Chief cook vs cook supervisor

The differences between chief cooks and cook supervisors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a chief cook and a cook supervisor. Additionally, a cook supervisor has an average salary of $41,118, which is higher than the $38,867 average annual salary of a chief cook.

The top three skills for a chief cook include meal preparation, kitchen equipment and cleanliness. The most important skills for a cook supervisor are food handling, food service, and portion control.

Chief cook vs cook supervisor overview

	Chief Cook	Cook Supervisor
Yearly salary	$38,867	$41,118
Hourly rate	$18.69	$19.77
Growth rate	16%	16%
Number of jobs	159,663	183,387
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 31%	High School Diploma, 36%
Average age	38	38
Years of experience	4	4

Chief cook vs cook supervisor salary

Chief cooks and cook supervisors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Chief Cook	Cook Supervisor
Average salary	$38,867	$41,118
Salary range	Between $29,000 And $51,000	Between $27,000 And $62,000
Highest paying City	-	New York, NY
Highest paying state	-	New York
Best paying company	-	Chelsea Jewish Lifecare
Best paying industry	-	Health Care

Differences between chief cook and cook supervisor education

There are a few differences between a chief cook and a cook supervisor in terms of educational background:

	Chief Cook	Cook Supervisor
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 31%	High School Diploma, 36%
Most common major	Culinary Arts	Culinary Arts
Most common college	-	-

Chief cook vs cook supervisor demographics

Here are the differences between chief cooks' and cook supervisors' demographics:

	Chief Cook	Cook Supervisor
Average age	38	38
Gender ratio	Male, 78.6% Female, 21.4%	Male, 55.4% Female, 44.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.8% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 19.1% Asian, 9.0% White, 54.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.4%	Black or African American, 8.9% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 16.5% Asian, 7.7% White, 61.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between chief cook and cook supervisor duties and responsibilities

Chief cook example responsibilities.

Operate mixers and manage ingredients to meet product quality and uniformity standards.
Demand cleanliness of galley and equipment while assisting in meal planning and inventory management.
Operate mixers and manage ingredients to meet product quality and uniformity standards.
Operate commercial dishwasher and ensure kitchen area are clean and sanitary at all times, catering to following shift crew members.
Display leadership abilities and responsibility by training new employees.

Cook supervisor example responsibilities.

Manage food expo; facilitate food temp logs; creation of menu specials; management and supervision of production staff
Assist culinary director in assign duties relate to kitchen operations.
Work with multiple POS systems by entering and processing orders.
Organize and put away inventory when it arrive using HACCP guidelines.
Cook all orders that are enter in pos system, enter orders on pos system, clean kitchen when closing.
Have ServSafe food sanitation certification.

Chief cook vs cook supervisor skills

Common chief cook skills

Meal Preparation, 21%
Kitchen Equipment, 17%
Cleanliness, 13%
Food Safety, 12%
Food Handling, 8%
Menu Planning, 6%

Common cook supervisor skills

Food Handling, 33%
Food Service, 26%
Portion Control, 9%
Kitchen Equipment, 5%
HACCP, 5%
Meal Preparation, 4%

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Food Preparation and Restaurant Industry
Chief Cook
Chief Cook vs Cook Supervisor

Updated January 8, 2025

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