Job Skills and Conditions
Chefs genuinely enjoy preparing food and satisfying customers’ appetites. You need to be artistic, creative, detail-oriented, flexible and organized. Good math skills, hand-eye coordination and a keen sense of smell and taste are important. Successful chefs have a good sense of teamwork and the ability to remain in control during hectic times.
Chefs and cooks are on their feet for long periods and often work evenings, weekends and holidays. They need to be able to function in close quarters during busy periods, lift heavy objects and work near hot ovens and grills. While the kitchen staff of hotels and restaurants can expect evening and weekend shifts, institutional cooks are more likely to have conventional work schedules. Seasonal work is often required for those working as a cook in a school or in a resort.
Job Locations
Food service plays a major role in work at:
- Hotels
- Restaurants
- Resorts
- Cruise ships and railway lines
- Cafés and bistros
- Bakeries and pastry shops
- Catering businesses
- Magazine test kitchens
- Public and private schools, from elementary to university level
- Grocery and specialty food stores
- Institutions such as hospitals and nursing homes
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Salaries
Salaries vary widely according to the type and size of the food service operation. A large metropolitan area such as the D/FW metroplex has more career possibilities than average, with higher salary ranges.
America’s Career Infonet reports the following wage, salary and job growth statistics for food and hospitality jobs.*
| Job Title |
Median Hourly Wage |
Median Annual Salary |
Est. % Job Growth Through 2014 |
| Institutional cooks |
$9.44 |
$19,600 |
+1% |
| Bakers |
$10.35 |
$21,500 |
+15% |
| Cooks |
$10.48 |
$21,800 |
+6% |
| Chefs and head cooks |
$15.54 |
$32,300 |
+17% |
*These figures are based on data from 2005, the last year for which statistics are available.
Professional Associations
Chefs, including sous-chefs, executive chefs and pastry chefs, may be members of the American Culinary Federation Inc. (ACF). Students enrolled in culinary training programs may join the ACF as junior members. After graduation, students are advanced to active membership when they are hired as chefs. ACF is the premier professional chefs’ organization in North America, with more than 230 chapters and 19,000 members nationwide.