How To Become A Kitchen Assistant: What It Is and Career Path

What is a kitchen assistant and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Kitchen assistants play an important role in the kitchen as they perform almost all the tasks performed in the kitchen. These tasks range from cleaning the kitchen to carrying out meal preparation and ensuring that the chefs have all the tools and ingredients they need to work.

A kitchen assistant is required to clean up after each meal preparation and ensure that all cooking utensils are properly cleaned and returned to their rightful position. You might perform basic cooking activities like boiling or frying. You might also be required to keep an inventory of the food supplies, and you might be responsible for unloading and sorting food supplies. It is very important to remember that you are an assistant, and you should be at the beck and call of the chef or supervisor.

Cleanliness, knowledge of kitchen utensils and equipment, basic cooking skills, and elementary bookkeeping skills are a few of the things required of a good kitchen assistant. An average kitchen assistant earns about $11.8 an hour and about $24548. A high school diploma is a minimum qualification for this role. Good verbal communication skills are also necessary for this role.

ScoreKitchen AssistantUS Average

Salary

2.1

Avg. Salary $27,455

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

4.8

Growth Rate 2%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.6

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.02%

Asian 7.99%

Black or African American 10.39%

Hispanic or Latino 18.55%

Unknown 5.06%

White 57.01%

Gender

female 48.81%

male 51.19%

Age - 34

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 - 34

Stress Level

4.8

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

6.2

Complexity Level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

6.6

Work Life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a kitchen assistant

Explore kitchen assistant education requirements

Most common kitchen assistant degrees

High School Diploma

33.7 %

Bachelor's

32.2 %

Associate

20.2 %

Start to develop specific kitchen assistant skills

Skills	Percentages
Wine	16.72%
Kitchen Equipment	15.23%
POS	14.56%
Culinary	11.26%
Kitchen Operations	8.11%

Complete relevant kitchen assistant training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New kitchen assistants 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 kitchen assistant based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real kitchen assistant resumes.

Research kitchen assistant duties and responsibilities

Assist the catering manager to manage, prepare, cook and deliver each day s caterings.
Prepare and store vegetables; maintain cleanliness and organization of kitchen; observe food safety and health regulations
Mix water with detergents and acids to prepare cleaning solutions according to specifications, general cleanliness according to safety and company guidelines
Operate dishwasher and train volunteers.

Prepare your kitchen assistant resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your kitchen assistant 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 kitchen assistant resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Kitchen Assistant Resume templates

Build a professional Kitchen Assistant 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 Kitchen Assistant resume.

Apply for kitchen assistant jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a kitchen assistant 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 kitchen assistants rate their job?

5/5

Based On 1 Ratings

5 Stars

4 Stars

3 Stars

2 Stars

1 Star

Kitchen Assistant reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Jul 2020

Cons

Repetitive tasks. Or obviously, working with people who are highly critical.

A zippia user wrote a review on Jan 2020

Pros

I like being able to work with food and get creative. I enjoy learning new techniques for a set of skills that can be applied outside the workplace.

5.0

A zippia user wrote a review on Jul 2019