Chefs and Head Cooks

Also Called:

Chef,

Cook,

Executive Chef (Ex Chef),

Sous Chef

What they do: 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.

icon

Hospitality & Tourism

Career Cluster

What do they typically do on the job?

  • Monitor sanitation practices to ensure that employees follow standards and regulations.
  • Check the quality of raw or cooked food products to ensure that standards are met.
  • Determine production schedules and staff requirements necessary to ensure timely delivery of services.

Personality

People interested in this work like activities that include leading, making decisions, and business.

Dependability

Initiative

Adaptability/Flexibility

Leadership

Stress Tolerance

Attention to Detail

Interests

Career interests describe the perspectives and interests of people who enjoy the type of work involved in this career.

Discover what your interests are by taking the Interest Profiler Quiz

See Related Jobs

Enterprising

See Related Jobs

Realistic

See Related Jobs

Conventional

Knowledge

People who want to pursue this career have knowledge in these areas.

Manufactured or Agricultural Goods

  • Food production

  • Manufacture and distribution of products

Business

  • Customer service

  • Management

Education and Training

  • Teaching and course design

Math and Science

  • Arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics

Abilities

Whether you have received formal training or not, these types of abilities are helpful in this career.

Verbal

  • Communicate by speaking

  • Listen and understand what people say

Ideas and Logic

  • Notice when problems happen

  • Use rules to solve problems

Attention

  • Pay attention to something without being distracted

  • Do two or more things at the same time

Hand and Finger Use

  • Hold or move items with your hands

Skills

People who want to pursue this career have skills in these areas.

Basic Skills

  • Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements

  • Talking to others

Social

  • Changing what is done based on other people's actions

  • Understanding people's reactions

Resource Management

  • Managing your time and the time of other people

  • Selecting and managing the best workers for a job

Work Values

Work values describe how your core beliefs align with those commonly needed for this career.

Independence

Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to work on their own and make decisions. Corresponding needs are Creativity, Responsibility and Autonomy.

Recognition

Occupations that satisfy this work value offer advancement, potential for leadership, and are often considered prestigious. Corresponding needs are Advancement, Authority, Recognition and Social Status.

Achievement

Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment. Corresponding needs are Ability Utilization and Achievement.

Does this sound like something you'd like to do?

1. Do some research
  • Identify how your interests, values, and strengths match this occupation
  • Talk to someone who works in this field or spend a day job shadowing
  • Use the colleges and training directory to explore programs related to this career
2. Plan your next move

Data for NSI career cards comes from the following: Idaho Department of Labor, US Bureau of Labor Statistics, O*NET, MyNextMove, and Career OneStop