How to hire a sushi chef

How to hire a sushi chef, step by step

Here's a step-by-step sushi 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 sushi chef job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new sushi chef
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a sushi chef do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your sushi 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 sushi 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?

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   Hiring the perfect sushi chef also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   This list shows salaries for various types of sushi chefs.

   Type of Sushi Chef	Description	Hourly rate
   Sushi 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.	$12-32
   Head Cook	A head cook is responsible for organizing the food preparation, organizing the kitchen operations, and ensuring the quality of the food presented. Head cooks' duties include monitoring the food inventory, creating new recipes, researching current market trends, responding to guests' inquiries and complaints, distributing kitchen tasks to the staff, and maintaining budget goals while maintaining the highest food quality... Show more	$15-29
   Pastry Cook	The Pastry Cook's responsibilities include preparing quality pastry items such as breakfast items, desserts, breads, ice creams, creams, simple syrups, amenities, and others. They are also responsible for minimizing waste and maintaining control to attain forecasted food cost.	$12-21

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Quality Standards
   • Cleanliness
   • Kitchen Equipment
   • Food Handling
   • Culinary
   • Food Storage
   • Customer Service
   • Cuisine
   • Food Preparation
   • Broilers
   • Customer Orders
   • Customer Satisfaction
   • Fryers
   • Menu Planning

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Skil at managing kitchen operations and complying with culinary standards.
   • Manage a kitchen of military personal and Japanese civilian chefs.
   • Restock the buffet with the different items as they run low.
   • Develop variety of menu items catering to customers with food allergies and diet restrictions.
   • Gain knowledge of all nigiri's, popular rolls, and creation of special rolls.
   • Mass produce specific sushi rolls as well as specially order individual rolls, hands rolls and sashimi cuts.

   More sushi chef duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your sushi chef job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A sushi chef salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, sushi chefs' average salary in idaho is 68% less than in new jersey.
   • Seniority. Entry-level sushi chefs earn 60% less than senior-level sushi chefs.
   • Certifications. A sushi chef with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a sushi chef's salary.

   Average sushi chef salary

   $42,969yearly

   $20.66 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level sushi chef salary

   $27,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 13, 2025

   Average sushi chef salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	New Jersey	$83,326	$40
   2	District of Columbia	$64,605	$31
   3	New York	$61,815	$30
   4	Pennsylvania	$61,424	$30
   5	California	$54,786	$26
   6	Illinois	$53,105	$26
   7	Massachusetts	$51,727	$25
   8	Nevada	$51,508	$25
   9	Texas	$49,649	$24
   10	Maryland	$49,154	$24
   11	Washington	$47,413	$23
   12	Arizona	$45,689	$22
   13	Ohio	$45,610	$22
   14	Florida	$45,208	$22
   15	Indiana	$45,055	$22
   16	Georgia	$44,581	$21
   17	Minnesota	$44,452	$21
   18	Alabama	$41,986	$20
   19	North Carolina	$40,625	$20
   20	Oregon	$39,950	$19

   Average sushi chef salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Sailfish Club of Florida	$58,350	$28.05
   2	Jeff Ruby	$58,042	$27.90
   3	Kona Grill	$57,209	$27.50
   4	Lettuce Entertain You	$55,450	$26.66	14
   5	The Club at Admirals Cove	$53,082	$25.52
   6	Goodwin Recruiting	$51,108	$24.57
   7	MSG Entertainment	$49,920	$24.00	1
   8	Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts	$48,941	$23.53	16
   9	NAC Architecture	$48,699	$23.41
   10	Hyatt Hotels	$48,503	$23.32	72
   11	Anthony	$47,865	$23.01	4
   12	Shogun	$47,416	$22.80
   13	The Atlantic Club	$47,329	$22.75
   14	Remote	$47,255	$22.72
   15	Sushi Ran	$46,627	$22.42
   16	Uni Distribution Corp	$46,225	$22.22
   17	Kura Sushi USA	$46,191	$22.21	59
   18	SoNo Ice House	$46,191	$22.21	1
   19	Yama Industrials	$46,191	$22.21
   20	Concept Restaurants, Inc	$46,191	$22.21

4. Writing a sushi chef job description

   A job description for a sushi 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 sushi chef job description:

   Sushi chef job description example

   Reporting to the Executive Leader of Culinary Development (Sr. Director) this new position will lead Sushi product development for prepared foods, from ideation stage through launch companywide, working collaboratively with our five Sushi-friends (partners) to ensure consistency throughout more than 535 Whole Foods Market stores. This role will work with the Senior Team Leader(s) of Culinary Development to execute category strategies and enterprise development to ensure the highest quality food with an eye toward cost, production efficiencies, and food safety standards. A keen knowledge and extensive training in global Sushi cuisine is a must, with particular emphasis on fresh, craveable, best-in-class, clean label Sushi trends.
   
