What Kind of Chef Do You Want to Be? Chef Job and Salary Choices

So you have decided you want to be a chef. But what chef jobs are you interested in and what chef training will you need to get them?

by Fran Walker
fran.walker@cooking-school-search.com
Cooking School Search Columnist

So many types of cooking are popular in the US right now—from regionally influenced, through international, to haute cuisine. While deciding what you want to cook in the long term isn’t essential, your culinary school emphasis can affect your chef training, the chef jobs you take and, ultimately, your chef’s salary.

Deciding On Your Chef Training

What was it that first inspired you to want to become a chef? Whether it was the venue or the salary, you may well have decided on the chef jobs for you early on. This decision, your location, and your finances are the ingredients for the right chef training.

Chef Jobs To Chew On

If you are not sure which chef jobs you are aiming for, don’t despair. Here are some of the main chef job classifications:

• Executive/Head chef: Executive chefs have the biggest responsibilities (and therefore salary) in the kitchen. They oversee ordering of stock, planning of menus and the chefs below them. Top head chefs can achieve a chef’s salary of around $30.00 per hour.
• Chef de cuisine: The chef de cuisine is second in command to the executive chef, deputizing their job when necessary and commanding the second highest salary.
• Sous chef: Depending on the size of the restaurant, the sous chef may hold the second most important job—and responsibility—in the kitchen.
• Pastry chef: As the name suggests, the pastry chef’s job specializes in pastry making.
• Personal chef: Depending on your outlook, personal chef could be a dream or a nightmare job. Devoting themselves to few or only one client, they source and prepare all of their meals and can command a very high salary.
• Research chefs: These jobs combine science with cooking. Employers range from restaurant chains to the government to manufacturers.

All chefs’ jobs are nothing without teamwork and a chef’s salary depend very much on their employer and experience. If all this has given you any food for thought, get looking for the appropriate chef training.

Source:

U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics; Chefs, Cooks, and Food Preparation Workers

About the author

Francesca Walker is a freelance writer and editor specializing in educational and domestic issues. She graduated in 1993 with a BA(Hons) in English Literature.

Posted on November 14, 2006 at 3:05 PM

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