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Kitchen lead vs kitchen chef

The differences between kitchen leads and kitchen chefs can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a kitchen chef has an average salary of $37,579, which is higher than the $35,678 average annual salary of a kitchen lead.

The top three skills for a kitchen lead include customer service, culinary and food products. The most important skills for a kitchen chef are culinary, food handling, and quality standards.

Kitchen lead vs kitchen chef overview

Kitchen LeadKitchen Chef
Yearly salary$35,678$37,579
Hourly rate$17.15$18.07
Growth rate10%15%
Number of jobs56,30033,785
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeHigh School Diploma, 37%Associate Degree, 34%
Average age3742
Years of experience-6

Kitchen lead vs kitchen chef salary

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

Kitchen LeadKitchen Chef
Average salary$35,678$37,579
Salary rangeBetween $27,000 And $45,000Between $24,000 And $57,000
Highest paying CityRedmond, WA-
Highest paying stateWashington-
Best paying companyZoës Kitchen-
Best paying industryManufacturing-

Differences between kitchen lead and kitchen chef education

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

Kitchen LeadKitchen Chef
Most common degreeHigh School Diploma, 37%Associate Degree, 34%
Most common majorCulinary ArtsCulinary Arts
Most common college-Stanford University

Kitchen lead vs kitchen chef demographics

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

Kitchen LeadKitchen Chef
Average age3742
Gender ratioMale, 67.1% Female, 32.9%Male, 70.0% Female, 30.0%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 10.1% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 18.3% Asian, 7.0% White, 58.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%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%
LGBT Percentage10%9%

Differences between kitchen lead and kitchen chef duties and responsibilities

Kitchen lead example responsibilities.

  • Manage grill area and demonstrate leadership.
  • Can work without supervision in BOH, prepping and organizing.
  • Filter all fryers, change oil, and run dishwashers.
  • Involve in revamping standardize recipes, and teaching staff consistent culinary techniques.
  • Assign and check completion of side and/or cleaning tasks throughout BOH positions.
  • Start as p.m. dishwasher, and with no prior culinary experience work to kitchen lead.
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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.

Kitchen lead vs kitchen chef skills

Common kitchen lead skills
  • Customer Service, 21%
  • Culinary, 21%
  • Food Products, 14%
  • Food Service, 13%
  • Food Safety, 5%
  • Quality Food, 5%
Common kitchen chef skills
  • Culinary, 16%
  • Food Handling, 13%
  • Quality Standards, 11%
  • Kitchen Equipment, 6%
  • Fine Dining, 5%
  • Food Storage, 5%

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