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The differences between chef managers and head cooks can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a chef manager and a head cook. Additionally, a chef manager has an average salary of $53,470, which is higher than the $44,412 average annual salary of a head cook.
The top three skills for a chef manager include culinary, fine dining and customer service. The most important skills for a head cook are kitchen equipment, meal preparation, and food service.
| Chef Manager | Head Cook | |
| Yearly salary | $53,470 | $44,412 |
| Hourly rate | $25.71 | $21.35 |
| Growth rate | 15% | 15% |
| Number of jobs | 22,346 | 156,227 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 49% | High School Diploma, 42% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
The primary role of a Chef Manager is to supervise food preparation. They may work in varies settings, such as restaurants, schools, and hospitals.
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.
Chef managers and head cooks have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Chef Manager | Head Cook | |
| Average salary | $53,470 | $44,412 |
| Salary range | Between $36,000 And $78,000 | Between $32,000 And $61,000 |
| Highest paying City | Cherry Hill, NJ | San Antonio, TX |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Alameda Health System | Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a chef manager and a head cook in terms of educational background:
| Chef Manager | Head Cook | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 49% | High School Diploma, 42% |
| Most common major | Culinary Arts | Culinary Arts |
| Most common college | Boston University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between chef managers' and head cooks' demographics:
| Chef Manager | Head Cook | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 77.5% Female, 22.5% | Male, 63.5% Female, 36.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.4% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.9% Asian, 10.4% White, 57.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | Black or African American, 10.4% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 15.5% Asian, 10.3% White, 57.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 9% |