   This position requires the ability to establish and maintain exceptional business relationships with various Regional and Global Stakeholders including Category, Procurement, Marketing, and Exclusive Brand (private label) Teams. You are highly articulate, with strong active listening, verbal, and written communication skills, including the ability to present and discuss complex information with Senior and Regional Leadership.
   This role location is at the company headquarters in Austin, TX.
   Responsibilities:
   Lead and be the voice of Sushi inspired innovation with cross functional partners responsible for product development within the specs assigned by supporting teams Create Sushi that nourishes our customers that is both health-centric and crave-able Provide technical leadership in recipe formulation, benchtop development, and support of third- party suppliers during commercialization process Develop and design new and improved Sushi products in accordance with Whole Food Market's ingredient standards and within the scope of our core values Develop and implement technologies and support both new product and ingredient development Drive development, supporting research, and structure of Sushi culinary programs and ensure alignment with WFM ethos Develop robust pipeline and catalog for future growth within core concept and immediate adjacencies within plant-based, better-for-you, special diet options for SushiLead in the testing and development of recipes with a hyper-focus on nutrient dense profiles Identify areas of opportunity in raw materials and/or product design for cost optimization Perform and lead a variety of activities associated with Sushi program development, including basic research of emerging ideas and trends, recipe testing, development, recipe creation and submission with required documentation Develop all supporting documents and tools to ensure successful and replicable launch of program across all stores through our third-party partners Be the ambassador of food quality, culinary artistry and igniting the passion for vegan Sushi in our team members and customers Work collaboratively with all four Sushi-friends companywide to ensure consistency and extremely high-quality standards in more than 535 store locations
   
   Qualifications:
   Proven experience working with traditional and modern Sushi culinary techniques Associate degree in Culinary, and 4-6 years' relevant experience OR equivalent combination of education and relevant experience Minimum 6+ years working-in/leading a Sushi retail program, with 4+ years' experience in culinary R&D or product development Strong understanding of consumer insights and customer expectations and needs around retail Sushi programsA proven ability to complete projects according to outlined scope, budget, and timeline Able to deliver results in a fast-paced, lean, deadline-driven environment and balance multiple changing priorities Advanced understanding of Sushi culinary trends and established network of key 3rd-party and industry stakeholders Advanced ability to contribute to culinary ideas and adapt quickly to changes and feedback Advanced understanding of culinary budgets and recipe costing Advanced ability to develop and write recipes Initiative-taker and proactive problem solver with strong work ethic Expert level knowledge with various Sushi preparation techniques and cooking equipment Strong sense of urgency, with the ability to pivot and reprioritize Knowledge of allergens, labeling, recipe accuracy, weights and measures, supplies and packaging Strong understanding of alternate diet cooking (ex. Vegan, Vegetarian, Paleo, Gluten Free) A passion for the Whole Foods Market mission, higher purpose, values, and leadership principles Minimum leadership level of Team Leader required Develop and execute strategic plans for Sushi program excellence - including new and existing program development, team training and mentors.Project management skills with the ability to prioritize multiple activities simultaneously Willingness to travel internationally and domestically up to 25%This role location is at the company headquarters in Austin, TX
   
   Preferred Qualifications:
   Working knowledge of recipe management and food service software Strong facilitation and presentation skills Proven track record/experience in building high-performing Sushi teams3 + years of experience working in a cross-functional large retail organization environment
   
   Other requirements:
   Ability to stand and walk for extended periods of time Ability to bend, stoop, grasp objects, and climb ladders Ability to bend and twist neck and waist, reach above and below shoulders, and squat Ability to bend and lift loads, not exceeding fifty pounds; ability to push and pull carts not exceeding one hundred pounds Repetitive use of hands for grasping, pushing, pulling, and fine manipulation Occasional exposure to dust, fumes, and chemicals Exposure to continuous background and occasional loud noises Ability to work mornings, nights, weekends, holidays, and long/unusual hours as needed Environmental exposure to extreme temperatures (coolers, ovens, freezers, outdoors, etc.) Computer proficiency in Microsoft suite of products
   
   At Whole Foods Market, we provide a fair and equal employment opportunity for all Team Members and candidates regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, gender, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, age, marital status, disability, or any other legally protected characteristic. Whole Foods Market hires and promotes individuals solely based on qualifications for the position to be filled and business needs.

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5. Post your job

   To find the right sushi chef for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with sushi chefs they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit sushi chefs who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

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

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit sushi chefs, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   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 sushi chef

   Once you've selected the best sushi chef candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new sushi chef. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

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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