Pizza chef vs head cook

The differences between pizza 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 pizza chef and a head cook. Additionally, a head cook has an average salary of $44,412, which is higher than the $32,223 average annual salary of a pizza chef.

The top three skills for a pizza chef include food handling, food products and food safety. The most important skills for a head cook are kitchen equipment, meal preparation, and food service.

Pizza chef vs head cook overview

	Pizza Chef	Head Cook
Yearly salary	$32,223	$44,412
Hourly rate	$15.49	$21.35
Growth rate	15%	15%
Number of jobs	30,536	156,227
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 37%	High School Diploma, 42%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	6	6

Pizza chef vs head cook salary

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

	Pizza Chef	Head Cook
Average salary	$32,223	$44,412
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $42,000	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 pizza chef and head cook education

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

	Pizza Chef	Head Cook
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 37%	High School Diploma, 42%
Most common major	Business	Culinary Arts
Most common college	Stanford University	Stanford University

Pizza chef vs head cook demographics

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

	Pizza Chef	Head Cook
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 79.2% Female, 20.8%	Male, 63.5% Female, 36.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.7% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 17.2% Asian, 9.7% White, 58.3% 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 pizza chef and head cook duties and responsibilities

Pizza chef example responsibilities.

Manage a kitchen of military personal and Japanese civilian chefs.
Place order, host, run cash register creative ideas for new menu items.
Create and prepare international cuisine for executive clientele by using ingenuity, organization, efficiency in production and attention to detail
Train replacement dishwasher employee upon being promote!

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.

Pizza chef vs head cook skills

Common pizza chef skills

Food Handling, 57%
Food Products, 14%
Food Safety, 13%
Dishes, 5%
Customer Service, 4%
Food Service, 1%

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
Pizza Chef
Pizza Chef vs Head Cook

Updated January 8, 2025

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