What does a Chef do?
A Chef is responsible for the dishes that are cooked and prepared at a restaurant. This can involve creating new recipes, or adhering to specific food preparation and standards set by the restaurant and local laws. A Chef also supervises and assigns work in the kitchen and interviews and trains staff. A Chef takes charge of the menu, changing and rotating dishes if necessary and managing the kitchen budget.
Chef skills and qualifications
Skills and qualifications vary depending on the restaurant, but a successful Chef candidate will have various prerequisite skills and qualifications needed for duties, including:
- Leadership skills
- Ability to work well under pressure and time constraints
- Creativity to create dishes on brand with the restaurant
- Knowledge of different varieties of foods and ingredients
- Ability to accept criticism
- Ability to maintain an extremely sanitary environment while working
- Communication skills
Chef experience requirements
With restaurant jobs, the more experience a candidate has in the industry, the more qualified they are for the position. A Chef needs experience with food preparation, perhaps as a Line Cook or a Sous Chef. It’s also helpful to have food management experiences having worked as a Restaurant Manager or Kitchen Manager. At the very least, the ideal Chef closer to your hire has an understanding of how to efficiently and safely cook and prepare the type of food served at the particular establishment.
Chef education and training requirements
There are quite a few ways educational and training requirements can be met for a Chef position. A person without formal education may have started working as a Kitchen Assistant or Commis Chef and worked their way up. They can also do an apprenticeship, which usually requires some GCSEs for an intermediate apprenticeship, or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship.
Some candidates may have completed college or university to study for this position. College courses include Level 3 Diploma in Professional Cookery, or Level 4 Diploma in Professional Culinary Arts or a degree from university in Culinary Arts or Professional Cookery.
Chef salary expectations
According to Indeed Salaries, the average salary for a Chef is £32,190 per year. Chefs usually work a bit above the typical workweek, about 40 to 45 hours. They are also expected to work on weekends and bank holidays. A Chef’s salary is highly dependent on experience, location and company.
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