Career profile Chef

Table of Contents

• What does a Chef do?
• What is a typical salary for a Chef?
• What personality traits are common among Chefs?
  • Career Interests
  • Values
  • Psychological Demands
• What education and training do Chefs need?
  • Typical educational degrees
  • Required knowledge and expertise
  • Important abilities
  • Critical skills

What does a Chef do?

Chefs direct and may participate in the preparation, seasoning, and cooking of salads, soups, fish, meats, vegetables, desserts, or other foods.

In addition, Chefs may plan and price menu items, order supplies, and keep records and accounts.

What kind of tasks does a Chef perform regularly?

Chefs are often responsible for overseeing or executing some or all of the following tasks:

• 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.
• Check the quantity and quality of received products.
• Supervise or coordinate activities of cooks or workers engaged in food preparation.
• Determine how food should be presented and create decorative food displays.
• Analyze recipes to assign prices to menu items, based on food, labor, and overhead costs.
• Instruct cooks or other workers in the preparation, cooking, garnishing, or presentation of food.
• Prepare and cook foods of all types, either on a regular basis or for special guests or functions.
• Recruit and hire staff, such as cooks and other kitchen workers.
• Order or requisition food or other supplies needed to ensure efficient operation.
• Coordinate planning, budgeting, or purchasing for all the food operations within establishments such as clubs, hotels, or restaurant chains.
• Inspect supplies, equipment, or work areas to ensure conformance to established standards.
• Estimate amounts and costs of required supplies, such as food and ingredients.
• Record production or operational data on specified forms.
• Plan, direct, or supervise food preparation or cooking activities of multiple kitchens or restaurants in an establishment such as a restaurant chain, hospital, or hotel.
• Arrange for equipment purchases or repairs.
• Collaborate with other personnel to plan and develop recipes or menus, taking into account such factors as seasonal availability of ingredients or the likely number of customers.
• Demonstrate new cooking techniques or equipment to staff.
• Meet with customers to discuss menus for special occasions, such as weddings, parties, or banquets.
• Meet with sales representatives to negotiate prices or order supplies.

The above responsibilities are specific to Chefs. More generally, Chefs are involved in several broader types of activities:

What is a Chef salary?

What personality traits are common among Chefs?

Interests

Career interests describe a person's preferences for different types of working environments and activities. When a person's interest match the demands of an occupation, people are usually more engaged and satisfied in that role.

Compared to most occupations, those who work as a Chef are usually higher in their Enterprising, Realistic, and Artistic interests.

Chefs typically have very strong Enterprising interests. Enterprising occupations frequently involve starting up and carrying out projects. These occupations can involve leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business.

Also, Chefs typically have strong Realistic interests. Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.

Lastly, Chefs typically have moderate Artistic interests. Artistic occupations frequently involve working with forms, designs and patterns. They often require self-expression and the work can be done without following a clear set of rules.

Values

People differ in their values, or what is most important to them for building job satisfaction and fulfillment.

Compared to most people, those working as a Chef tend to value Independence, Recognition, and Achievement.

Most importantly, Chefs very strongly value Independence. Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to work on their own and make decisions.

Second, Chefs strongly value Recognition. Occupations that satisfy this work value offer advancement, potential for leadership, and are often considered prestigious.

Lastly, Chefs strongly value Achievement. Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment.

Psychological Demands

Each occupation brings its own set of psychological demands, which describe the characteristics necessary to perform the job well.

In order to perform their job successfully, people who work as Chefs must consistently demonstrate qualities such as dependability, initiative, and leadership.

Below, you'll find a list of qualities typically required of Chefs, ranked by importance:

What education and training do Chefs need?

Chefs often have training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.

Chefs usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with this occupation.

Educational degrees among Chefs

• 16.2% did not complete high school or secondary school
• 30.3% completed high school or secondary school
• 21.6% completed some college coursework
• 16.2% earned a Associate's degree
• 13.5% earned a Bachelor's degree
• 1.7% earned a Master's degree
• 0.6% earned a doctorate or professional degree

Knowledge and expertise required by Chefs

Important Abilities needed by Chefs

Chefs must develop a particular set of abilities to perform their job well. Abilities are individual capacities that influence a person's information processing, sensory perception, motor coordination, and physical strength or endurance. Individuals may naturally have certain abilities without explicit training, but most abilities can be sharpened somewhat through practice.

For example, Chefs need abilities such as oral comprehension, oral expression, and problem sensitivity in order to perform their job at a high level. The list below shows several important abilities for Chefs, ranked by their relative importance.

Critical Skills needed by Chefs

Skills are developed capacities that enable people to function effectively in real-world settings. Unlike abilities, skills are typically easier to build through practice and experience. Skills influence effectiveness in areas such as learning, working with others, design, troubleshooting, and more.

Chefs frequently use skills like coordination, speaking, and monitoring to perform their job effectively. The list below shows several critical skills for Chefs, ranked by their relative importance.

What is the source of this information?

The information provided on this page is adapted from data and descriptions published by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration under the CC BY 4.0 license. TraitLab has modified some information for ease of use and reading, and the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment, and Training Administration has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.

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