Personal chef vs head cook

The differences between personal chefs and head cooks can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a personal chef and a head cook. Additionally, a personal chef has an average salary of $47,681, which is higher than the $44,412 average annual salary of a head cook.

The top three skills for a personal chef include plan menus, in-home and culinary. The most important skills for a head cook are kitchen equipment, meal preparation, and food service.

Personal chef vs head cook overview

	Personal Chef	Head Cook
Yearly salary	$47,681	$44,412
Hourly rate	$22.92	$21.35
Growth rate	15%	15%
Number of jobs	30,092	156,227
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 43%	High School Diploma, 42%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	6	6

Personal chef vs head cook salary

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

	Personal Chef	Head Cook
Average salary	$47,681	$44,412
Salary range	Between $31,000 And $72,000	Between $32,000 And $61,000
Highest paying City	-	San Antonio, TX
Highest paying state	-	New Jersey
Best paying company	-	Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics
Best paying industry	-	Manufacturing

Differences between personal chef and head cook education

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

	Personal Chef	Head Cook
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 43%	High School Diploma, 42%
Most common major	Culinary Arts	Culinary Arts
Most common college	Drexel University	Stanford University

Personal chef vs head cook demographics

Here are the differences between personal chefs' and head cooks' demographics:

	Personal Chef	Head Cook
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 49.4% Female, 50.6%	Male, 63.5% Female, 36.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.6% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 17.6% Asian, 11.1% White, 54.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	Black or African American, 10.4% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 15.5% Asian, 10.3% White, 57.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between personal chef and head cook duties and responsibilities

Personal chef example responsibilities.

Travel and manage additional kitchens & staff at estates in Hamptons, NJ & NYC.
Cook and manage daily household functions for a large extend family in the Amagansette and NYC.
Manage the kitchens, purchase groceries, supplies and equipment; prepares invoicing, and handles receipts receivable.
Control food and payroll costs to achieve maximum profitability.
Prepare and package scratch-made, healthy meals, while consider allergies and personal taste.
Shop for client's groceries, and prepare weekly meals in the clients home while maintaining ServSafe health standards.

Head cook example responsibilities.

Operate mixers and manage ingredients to meet product quality and uniformity standards.
Accommodate all campers and staff with dietary restrictions, food allergies as well as providing vegetarian and vegan options.
Follow all equipment and safety procedures in all operations including slicers, choppers, mixers and other meal processing equipment.
Operate mixers and manage ingredients to meet product quality and uniformity standards.
Scramble eggs, sausage, potatoes, biscits and gravy.
Create and execute menus for the buffets.

Personal chef vs head cook skills

Common personal chef skills

Plan Menus, 19%
In-Home, 18%
Culinary, 16%
Food Preparation, 6%
Meal Planning, 6%
Meal Prep, 4%

Common head cook skills

Kitchen Equipment, 41%
Meal Preparation, 15%
Food Service, 7%
Food Preparation, 3%
Quality Standards, 3%
Safety Standards, 2%

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Food Preparation and Restaurant Industry
Personal Chef
Personal Chef vs Head Cook

Updated January 8, 2025

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