Corporate executive chef vs sous chef

The differences between corporate executive chefs and sous chefs can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a corporate executive chef and a sous chef. Additionally, a corporate executive chef has an average salary of $77,701, which is higher than the $48,716 average annual salary of a sous chef.

The top three skills for a corporate executive chef include culinary, menu development and food safety. The most important skills for a sous chef are culinary, food handling, and food preparation.

Corporate executive chef vs sous chef overview

	Corporate Executive Chef	Sous Chef
Yearly salary	$77,701	$48,716
Hourly rate	$37.36	$23.42
Growth rate	15%	15%
Number of jobs	88,029	22,393
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 57%	Associate Degree, 51%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	6	6

What does a corporate executive chef do?

A Corporate Executive Chef is responsible for the day-to-day operation and culinary standards of a restaurant. They also are responsible for the development of policies and procedures to enhance and measure quality.

What does a sous chef do?

A sous chef is responsible for directing food preparation and general kitchen tasks with the supervision of an executive chef. A sous chef duties also include customizing healthy menus, maintaining quality check for foods, adhering to the highest sanitation procedures and standards, monitoring food and equipment supplies, suggesting new specialties, assisting customer's inquiries, and managing client's complaints. A sous chef must have excellent communication and decision-making skills, as well as updated with the current food trends to provide the best services for the customers.

Corporate executive chef vs sous chef salary

Corporate executive chefs and sous chefs have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Corporate Executive Chef	Sous Chef
Average salary	$77,701	$48,716
Salary range	Between $50,000 And $120,000	Between $33,000 And $70,000
Highest paying City	Washington, DC	Atlantic City, NJ
Highest paying state	New Jersey	Hawaii
Best paying company	Benchmark Group	RH
Best paying industry	Manufacturing	Government

Differences between corporate executive chef and sous chef education

There are a few differences between a corporate executive chef and a sous chef in terms of educational background:

	Corporate Executive Chef	Sous Chef
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 57%	Associate Degree, 51%
Most common major	Culinary Arts	Culinary Arts
Most common college	Boston University	Drexel University

Corporate executive chef vs sous chef demographics

Here are the differences between corporate executive chefs' and sous chefs' demographics:

	Corporate Executive Chef	Sous Chef
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 90.9% Female, 9.1%	Male, 82.1% Female, 17.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.7% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 16.5% Asian, 11.2% White, 55.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 10.2% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 17.8% Asian, 11.3% White, 54.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between corporate executive chef and sous chef duties and responsibilities

Corporate executive chef example responsibilities.

Manage 4-5 chefs , 2 caf managers , 2 meat managers and 70-80 hourly associates.
Manage a kitchen of military personal and Japanese civilian chefs.
Implement HACCP to ensure efficient, safe and sanitary food production are followed.
Develop ready-to-eat and microwavable sandwiches, wraps, pastas, soups and sauces for national and local foodservice businesses.
Oversee daily operations of the chef de cuisine driven teams.
Conduct training sessions for the staff to maintain the HACCP and ISO standards.

Sous chef example responsibilities.

Manage FOH duties, along with customer relations.
Train, mentore, manage and discipline lead chefs, associate chefs, prep cooks, pastry assistants and dishwashers.
Manage a staff of 45 union personnel in preparation of meals for hospital patients and cafeteria patrons for three meals daily.
Control food and payroll costs to achieve maximum profitability.
Manage people and oversee production of high-volume establishment for this upscale restaurant specializing in Mexican cuisine.
Train and manage all culinary personnel, supervise and coordinate all culinary activities, estimate food consumption and manage food cost.

Corporate executive chef vs sous chef skills

Common corporate executive chef skills

Culinary, 20%
Menu Development, 8%
Food Safety, 7%
Kitchen Operations, 7%
Corporate Chef, 5%
Food Preparation, 5%

Common sous chef skills

Culinary, 15%
Food Handling, 8%
Food Preparation, 7%
Customer Service, 5%
Fine Dining, 5%
Food Service, 5%

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Corporate Executive Chef
Corporate Executive Chef vs Sous Chef

Updated January 8, 2025

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