Chefs and Head Cooks

What the job really is

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.

At a glance

• Sector: Food Preparation & Serving
• O*NET-SOC code: 35-1011
• O*NET job zone: 3 — medium preparation
• Work sample tasks on file: 12
• Tools and technologies listed: 12

What you actually do

Work sample tasks recorded for this occupation:

• Monitor sanitation practices to ensure that employees follow standards and regulations.
• Instruct cooks or other workers in the preparation, cooking, garnishing, or presentation of food.
• Supervise or coordinate activities of cooks or workers engaged in food preparation.
• Order or requisition food or other supplies needed to ensure efficient operation.
• Inspect supplies, equipment, or work areas to ensure conformance to established standards.
• Check the quantity and quality of received products.
• Check the quality of raw or cooked food products to ensure that standards are met.
• Estimate amounts and costs of required supplies, such as food and ingredients.
• Coordinate planning, budgeting, or purchasing for all the food operations within establishments such as clubs, hotels, or restaurant chains.
• Analyze recipes to assign prices to menu items, based on food, labor, and overhead costs.
• 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.
• Determine how food should be presented and create decorative food displays.

Tools and technology

Facebook, Google Sheets, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Word, ADP eTIME, Apple corers, Axxya Systems Nutritionist Pro, Barrington Software CookenPro Commercial, Blast chillers

What employers expect you to already be comfortable with.

Where this job leads

Related occupations — the usual moves up and sideways:

• Bakers
• Cooks, Restaurant
• Cooks, Private Household
• Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria
• Food Service Managers
• Cooks, Short Order
• First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers
• Food Batchmakers

Getting in

O*NET assigns this occupation job zone 3 (medium preparation). The related occupations above are the realistic routes in and out.

Find openings

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Check this against the source

O*NET OnLine: Chefs and Head Cooks — the authoritative public-domain profile this page is derived from, including the full task list, reported skills and the wage estimates for your region.

Derived and rewritten from the public-domain O*NET database (U.S. Department of Labor / Employment and Training Administration). Figures are observations, not promises — always confirm salary, licensing and visa requirements with the employer and the relevant authority.