What the work involves, what it pays, and real lines you can start from. Answer a few small questions and leave with a resume.
Also called cook, dinner cook, household cook and cooking chef.
$47,940
Median pay a year
1,100
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 Private Household 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.
Private Household Cook
Summary
Cook preparing meals in private homes, planning menus based on dietary needs, and managing kitchen operations while serving families and guests
Experience
Private Household Cook
Where you worked
Month Year to Month Year
Prepared meals in private homes according to employers' recipes or tastes, handling all meals for the family
Planned menus according to employers' needs and diet restrictions
Peeled, washed, trimmed, and cooked vegetables and meats, and baked breads and pastries
Served meals and snacks to employing families and their guests
Coordinated the operation and organization of kitchens and all food-related activities, including food presentation
Traveled with employers to vacation homes to provide meal preparation at those locations
Skills
Core Skills
Preparing foods for cooking, Compiling data or documentation, Creating new recipes, Planning menu options, Planning special events, Serving food and beverages, Storing kitchen supplies, Preparing meals, Preparing breads or doughs
Hands-On Work
Cooking foods
Open to
On site, Remote
Education
Certificate Your training program, Year
Yours will not say this. It will say what you did, in your own words, and Rung writes it with you one question at a time.
Nothing to write from scratch
What to put on a Private Household Cook resume
Real duties for this job, already written the way a resume reads. Inside Rung you choose the ones that were yours.
What did you do each day?
Choose what fits, or say your own.
Peeled, washed, and cooked vegetables and meatsPlanned menus based on employers' needsShopped for food and kitchen suppliesPrepared meals according to employers' recipesStocked and organized kitchens and utensilsServed meals and snacks to families and guests
becomes
On your resume
Peeled, washed, and cooked a variety of vegetables and meats to create nutritious meals
Shopped for food and kitchen supplies, ensuring the kitchen was well-stocked and organized
These are written the way a resume line reads. Rung asks which ones are actually yours, keeps your own words, and never claims work you did not do.
Then it asks for one more thing
The line that could show more, and the fact that lands it.
Make it stronger
A few lines could show more. Each one is asked, and answered by choosing.
Add what meals were improved by your cooking.
The line
Prepared a variety of vegetables and meats to create healthier and more enjoyable meals for the family
Add what meals were improved by your cooking.
Pick one that fits
Meals were healthier and more enjoyable for the familyFamily members requested your dishes more oftenDishes received positive feedback from guests
Or add your own.
In your wordsAdd it
Adding it to the line…
Added to your resume
Mention how often you shopped for supplies.
The line
Shopped for food and kitchen supplies, ensuring the kitchen was well-stocked and organized
Mention how often you shopped for supplies.
Pick one that fits
Several times a week for fresh ingredientsWeekly for pantry staples and suppliesDaily for fresh produce and perishables
Or add your own.
In your wordsAdd it
Adding it to the line…
Added to your resume
Every ready answer is in plain words, never a figure. Nothing is invented to fill a gap.
What it is made of
Skills for a Private Household Cook resume
What this work is made of. Rung offers these and keeps the ones you claim.
What are you good at?
Preparing foods for cooking
Compiling data or documentation
Creating new recipes
Planning menu options
Planning special events
Serving food and beverages
Storing kitchen supplies
Preparing meals
Cooking foods
Preparing breads or doughs
Ordering equipment
The work itself
What a Private Household Cook does
The public record of what this job is, in one paragraph.
Prepare meals in private homes. Includes personal chefs.
What it pays
How much does a Private Household 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
$40,630
Median
$47,940
75th percentile
$55,450
About 1,100 people do this work in the United States.
This page is about the occupation Cooks, Private Household. 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.