Prep cook resume examples from 2025
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How to write a prep cook resume
Craft a resume summary statement
A well-written resume summary is basically an elevator pitch. You are summing up your skills and experience in a few sentences to wow recruiters, hiring managers, and decision makers into giving you an interview. Here are some tips to putting your best foot first with your resume summary:
Step 1: Start with your current job title, or the one you aspire to. Are you a passionate manager? A skilled analyst? It's a good starting point.
Step 2: Next put your years of experience in prep cook-related roles.
Step 3: Now is the time to put your biggest accomplishment or something you are professionally proud of.
Step 4: Read over what you have written. It should be 2-4 sentences. Your goal is to summarize your experience, not recite your resume.
These four steps should give you a strong elevator pitch and land you some prep cook interviews.Please upload your resume so Zippia’s job hunt AI can draft a summary statement for you.
List the right project manager skills
Your Skills section is an easy way to let recruiters know you have the skills to do the job. Just as importantly, it can help your resume not get filtered out by hiring software. Here is how to make the most of your skills section and make sure you have the right keywords:
- Look at the job listing and skills listed. You need to include the exact keywords from the job description to get your resume in front of an actual human. Do you have those skills? Fantastic! Be sure to list them.
- Include as many relevant hard or technical prep cook skills as possible for each job you apply to.
- Be specific with the skills you have and be sure you are using the most up to date and accurate terms.
Here are example skills to include in your “Area of Expertise” on a prep cook resume:
- Food Handling
- Culinary
- Sanitation Standards
- Kitchen Equipment
- Cleanliness
- Team Work
- Food Service
- Worksheets
- Quality Standards
- Safety Standards
- Dishwashers
- Salad Dressings
- Food Processors
- Customer Service
- Line Cooks
- Food Products
- Prep Food
- Fine Dining
- Prep List
- Sanitation Guidelines
- Slicers
- Roasting
- Stoves
- Exceptional Dining
- Clean Kitchen
- POS
- Fifo
- Measure Ingredients
- Food Quality
- Exceptional Guest
Zippia’s AI can customize your resume for you.
How to structure your work experience
Next you should include your work experience. Structure your work experience section by listing your most recent experience first, followed by earlier roles in reverse chronological order.
Start with your job title, company name, city, and state on the left. Align dates in month and year format on the right-hand side.
Include only recent, relevant jobs. Avoid including work experience over 20 years to avoid ageism.
Beneath each job, you should have bullet points to emphasize why you're the perfect fit for the prep cook.
How to write prep cook experience bullet points
Your resume is not a list of responsibilities or a job description. Instead, it is your chance to show your accomplishments and show why you're good at what you do.
- Use the What, How, and Why format. Answering these questions turns a bland job description into an effective showcase of your abilities.
- What were your responsibilities or goals?
- How did you accomplish them?
- Why were your results important? (How did it impact your company? Can you quantify the results in numbers? )
Here are effective examples from prep cook resumes:
Work history example #1
Prep Cook (Part-Time)
TGI Friday's
- Hired as dishwasher, moved to line cook after 2 months of employment.
- Prepared food for the day; worked at the saut , grill, fry, and dessert stations.
- Performed and mastered, both, saute and grill stations.
- Washed dishes, maintained cleanliness of kitchen area and cooking utensils.
- Fostered open communication with restaurant staff.
Work history example #2
Line Cook
Darden Restaurants
- Started as Sautee cook and became head line cook.
- started washing dishes and cleaning.
- Ensured that there was proper communication between all stations, including the expo at all times.
- Performed final inspection of all guest orders and maintained a line of communication between front and back of house employees.
- Worked initially as a dishwasher and switched to line cook position during first semester of junior year.
Work history example #3
Back Line Cook
Wendy's
- Cooked meals Prepped meals Washed dishes
- Followed all safety and health guidelines.
- Handled monetary transactions with customers*Maintenance/cleaning lobby & outside*Effective communication running drive-thru process
- Worked every position cashier, cook, sandwich maker etc.
- Improved delivery time of orders, through prompt communication with peers and customers.
Work history example #4
Prep Chef
Darden Restaurants
- Completed weekly inventory orders, payroll, profit and loss statements, waste management and employee evaluations.
- Cooked orders as they came in.
- Provided hands-on leadership to establish a quality operation characterized by high level service and table presentation.
- Estimated amounts and purchased all food and supplies on a weekly basis to ensure efficient operations.
- Started as Sautee cook and became head line cook.
Zippia’s AI can customize your resume for you.
Add an education section to your resume
Here is the best way to format your education section:
- Display your highest degree first.
- If you graduated over 5 years ago, put this section at the bottom of your resume. If you lack relevant work experience, the education section should go to the top.
- If you have a bachelor's or master's degree, do not list your high school education.
- If your graduation year is more than 15-20 years ago, it's better not to include dates in this section.
Here are some examples of good education entries for resumes:
High School Diploma
2004 - 2004
Highlight your prep cook certifications on your resume
Certifications are a great way to showcase special expertise or niche skills. Some jobs even require certifications to be hired.
To list, use the full name of the certification and the organization that issued it, along with the date of achievement.
Here are some of the best certifications to have on prep cook resumes:
- OSHA Safety Certificate
- Certified Food Manager (CFM)
- ServSafe Food Protection Manager Certification
- Certified Professional - Food Safety (CP-FS)
- Food Safety Manager Certification
- EPA Amusement Operators Safety Certification (EPA)
- Certified Nutrition Specialist (CNS)
- First Aid, CPR and AED Instructor
- Certified Food Protection Professional (CFPP)
- Standards Professional Certification (CStd)