Chefs & Head Cooks

Chef, Cook, Executive Chef (Ex Chef), Sous Chef

What they do:

Direct and may participate in the preparation, seasoning, and cooking of salads, soups, fish, meats, vegetables, desserts, or other foods. May plan and price menu items, order supplies, and keep records and accounts.

On the job, you would:

Monitor sanitation practices to ensure that employees follow standards and regulations.
Check the quality of raw or cooked food products to ensure that standards are met.
Determine production schedules and staff requirements necessary to ensure timely delivery of services.

Knowledge

Manufactured or Agricultural Goods

food production
manufacture and distribution of products

Business

customer service
management

Education and Training

teaching and course design

Math and Science

arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics

Skills

Basic Skills

keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements
talking to others

Social

changing what is done based on other people's actions
understanding people's reactions

Resource Management

managing your time and the time of other people
selecting and managing the best workers for a job

Abilities

Verbal

communicate by speaking
listen and understand what people say

Ideas and Logic

notice when problems happen
use rules to solve problems

Attention

pay attention to something without being distracted
do two or more things at the same time

Hand and Finger Use

hold or move items with your hands

Personality

People interested in this work like activities that include leading, making decisions, and business.

They do well at jobs that need:

Dependability
Initiative
Adaptability/Flexibility

Leadership
Stress Tolerance
Attention to Detail

Technology

You might use software like this on the job:

Spreadsheet software

Google Sheets
Microsoft Excel

Instant messaging software

GroupMe

Data base user interface and query software

Culinary Software Services ChefTec
ReServe Interactive

Education

associate's degree or
certificate after high school
usually needed

Get started on your career:

Find Training

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Apprenticeship.gov

Job Outlook

Bright

New job opportunities are very likely in the future.

Salary:

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You might like a career in one of these industries:

Hotel & Food

See more details at O*NET OnLine about chefs and head cooks.

food
enterprising
equipment
standard
supply
preparation
direct
cook
restaurant chain
records
sanitation

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Some people think the words "chef" and "cook" mean the same thing, but in the restaurant world, there's a big difference. Chefs are more highly skilled and better trained than most cooks, and have more responsibility for designing the meals that make a restaurant's reputation. But it's not just about the food. This job requires good organizational and management skills. Sometimes called a head cook, the chef supervises the entire kitchen staff and keeps track of supplies and schedules. A chef should have a highly refined and inventive sense of taste. He or she creates the menu items and often prices them too. Advancing in this field may depend as much on limiting food costs and supervising less-skilled workers, as it does on creating a memorable menu. To keep things running smoothly in a hot, noisy kitchen, chefs need to be expert multi-taskers. The work is fast-paced and a missed detail can result in time lost and wasted food, not to mention an unhappy customer. Chefs are on their feet for hours at a time, often working evenings, weekends and holidays. While many cooks learn skills on the job, chefs and head cooks usually hold degrees in the culinary arts from a recognized cooking school. Many employers look for safe food handling certificates as well. Chefs advance by moving to new jobs and learning new skills, sometimes opening their own restaurants. And while only a few ever get their own cooking show, they're always delighted to accept your compliments.

is a hot technology.

Hot technologies are software skills that employers often ask for in job ads.

is in demand for this career.

Employers ask for this software skill in percent of job ads for this career.

It's a bright outlook for chefs and head cooks!

This career will grow rapidly in the next few years.

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Chefs & Head Cooks

Knowledge

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Personality

Technology

Education

Job Outlook

Salary:

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