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Also called cook, cook manager, head cook and pastry cook.
$62,470
Median pay a year
200,040
People do this work
6
Resume lines ready for you
Pay and headcount are from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The lines are written from what the US Department of Labor records about this work.
An example
A Chef and Head Cook resume, filled in
Every line below comes from the same public record as the rest of this page. The greyed parts are the ones only you can answer.
Chef and Head Cook
Summary
Chef directing food preparation, seasoning, and cooking of various dishes while overseeing kitchen operations, managing supplies, and ensuring compliance with sanitation standards
Experience
Chef and Head Cook
Where you worked
Month Year to Month Year
Monitored sanitation practices to ensure compliance with standards and regulations
Instructed cooks in the preparation, cooking, garnishing, and presentation of food
Supervised activities of cooks engaged in food preparation within a restaurant setting
Ordered food and supplies to ensure efficient operation of kitchen activities
Inspected supplies and equipment to ensure conformance to established standards
Checked the quality of raw and cooked food products to meet established standards
Planned and directed food preparation activities across multiple kitchens in a restaurant chain
Skills
Core Skills
Checking food and supply quality, Training food service staff, Managing food service operations, Ordering equipment, Monitoring individual activities, Determining menu item prices, Estimating supplies, Creating new recipes, Planning menu options
Checking & Planning
Inspecting facilities
Education
Certificate Your training program, Year
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Monitored sanitation practices for complianceInstructed cooks in food preparation techniquesSupervised activities of kitchen staffOrdered supplies for efficient kitchen operationInspected equipment and work areas for standardsChecked quality of received food products
becomes
On your resume
Monitored sanitation practices to ensure compliance with health regulations and standards
Supervised kitchen staff, coordinating activities to maintain efficient food preparation
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Show what improved once the sanitation practices were in place
The line
Monitored sanitation practices to reduce food safety violations and ensure compliance with health regulations and standards
Show what improved once the sanitation practices were in place
Mention if you were trusted to train any new staff
The line
Supervised kitchen staff, coordinating activities to maintain efficient food preparation
Mention if you were trusted to train any new staff
Pick one that fits
Trained new cooks on kitchen proceduresOversaw shifts with minimal supervisionLed team meetings to improve workflow
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What it is made of
Skills for a Chef and Head Cook resume
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What are you good at?
Checking food and supply quality
Training food service staff
Managing food service operations
Ordering equipment
Monitoring individual activities
Inspecting facilities
Determining menu item prices
Estimating supplies
Creating new recipes
Planning menu options
Planning special events
Cooking foods
The work itself
What a Chef and Head Cook does
The public record of what this job is, in one paragraph.
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.
What it pays
How much does a Chef and Head Cook make?
Annual pay across the United States. The middle figure is the median: half earn less than that, and half earn more.
25th percentile
$48,440
Median
$62,470
75th percentile
$78,750
About 200,040 people do this work in the United States.
What it pays in each state
State
25th percentile
Median
75th percentile
AK
$41,390
$52,190
$73,120
AL
$50,900
$62,400
$74,130
AR
$39,430
$46,170
$64,970
AZ
$38,480
$59,890
$74,990
CA
$46,320
$64,500
$81,040
CO
$58,220
$65,400
$79,420
CT
$51,160
$64,310
$77,800
DC
$63,550
$76,420
$81,360
DE
$56,160
$61,440
$76,310
FL
$43,680
$58,240
$75,840
GA
$50,220
$66,230
$90,350
HI
$54,530
$77,360
$98,640
IA
$42,620
$47,990
$59,380
ID
$42,330
$52,000
$66,930
IL
$50,000
$58,830
$73,620
IN
$39,110
$52,190
$64,990
KS
$43,990
$58,390
$74,990
KY
$36,850
$48,070
$66,770
LA
$39,650
$45,570
$59,020
MA
$54,120
$69,540
$83,050
MD
$45,030
$61,590
$78,590
ME
$55,070
$57,010
$63,060
MI
$48,970
$60,070
$74,090
MN
$53,050
$62,600
$75,960
MO
$49,550
$64,480
$76,520
MS
$37,180
$54,850
$76,350
MT
$48,890
$57,470
$72,020
NC
$48,360
$61,130
$76,330
ND
$48,940
$74,740
$78,700
NE
$46,020
$60,510
$81,660
NH
$52,510
$63,400
$76,300
NJ
$59,860
$74,280
$82,200
NM
$48,540
$62,250
$83,260
NV
$49,920
$62,380
$78,650
NY
$55,070
$70,670
$93,240
OH
$45,760
$53,990
$74,130
OK
$37,840
$58,540
$67,560
OR
$53,660
$63,600
$77,420
PA
$49,280
$63,860
$81,790
PR
$26,580
$30,800
$47,840
RI
$71,630
$79,930
$96,180
SC
$60,120
$71,860
$79,050
SD
$39,650
$48,470
$51,870
TN
$57,470
$69,810
$81,900
TX
$42,030
$56,080
$71,870
UT
$41,750
$59,060
$75,830
VA
$50,170
$63,270
$77,270
VT
$56,770
$65,440
$77,360
WA
$58,650
$76,010
$81,540
WI
$49,200
$61,300
$74,080
WV
$47,990
$61,100
$82,480
WY
$62,100
$73,170
$83,700
Other names
Other names for this job
cook, cook manager, head cook, pastry cook, school cafeteria head cook, water transportation cook, cooking chef, baker, banquet chef, bread and pastry baker, cake froster, cake icer.
More names for this work
cake maker, cake mixer, certified executive chef, CEC, chef, chef de cuisine, chef de froid, chef manager, chocolatier, confectioner, corporate executive chef, cuisine chef, culinary artist, culinary chef, culinary specialist, ex chef, executive chef, executive pastry chef, executive sous chef, food and beverage director, head baker, head chef, head pastry chef, kitchen chef, kitchen manager, kitchen supervisor, master chef, menu planner, pantry chef, passenger vessel chef, pastry artist, pastry chef, personal chef, pie maker, pizza chef, private chef, restaurant chef, salad chef, sous chef, sushi chef, wedding cake designer.
If you served
Military jobs this work counts as
From the crosswalk the US Department of Labor publishes itself. If one of these was your job, this page is about the civilian work it maps to.
002609 Culinary Specialist
001007 Leading Culinary Specialist
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This page is about the occupation Chefs and Head Cooks. What this job involves and what it is made of come from O*NET 30.3, the US Department of Labor's occupation database, refreshed July 2026; Rung writes those records into the plain sentences you see. Pay comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS release for 2025. Rung is an independent service and is not affiliated with or endorsed by either agency. How Rung handles accuracy is on the accuracy page, and the full data credits are on the credits page.