Post job

Head cook resume examples from 2026

Zippi

Land interviews using Zippia's AI-powered resume builder.

Updated March 26, 2025
6 min read
Resume example

All resume examples

How to write a head cook resume

Craft a resume summary statement

Your resume summary sums up your experience and skills, making it easy for hiring managers to understand your qualifications at a glance. Here are some tips to writing the most important 2-4 sentences of your resume:

Step 1: Mention your current job title or the role you're pursuing.

Step 2: Include your years of experience in head cook-related roles. Consider adding relevant company and industry experience as relevant to the job listing.

Step 3: Highlight your greatest accomplishments. Here is your chance to make sure your biggest wins aren't buried in your resume.

Step 4: Again, keep it short. Your goal is to summarize your experience and highlight your accomplishments, not write a paragraph.

These four steps should give you a strong elevator pitch and land you some head cook interviews.

Please upload your resume so Zippia’s job hunt AI can draft a summary statement for you.

Zippi waving

List the right project manager skills

Many resumes are filtered out by hiring software before a human eye ever sees them. A robust Skills section can let recruiters (and bots) know you have the skills to do the job. Here is how to make the most of your skills section:

  1. You often need to include the exact keywords from the job description in your resume. Look at the job listing and consider which of the listed skills you have experience with, along with related skills.
  2. Include as many relevant hard skills and soft skills as possible from the listing.
  3. Use the most up to date and accurate terms. Don't forget to be specific.
These five steps should give you a strong elevator pitch and land you some head cook interviews.

Here are example skills to include in your “Area of Expertise” on a head cook resume:

  • Kitchen Equipment
  • Meal Preparation
  • Food Service
  • Food Preparation
  • Quality Standards
  • Safety Standards
  • Quality Food
  • Food Products
  • ServSafe
  • Allergies
  • Food Storage
  • Sanitation Practices
  • Kitchen Operations
  • Broilers
  • Fryers
  • Plan Menus
  • Garnishing
  • Inventory Control
  • Sanitation Standards
  • Stoves
  • Steamers
  • Clean Kitchen
  • Slicers
  • Spoons
  • Production Schedules
  • USDA
  • Kitchen Appliances
  • Food Inventory
  • Requisition Food
  • Kitchen Sanitation

Zippia’s AI can customize your resume for you.

Zippi waving

How to structure your work experience

Your work experience should be structured:

  1. With your most recent roles first, followed by earlier roles in reverse chronological order.
  2. Job title, along with company name and location on the left.
  3. Put the corresponding dates of employment on the left side.
  4. Keep only relevant jobs on your work experience.

How to write head cook experience bullet points

Effective job bullet points do more than just describe your job duties. Instead, they should be specific and measurable accomplishments. Here are some strategies to mastering job bullet points:

  • Use strong action verbs like Led, Built, or Optimized.
  • Follow up with numbers when possible to support your results. How much did performance improve? How much revenue did you drive?
  • Wrap it up by explaining the actions you took to achieve the result and how you made an impact.

Here are examples from great head cook resumes:

Work history example #1

Baker's Assistant

Texas Roadhouse

  • Measured and mixed materials to make pie crust cookies and muffins Inspected quality of products before display Monitored items
  • Swiped the floor Swiped the parking lot Unloaded and placed in storage Made Donuts 40 hours per week
  • Produced 500 bagels in 30 minutes; improved process to meet customer demand Facilitated an enjoyable customer experience
  • Produced Panera Bread's bread product in an unsupervised environment.
  • Baked all cookies muffins , and breads.

Work history example #2

Head Cook

Pizza Hut

  • Cooked pizzas, made wings, did dishes.
  • Prepped and cooked pizza * Cleaned and organized dishes * Broke down buffet
  • Washed dishes, glasses, cooking tools, equipment, counters and tables.
  • Washed dishes, mopped floors and took out trash.
  • cooked pizza, dishes, prep work, also ran fryers

Work history example #3

Cook/Trainer

McDonald's

  • Received orders at front counter and drive-thru.
  • Completed McDonald's Corporate Front/Back Drive-Thru/Window Certification Training.
  • Trained new employees Provided customer service Operated drive-thru Operated cash register
  • Mastered Point-of-service (POS) computer system for order taking.
  • Worked drive-thru and front counter.

Work history example #4

Head Cook

Barro's Pizza

  • Ensured smooth execution of service through excellent communication with managers, co-workers, and customers.
  • prepared food for customers, and wash dishes..
  • Cross-trained as a busser, expediter, and dishwasher, becoming certified in each position and versatile in my work availability.
  • Cleaned and sanitized work stations in a daily basis Assisted washing dishes
  • Cleaned up spilled food, drink and broken dishes, and removed empty bottles and trash.

Zippia’s AI can customize your resume for you.

Zippi waving

Add an education section to your resume

Here is the best way to format your education section:

  • Display your highest degree first.
  • If you graduated over 5 years ago, put this section at the bottom of your resume. If you lack relevant work experience, the education section should go to the top.
  • If you have a bachelor's or master's degree, do not list your high school education.
  • If your graduation year is more than 15-20 years ago, it's better not to include dates in this section.

Here are some examples of good education entries from head cook resumes:

Associate's Degree in culinary arts

Johnson & Wales University, Providence, RI

2015 - 2017

Associate's Degree in culinary arts

Culinary Institute of America, Hyde Park, NY

2009 - 2011

Highlight your head cook certifications on your resume

If you have any additional certifications, add them to the certification section.

Start simple. Include the full name of the certification. It's also good to mention the organization that issued the certification. Next, specify when you obtained the certification.

If you have any of these certifications, be sure to include them on your head cook resume:

  1. ServSafe Alcohol
  2. Certified Food Manager (CFM)
  3. Food Safety Manager Certification
  4. Certified Professional - Food Safety (CP-FS)
  5. OSHA Safety Certificate
  6. ServSafe Food Protection Manager Certification
  7. Certified Nutrition Specialist (CNS)
  8. Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT)
  9. Certified Food Protection Professional (CFPP)
  10. Certified Fundamentals Cook (CFC)

Browse food preparation and restaurant jobs