How to hire a sous chef

How to hire a sous chef, step by step

Here's a step-by-step sous chef hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a sous chef job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new sous chef
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a sous chef do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your sous chef job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a sous chef for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A sous chef's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, sous chefs from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   This list shows salaries for various types of sous chefs.

   Type of Sous Chef	Description	Hourly rate
   Sous Chef	Chefs and head cooks oversee the daily food preparation at restaurants and other places where food is served. They direct kitchen staff and handle any food-related concerns.	$15-33
   Cook	Cooks are responsible for preparing meals for guests or employers. They must be knowledgeable about the different recipes and ingredients needed... Show more	$12-19
   Food Service Coordinator	Food service coordinators are responsible for organizing the food preparation for a considerable section of a huge operation such as the bakery, catering, and pantry section. They arrange, prepare, and synchronize the preparation of main entrees... Show more	$11-20

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Culinary
   • Food Handling
   • Food Preparation
   • Customer Service
   • Fine Dining
   • Food Service
   • Kitchen Operations
   • Chefs
   • Quality Standards
   • Cleanliness
   • Cuisine
   • Wine
   • Kitchen Equipment
   • Sanitation Standards

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage FOH duties, along with customer relations.
   • Train, mentore, manage and discipline lead chefs, associate chefs, prep cooks, pastry assistants and dishwashers.
   • Manage a staff of 45 union personnel in preparation of meals for hospital patients and cafeteria patrons for three meals daily.
   • Control food and payroll costs to achieve maximum profitability.
   • Manage people and oversee production of high-volume establishment for this upscale restaurant specializing in Mexican cuisine.
   • Train and manage all culinary personnel, supervise and coordinate all culinary activities, estimate food consumption and manage food cost.

   More sous chef duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the sous chef job description is a good way to get more applicants. A sous chef salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

   For example, the average salary for a sous chef in Iowa may be lower than in Hawaii, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level sous chef. Additionally, a sous chef with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average sous chef salary

   $48,716yearly

   $23.42 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level sous chef salary

   $33,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 16, 2026

   Average sous chef salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	New Jersey	$67,560	$32
   2	California	$59,531	$29
   3	District of Columbia	$55,672	$27
   4	Massachusetts	$55,053	$26
   5	Nevada	$54,323	$26
   6	Washington	$53,706	$26
   7	New York	$53,085	$26
   8	Illinois	$51,353	$25
   9	Pennsylvania	$49,301	$24
   10	Virginia	$48,986	$24
   11	Texas	$48,365	$23
   12	Oregon	$46,945	$23
   13	Florida	$46,356	$22
   14	Georgia	$46,046	$22
   15	Arizona	$45,921	$22
   16	North Carolina	$45,334	$22
   17	Maine	$44,432	$21
   18	Colorado	$44,414	$21
   19	Michigan	$44,011	$21
   20	Minnesota	$42,170	$20

   Average sous chef salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	RH	$80,048	$38.48	15
   2	Apple	$70,686	$33.98
   3	Baptist Health	$66,698	$32.07
   4	Club	$62,513	$30.05	30
   5	Hca Hospital Services Of San Diego	$61,273	$29.46
   6	Bertucci's	$61,168	$29.41	1
   7	SL Green Realty	$60,564	$29.12
   8	JPMorgan Chase & Co.	$60,355	$29.02	3
   9	Bay Head Yacht Club	$59,596	$28.65
   10	Sprenger Health Care System	$59,551	$28.63
   11	Aspen Snowmass	$59,518	$28.61	12
   12	Kohler Co.	$59,437	$28.58	2
   13	The Halal Guys	$59,253	$28.49
   14	BKD LLP	$58,553	$28.15
   15	bartaco	$58,489	$28.12	21
   16	Norman Regional Health System	$58,478	$28.11
   17	J.F. Shea Co	$58,473	$28.11	5
   18	Goodwin Recruiting	$58,420	$28.09
   19	Resorts World Catskills	$58,305	$28.03
   20	Navajo Nation Gaming Enterprise	$58,214	$27.99

4. Writing a sous chef job description

   A job description for a sous chef role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a sous chef job description:

   Sous chef job description example

   The Clubs at St. James is excited to announce the exceptional career opportunity of Sous Chef. Qualified candidates will thrive in a hospitality environment and be highly focused on providing superior service.
   Key Responsibilities of the Sous Chef: Oversees and manages food preparation for a specific area of the kitchen. Supervises and ensures production of consistently high quality food. Adheres to established control procedures for cost and quality such as food production charts, par inventories, standardized recipes, use records and food costing sheets. Ensures that all recipes are followed and prepared on a consistent basis. Monitors and checks the maintenance of all kitchen equipment daily. Maintains and directs a quality sanitation program. Maintains and implements daily food prep lists. Assists Executive Chef with the ordering of all food products. Assigns duties to associates for efficient operation of the kitchen. Maintains and evaluates existing food concepts. Assists in the development of new food concepts. Assists in the achievement of budgetary objectives for the Food and Beverage Department. Processes requisitions for supplies quickly and accurately. Trains and supervises associates in the proper preparation of menu items and operation of equipment. Assists in developing ongoing training programs. Ensures proper receiving, storage (including temperature setting) and rotations of food products so as to comply with health department regulations. Assists the Manager in interviewing, hiring, training, planning, assigning, and directing work, evaluating performance, rewarding, and disciplining associates: addressing complaints and resolving problems. Assists in the management of department members that may include, but is not limited to: Cooks, Stewards. Incorporates safe work practices in job performance. Minimum Qualifications for the Sous Chef: Associate's degree (AA); or two to three years of related experience and/or training.
   Other Qualifications: Food Safety and Sanitation Training • Regular and reliable attendance Eligible Employee Benefits:
   Medical
   Dental
   Vision
   401K
   EAP
   Life Insurance
   Disability Insurance
   Paid Time Off
   Pre-paid Legal

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right sous chef for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your sous chef job on Zippia to find and recruit sous chef candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting sous chefs requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new sous chef

   Once you've decided on a perfect sous chef candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your agreement with a contract.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new sous chef. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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