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Chef Job Description

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Overview

chef
326
The number of occurrences in our database.
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A Chef is a skilled, professional cook who is proficient in all aspects of food preparation. Their role is studying recipes, setting up menus, and preparing high-quality dishes. Their responsibilities are to set up the kitchen with cooking utensils and equipment, gather all necessary ingredients, cook food promptly, delegate tasks to kitchen staff, inform wait staff about daily specials, ensure appealing plate presentation, supervise cooks and assist as needed, monitor food stock and place orders, check the freshness of food and discard out-of-date items, and ensure compliance with all health and safety regulations.

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Steps to take to start your career as a Chef and other jobs like it

  • There are a variety of different training programs. The shortest are certificate programs completed less than a year, next are associate degrees in culinary arts and the longest being 4 year bachelor programs. All of these programs require a GED or high school diploma.
  • Everyone knows how to eat but building a career in cooking or baking takes practice. Whether you have formal training or not, practicing on your own, working in a restaurant and or working under an experienced chef is important.
  • You likely will need to work your way through many different roles in the kitchen to gain the experience needed to advance to ones that allow you to use your creativity.
  • There are many different environments for chef’s to work in, hotels, restaurants, catering, cafe’s. There are different skills to be learned from each, some of which extend beyond cooking to the business side of the trade.
Hear from someone who’s had the job or one like it
"Want the scoop on being an Ice Cream Maker (pun intended). In this video, learn how failing is not only good, but essential to your growth. This Pastry Chef shares about the good, the bad and the ugly."
Career Video Transcript
Examples of Current Open Chef Positions
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indeedImg
Avg Pay: $40K
Jobs: 0
glassdoor
Avg Pay: $42K
Jobs: 14,744

Education you need to become a Chef

These are the most common degrees or certificates earned by Jobtrees users prior to becoming a Chef

There may be other required degrees or certifications needed for this job. The below info shows you the most commonly desired education level from employers when hiring for this job.

  • Associate Degree in Culinary Arts
    The number of occurrences matches with Chef in our database.
    Avg. Duration:20 monthsAvg. Fees:$12,666Type:Mostly full timeView more on Studyportals
  • Bachelor of Arts (b.a.) in Physics Education
    The number of occurrences matches with Chef in our database.
    Avg. Duration:48 monthsAvg. Fees:$28,739Type:Mostly full timeView more on Studyportals
  • Associate Degree in Associate of Arts
    The number of occurrences matches with Chef in our database.
    Avg. Duration:30 monthsAvg. Fees:$18,910Type:Mostly full timeView more on Studyportals
Data powered by Studyportals
Find trainings related to Chef

Annual Pay Estimate for Chef and Other Important Info

See how many years Chef's are in their job, how much they make, how long it took to get there and how available this job is in terms of open positions.

5.3 years
$41K
The average years of experience in the workforce prior to having this role
2.70 years
Mixed
The average number of roles it took our users to get to this one
3
711 out of 4012

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Career Paths for Chef

Find data driven insights on the path to get to this role and where it can lead

Jobs to start your career in becoming a Chef

These are the most common roles Jobtrees users had to start their career that eventually lead them to Chef. If you’re looking to get into this career these are jobs to consider to get your start. We’ve included below some current open job postings that match those roles. Click to search for more.