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Sushi chef vs head cook

The differences between sushi 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 sushi chef and a head cook. Additionally, a head cook has an average salary of $44,412, which is higher than the $42,969 average annual salary of a sushi chef.

The top three skills for a sushi chef include quality standards, cleanliness and kitchen equipment. The most important skills for a head cook are kitchen equipment, meal preparation, and food service.

Sushi chef vs head cook overview

Sushi ChefHead Cook
Yearly salary$42,969$44,412
Hourly rate$20.66$21.35
Growth rate15%15%
Number of jobs17,846156,227
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 40%High School Diploma, 42%
Average age4242
Years of experience66

What does a sushi chef do?

Sushi Chefs mainly work in restaurants, cafes, country clubs, pubs, five-star hotels, grocery shops, etc. A sushi Chef uses various fish-slicing and sushi rolling methods to prepare a huge amount of sushi dishes as per the choice of clients.

What does a head cook do?

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. A head cook must always adhere to the sanitary procedures and hygienic standards, as well as have a broad knowledge of the food industry.

Sushi chef vs head cook salary

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

Sushi ChefHead Cook
Average salary$42,969$44,412
Salary rangeBetween $27,000 And $68,000Between $32,000 And $61,000
Highest paying CityBridgewater, NJSan Antonio, TX
Highest paying stateNew JerseyNew Jersey
Best paying companySailfish Club of FloridaSociety for Industrial and Applied Mathematics
Best paying industryConstructionManufacturing

Differences between sushi chef and head cook education

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

Sushi ChefHead Cook
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 40%High School Diploma, 42%
Most common majorCulinary ArtsCulinary Arts
Most common collegeDrexel UniversityStanford University

Sushi chef vs head cook demographics

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

Sushi ChefHead Cook
Average age4242
Gender ratioMale, 78.2% Female, 21.8%Male, 63.5% Female, 36.5%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 7.4% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 19.8% Asian, 26.6% White, 40.1% 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 Percentage9%9%

Differences between sushi chef and head cook duties and responsibilities

Sushi chef example 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.
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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.
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Sushi chef vs head cook skills

Common sushi chef skills
  • Quality Standards, 15%
  • Cleanliness, 14%
  • Kitchen Equipment, 12%
  • Food Handling, 10%
  • Culinary, 8%
  • Food Storage, 8%
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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