Kitchen chef vs head chef

The differences between kitchen chefs and head 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 kitchen chef and a head chef. Additionally, a head chef has an average salary of $45,470, which is higher than the $37,579 average annual salary of a kitchen chef.

The top three skills for a kitchen chef include culinary, food handling and quality standards. The most important skills for a head chef are kitchen operations, culinary, and dinner service.

Kitchen chef vs head chef overview

	Kitchen Chef	Head Chef
Yearly salary	$37,579	$45,470
Hourly rate	$18.07	$21.86
Growth rate	15%	15%
Number of jobs	33,785	27,331
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 34%	Associate Degree, 43%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	6	6

Kitchen chef vs head chef salary

Kitchen chefs and head chefs have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Kitchen Chef	Head Chef
Average salary	$37,579	$45,470
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $57,000	Between $28,000 And $71,000
Highest paying City	-	Wellesley, MA
Highest paying state	-	Hawaii
Best paying company	-	Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics
Best paying industry	-	Health Care

Differences between kitchen chef and head chef education

There are a few differences between a kitchen chef and a head chef in terms of educational background:

	Kitchen Chef	Head Chef
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 34%	Associate Degree, 43%
Most common major	Culinary Arts	Culinary Arts
Most common college	Stanford University	Drexel University

Kitchen chef vs head chef demographics

Here are the differences between kitchen chefs' and head chefs' demographics:

	Kitchen Chef	Head Chef
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 70.0% Female, 30.0%	Male, 79.8% Female, 20.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.6% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 18.4% Asian, 12.7% White, 53.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 9.8% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.8% Asian, 11.2% White, 56.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between kitchen chef and head chef duties and responsibilities

Kitchen chef example 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.

Head chef example responsibilities.

Hire, train, and manage a staff of cooks, also train servers and cross train dishwashers.
Manage a kitchen of military personal and Japanese civilian chefs.
Supervise, coordinate and direct all culinary activities within the food service department.
Work manned omelet and brunch stations in dining room.
Develop HACCP plans for every fresh item carry on premises.
Assist with setup and break down of equipment for parties, meetings and brunch.

Kitchen chef vs head chef skills

Common kitchen chef skills

Culinary, 16%
Food Handling, 13%
Quality Standards, 11%
Kitchen Equipment, 6%
Fine Dining, 5%
Food Storage, 5%

Common head chef skills

Kitchen Operations, 27%
Culinary, 9%
Dinner Service, 6%
Food Service, 5%
Cuisine, 3%
Safety Standards, 3%

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Food Preparation and Restaurant Industry
Kitchen Chef
Kitchen Chef vs Head Chef

Updated January 8, 2025

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