How to hire a kitchen chef

How to hire a kitchen chef, step by step

Here's a step-by-step kitchen chef hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a kitchen chef job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new kitchen chef
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The kitchen chef hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A kitchen chef's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, kitchen chefs from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   This list presents kitchen chef salaries for various positions.

   Type of Kitchen Chef	Description	Hourly rate
   Kitchen Chef	Chefs and head cooks oversee the daily food preparation at restaurants and other places where food is served. They direct kitchen staff and handle any food-related concerns.	$11-27
   Pastry Cook	The Pastry Cook's responsibilities include preparing quality pastry items such as breakfast items, desserts, breads, ice creams, creams, simple syrups, amenities, and others. They are also responsible for minimizing waste and maintaining control to attain forecasted food cost.	$12-21
   Head Cook	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... Show more	$15-29

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Culinary
   • Food Handling
   • Quality Standards
   • Kitchen Equipment
   • Fine Dining
   • Food Storage
   • Recipe Development
   • Labor Costs
   • Food Orders
   • Food Products
   • Safety Procedures
   • Quality Food
   • Kitchen Operations
   • Dishwashers

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Integrate key culinary leaders into casino and food and beverage operations, achieving positive results and industry awards.
   • Create and prepare international cuisine for executive clientele by using ingenuity, organization, efficiency in production and attention to detail
   • Cook menu items on a grill, broiler, and used a deep fryer, oven, stove, and toaster.
   • Monitor the buffets, organize inventory, purchase orders, record temperatures, make chocolate sculptures, and sugar sculptures.

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your kitchen chef job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A kitchen chef salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, kitchen chefs' average salary in idaho is 54% less than in new jersey.
   • Seniority. Entry-level kitchen chefs earn 58% less than senior-level kitchen chefs.
   • Certifications. A kitchen chef with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a kitchen chef's salary.

   Average kitchen chef salary

   $37,579yearly

   $18.07 hourly rate

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   Entry-level kitchen chef salary

   $24,000 yearly salary

   Updated February 1, 2026

4. Writing a kitchen chef job description

   A kitchen chef job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of a kitchen chef job description:

   Kitchen chef job description example

   The Chef Tournant is responsible for the supervision of kitchen staff in assigned outlet in absence of the Room Chef and creating and fostering a sanitary, productive and team oriented work environment.
   ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:
   
   • Assume responsibilities of room in absence of Room Chef.
   
   • Work with Restaurant Manager and front of the house staff to ensure positive guest experience.
   
   • Ensure quality food product and presentations.
   
   • Teach and develop staff while serving a consistent product with pride.
   
   • Maintains food cost, labor cost and expenses within budget guidelines.
   
   • Meets attendance guidelines and adheres to regulatory, departmental and Company policies.
   
   • Must be able to cook and create new, innovative and imaginative recipes.
   
   • Must be able to react quickly and resolve problems.
   
   • Support and foster loyalty and conduct business in a professional manner at all times.
   
   QUALIFICATIONS:
   
   • Work requires effective communication in English, both verbal and written form in a professional manner.
   
   • Work prefers a minimum of a two year Culinary Arts School, or equivalent technical training in the food industry.
   
   • Minimum of two years' experience as line level Supervisor or Chef in specialty room, Casual Dining or Buffet Restaurant environment.
   
   • Must present a neat and professional appearance.
   
   • Work prefers Bilingual abilitie
   
   • Work requires flexibility to work various shifts.
   
   Food Safety Employee Training required Food Handler's Card
   
   PHYSICAL, MENTAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL DEMANDS:
   
   Fast paced environment, multiple tasks to be handled under time constraint. Must be able to handle a heavy business volume, and sensitive situations relating to staff and guest problems, in a timely manner. compliance of policies and procedures, job descriptions, daily memorandums, chemical labels, and other instructions.
   
   Disclaimer : This is not necessarily an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, skills, duties, requirements, efforts or working conditions associated with the job. While this is intended to be an accurate reflection of the current job, management reserves the right to revise the current job or to require that other or different tasks be performed when circumstances change, (e.g. emergencies, changes in personnel, workload, rush jobs or technical developments).
   
   Qualifications: .
   
   At Caesars Entertainment, Inc., our Team Members create the extraordinary. We are the largest casino-entertainment company in the U.S. and one of the world's most diversified casino-entertainment providers. Since beginning in Reno, Nevada, in 1937, Caesars Entertainment has grown through the development of new resorts, expansions and acquisitions. Our resorts operate primarily under the Caesars , Harrah's , Horseshoe and Eldorado brand names. We focus on building loyalty and value with our guests through a combination of impeccable service, operational excellence and technological leadership. The company is committed to its Team Members, suppliers, communities and the environment through its PEOPLE PLANET PLAY framework.
   
   Our Caesars family is driven by our Mission, Vision and Values. We take great pride in living these values - Together We Win, All In On Service and Blaze the Trail - every day. Our mission, "Create the Extraordinary". Our vision, "Create spectacular worlds. That immerse, inspire and connect you. We don't perform magic; we create it with excellence. #WeAreCaesars". If you are ready to create some magic, we invite you to explore our dynamic, yet unique, career opportunities.
   
   The Chef Tournant is responsible for the supervision of kitchen staff in assigned outlet in absence of the Room Chef and creating and fostering a sanitary, productive and team oriented work environment.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find kitchen chefs for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any kitchen chefs they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level kitchen chefs with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your kitchen chef job on Zippia to find and recruit kitchen chef candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit kitchen chefs, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new kitchen chef

   Once you've decided on a perfect kitchen chef candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your agreement with a contract.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   To prepare for the new kitchen chef first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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