How To Become A Head Cook: What It Is and Career Path

What is a head cook and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

A Head Cook, aka the chef, is responsible for running a kitchen, usually in a high-end establishment. They delegate tasks and oversee the work of everyone involved in food preparation, making sure that the result is nothing but exquisite delicacies. They come up with new recipes, create the menu, and make sure the necessary ingredients are always in stock.

Head cooks are deeply passionate about cooking. They live and die for tasty food and know a lot about other countries' culinary cultures. They consider their profession art, rather than anything else, and just like a poet has a favorite pen, you will recognize an authentic head cook by the fact that he/she favors one knife over all others.

Not that salaries matter to a real artist; just for your information, head cooks in the U.S. make an average of $48,098 per year.

ScoreHead CookUS Average

Salary

3.5

Avg. Salary $44,412

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

9.2

Growth Rate 15%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

7.3

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.66%

Asian 10.33%

Black or African American 10.43%

Hispanic or Latino 15.54%

Unknown 5.16%

White 57.89%

Gender

female 36.50%

male 63.50%

Age - 41

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 41

Stress Level

9.2

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

7.4

Complexity Level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

0.2

Work Life balance is

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a head cook

Explore head cook education requirements

Most common head cook degrees

High School Diploma

42.4 %

Associate

24.3 %

Bachelor's

15.5 %

Start to develop specific head cook skills

Skills	Percentages
Kitchen Equipment	41.19%
Meal Preparation	15.12%
Food Service	7.32%
Food Preparation	2.97%
Quality Standards	2.72%

Complete relevant head cook training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New head cooks learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a head cook based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real head cook resumes.

Gain additional head cook certifications

Head cook certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific head cook certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for head cooks include ServSafe Alcohol and Certified Food Manager (CFM).

More About Certifications

Research head cook duties and responsibilities

Operate mixers and manage ingredients to meet product quality and uniformity standards.
Accommodate all campers and staff with dietary restrictions, food allergies as well as providing vegetarian and vegan options.
Follow all equipment and safety procedures in all operations including slicers, choppers, mixers and other meal processing equipment.
Operate mixers and manage ingredients to meet product quality and uniformity standards.

Prepare your head cook resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your head cook resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a head cook resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Head Cook Resume templates

Build a professional Head Cook resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Head Cook resume.

Apply for head cook jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a head cook job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do head cooks rate their job?

-/5

5 Stars

4 Stars

3 Stars

2 Stars

1 Star

Head Cook reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on May 2020

Pros

Design & creating food making customer happy cooking every area as line, prep, steam, broil, grill, creating comfort food desserts and catering. Ordering and managing a kitchen

Cons

Nothing to complain about love being a chef

A zippia user wrote a review on Jan 2020