Chief cook vs lead cook

The differences between chief cooks and lead cooks 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 lead cook. Additionally, a chief cook has an average salary of $38,867, which is higher than the $35,964 average annual salary of a lead cook.

The top three skills for a chief cook include meal preparation, kitchen equipment and cleanliness. The most important skills for a lead cook are customer service, food handling, and culinary.

Chief cook vs lead cook overview

	Chief Cook	Lead Cook
Yearly salary	$38,867	$35,964
Hourly rate	$18.69	$17.29
Growth rate	16%	16%
Number of jobs	159,663	160,223
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 31%	Associate Degree, 35%
Average age	38	38
Years of experience	4	4

Chief cook vs lead cook salary

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

	Chief Cook	Lead Cook
Average salary	$38,867	$35,964
Salary range	Between $29,000 And $51,000	Between $27,000 And $46,000
Highest paying City	-	Seattle, WA
Highest paying state	-	Washington
Best paying company	-	Freeport-McMoRan
Best paying industry	-	Health Care

Differences between chief cook and lead cook education

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

	Chief Cook	Lead Cook
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 31%	Associate Degree, 35%
Most common major	Culinary Arts	Culinary Arts
Most common college	-	-

Chief cook vs lead cook demographics

Here are the differences between chief cooks' and lead cooks' demographics:

	Chief Cook	Lead Cook
Average age	38	38
Gender ratio	Male, 78.6% Female, 21.4%	Male, 72.6% Female, 27.4%
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, 9.3% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 18.3% Asian, 9.4% White, 57.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between chief cook and lead cook 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.

Lead cook example responsibilities.

Manage food expo; facilitate food temp logs; creation of menu specials; management and supervision of production staff
Manage inventory and purchasing of groceries.
Operate standard cooking equipment including slicers, food choppers, fryers, refrigerators, ovens and stoves.
Operate ovens, stoves, grills, microwaves, turbo chefs, and fryers.
Use and clean commercial ovens, meat slicers, steamers, combination ovens and steam kettles.
Operate ovens, stoves, grills, microwaves, kettles, and tilt skillet.

Chief cook vs lead cook skills

Common chief cook skills

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

Common lead cook skills

Customer Service, 14%
Food Handling, 14%
Culinary, 11%
Food Service, 11%
Kitchen Equipment, 7%
Math, 5%

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

Updated January 8, 2025

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