" is important to completing chef responsibilities. This resume example shows just one way chefs use this skill: "chefs and head cooks need excellent dexterity, including proper knife techniques for cutting, chopping, and dicing." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical chef tasks: "provided hands-on constant creative ideas to ensure delivery of attractive presentation, high-quality cuisine, and timely service of food daily. "
  • As part of the chef description, you might find that one of the skills that might be helpful to the job is "leadership skills." A chef resume included this snippet: "chefs and head cooks must have the ability to motivate kitchen staff and develop constructive and cooperative working relationships with them." This skill could be useful in this scenario: "attended workshops to gain knowledge about culinary arts and leadership. "
  • Another skill commonly found on chef resumes is "physical stamina." This description of the skill was found on several chef 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 responsibilities: "worked continually with the staff on food safety, physical safety and culinary techniques. "
  • See the full list of chef skills.

    The three companies that hire the most prestigious chefs are:

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    What Banquet Cooks Do

    The Pastry Cook's responsibilities include preparing quality pastry items such as breakfast items, desserts, breads, ice creams, creams, simple syrups, amenities, and others. They are also responsible for minimizing waste and maintaining control to attain forecasted food cost.

    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 $12,225 lower than what chefs make on average every year.

    While the salaries between these two careers can be different, they do share some of the same responsibilities. Employees in both chefs and banquet cooks positions are skilled in customer service, food handling, and culinary.

    These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. A chef responsibility is more likely to require skills like "kitchen operations," "servsafe," "food storage," and "sanitation standards." Whereas a banquet cook requires skills like "sauces," "cold food," "dependability," and "dexterity." Just by understanding these different skills you can see how different these careers are.

    Banquet cooks receive the highest salaries in the manufacturing industry coming in with an average yearly salary of $41,429. But chefs are paid more in the health care industry with an average salary of $46,349.

    On average, banquet cooks reach similar levels of education than chefs. Banquet cooks are 1.5% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.2% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

    What Are The Duties Of a Pastry Cook?

    Line cooks are responsible for preparing meals for guests or employers. The term line cook brings to mind an assembly line. This is apt because line cooks are usually assigned to a specific station to work on a specific part of a meal or a preparation process. They are part of a bigger group of cooks in the restaurant. This is done so that meal preparation is more efficient. Line cooks are responsible for preparing ingredients, ensuring that the pantry is well-stocked, and doing their assigned activity in the line. They are expected to be good team players, have experience as a cook, and be able to follow recipes and provide alternatives when necessary.

    Now we're going to look at the pastry cook profession. On average, pastry cooks earn a $11,966 lower salary than chefs a year.

    While the salary may be different for these job positions, there is one similarity and that's a few of the skills needed to perform certain duties. We used info from lots of resumes to find that both chefs and pastry cooks are known to have skills such as "customer service," "food handling," and "culinary. "

    While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, several resumes showed us that chef responsibilities requires skills like "food service," "kitchen operations," "quality food," and "chefs." But a pastry cook might use skills, such as, "food safety," "wine," "banquet events," and "executive pastry chef."

    It's been discovered that pastry cooks earn lower salaries compared to chefs, but we wanted to find out where pastry cooks earned the most pay. The answer? The hospitality industry. The average salary in the industry is $36,443. Additionally, chefs earn the highest paychecks in the health care with an average salary of $46,349.

    On the topic of education, pastry cooks earn similar levels of education than chefs. In general, they're 1.0% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.2% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

    How a Line Cook Compares

    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.

    The line cook profession generally makes a lower amount of money when compared to the average salary of chefs. The difference in salaries is line cooks making $13,930 lower than chefs.

    By looking over several chefs and line cooks resumes, we found that both roles utilize similar skills, such as "customer service," "food handling," and "culinary." But beyond that the careers look very different.

    There are many key differences between these two careers as shown by resumes from each profession. Some of those differences include the skills required to complete responsibilities within each role. As an example of this, a chef is likely to be skilled in "food service," "kitchen operations," "chefs," and "servsafe," while a typical line cook is skilled in "team work," "basic math," "dexterity," and "math."

    Additionally, line cooks earn a higher salary in the hospitality industry compared to other industries. In this industry, they receive an average salary of $32,363. Additionally, chefs earn an average salary of $46,349 in the health care industry.

    When it comes to education, line cooks tend to earn similar education levels than chefs. In fact, they're 1.3% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.1% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

    Description Of a Head Cook

    Head cooks tend to earn a lower pay than chefs by about $2,412 per year.

    While their salaries may vary, chefs and head cooks both use similar skills to perform their jobs. Resumes from both professions include skills like "food service," "kitchen operations," and "kitchen equipment. "

    Even though a few skill sets overlap, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a chef might have more use for skills like "customer service," "food handling," "culinary," and "cleanliness." Meanwhile, some head cooks might include skills like "meal preparation," "food products," "plan menus," and "clean kitchen" on their resume.

    In general, head cooks make a higher salary in the manufacturing industry with an average of $43,083. The highest chef annual salary stems from the health care industry.

    In general, head cooks reach similar levels of education when compared to chefs resumes. Head cooks are 1.3% less likely to earn their Master's Degree and 0.1% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

    What a Chef Does FAQs

    Head Chef Vs. Executive Chef

    A head chef is a chef that has full control over the running of a restaurant's kitchen, while an executive chef is a chef who carries out the managerial tasks in a restaurant.

    A head chef is also known as an executive chef or chef de cuisine. They are in charge of the entire kitchen at a restaurant, including managing kitchen staff, creating menus, managing kitchen costs, and dealing with suppliers. They are the ones in charge and responsible for the daily running of a restaurant's kitchen.

    How Many Hours Do Chefs Work?

    Chefs work around 10 to 12 hours per day, averaging around 50 to 70 hours a week. At some restaurants, chefs are expected to work seven days a week for 12 to 14 hours each shift. This includes working nights, weekends, and holidays.

    What Does A Chef Wear?

    A chef wears a double-breasted white jacket, cotton cloth, an apron, a tall white hat called a Toque Blanche, pants, and black shoes.

    Every one of these items is typically white, except for the pants, which are generally black and white in a houndstooth pattern. The black shoes are of the non-slip variety.

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