Chef Resume Example

Also called Line Cook, Sous Chef, Head Chef, Cook.

Kitchens hire chefs who can cook consistently at volume, run a clean station and control costs. Show the type of kitchen, the covers you cook for, your station or team, and your food cost results.

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Opens in the builder with this text in place, ready for you to replace with your own.

What this example does well

  • Covers and team size show the scale of the kitchen he runs.
  • Food cost is given before and after, with the actions that lowered it.
  • Menu items that became permanent prove his cooking sells.

Updated

Antonio Russo

Sous Chef

Summary

Sous chef with nine years of experience in Italian and New American restaurants. Runs a kitchen team of eight on nights of 220 covers, writes the weekly specials and brought food cost down from 34% to 29% without shrinking portions.

Experience

Sous ChefTrattoria NordBoston, Massachusetts

Sep 2021 – Present

  • Run the kitchen on the head chef's days off and lead a team of eight on nights of up to 220 covers.
  • Reduced food cost from 34% to 29% by changing suppliers, using whole animals and tracking waste daily.
  • Create weekly specials, three of which became permanent menu items.
  • Train line cooks on stations, recipes and food safety; the kitchen has passed every health inspection.

Line CookHarbor GrillBoston, Massachusetts

Jun 2017 – Aug 2021

  • Worked grill, sauté and pasta stations in a 180-seat restaurant.
  • Prepared sauces, stocks and fresh pasta for daily service.
  • Promoted to lead line cook after two years.

Education

Associate of Science in Culinary ArtsJohnson & Wales UniversityProvidence, Rhode Island

2015 – 2017

Skills

  • Italian cuisine
  • Fresh pasta
  • Menu development
  • Food cost control
  • Kitchen leadership
  • Inventory and ordering
  • Food safety
  • Butchery

Certifications

  • ServSafe Food Protection Manager — National Restaurant Association, 2024
An example: Antonio Russo is not a real person, and the details show the kind of thing to write rather than a real career. Shown in the Journey template. Words that postings for this job often use are marked in yellow.

How do you write a summary for a chef resume?

Two to four lines at the top that say what you do, for how long, and what you are best at. Here is one for each stage of a career.

  • Entry level

    Culinary graduate with a 400-hour externship at a busy seafood restaurant, working the cold station and prep. Fast with a knife, clean and organized, and eager to learn every station on the line.

  • Experienced

    Line cook with five years of experience in busy restaurants. Works grill, sauté and fry stations, keeps tickets moving and follows recipes and food safety rules to the letter.

  • Senior

    Executive chef with fifteen years of experience. Leads kitchens of 25 across two restaurants, designs seasonal menus, controls food and labor costs and has earned strong local reviews for both venues.

How to write a resume summary, with more examples

What are good bullet points for a chef resume?

Each starts with a verb and says what was done. Change the details and numbers to your own; a number you cannot explain in an interview is worse than none.

  1. Led a kitchen team of eight on nights of 200 or more covers.

  2. Reduced food cost by 5 points through supplier changes and waste tracking.

  3. Created weekly specials and seasonal menu items.

  4. Ordered food and supplies and kept inventory at the right level.

  5. Trained cooks on recipes, plating and station setup.

  6. Kept the kitchen clean and passed every health inspection.

  7. Managed allergy and dietary requests safely.

  8. Worked grill, sauté, fry and prep stations.

  9. Prepared stocks, sauces and fresh pasta daily.

  10. Scheduled kitchen staff to match forecast covers.

Which skills should a chef put on a resume?

Pick the ones the job posting asks for and that you can back up with an example from your work.

Hard skills

  • Cooking techniques and stations
  • Menu development
  • Food cost and inventory control
  • Ordering and supplier management
  • Food safety and sanitation
  • Knife skills
  • Kitchen scheduling
  • Allergy management

Soft skills

  • Leadership
  • Calm under pressure
  • Creativity
  • Consistency
  • Teamwork

Licenses and certifications

  • ServSafe Food Protection Manager
  • Food handler card
  • American Culinary Federation certification (such as Certified Sous Chef)

Which keywords belong on a chef resume?

The words recruiters and applicant tracking systems search for.

  • covers
  • food cost
  • specials
  • menu
  • health inspection
  • line cooks
  • stations
  • kitchen
  • team

Use the ones that are true for you, written the way the posting writes them, and put each where it shows something you did. A list of keywords with nothing behind it helps nobody. To keep them readable by software, choose an ATS-friendly template, and read how applicant tracking systems read a resume.

What should a chef put on a resume?

The type of cuisine and restaurant, the covers you cook for, your position or station and the size of your team. That tells a head chef whether you can fit their kitchen.

Add cost control and food safety results: food cost percentage, waste reduction and inspection records.

Do chefs need a culinary degree on their resume?

No. Many chefs learned on the job, and experience counts more. If you have a culinary education, list it; if not, list the kitchens you trained in.

Certificates like food protection manager are often required for supervisory roles, so include them.

What do hospitality employers look for in a resume?

  • Give the pace and size of the place: covers on a busy night, rooms in the hotel, passengers on the aircraft.
  • List the certificates the job legally needs where you live, such as food safety or responsible alcohol service, with the date.
  • Mention the systems you know, for example the point-of-sale or booking software. It shortens training and managers notice.

All hospitality and travel resume examples

Questions about a chef resume

Should I include my cooking style?

Yes, briefly: the cuisines and techniques you know best.

Should I link to photos of my food?

A small portfolio or social media link can help for senior roles.

How do I move from line cook to sous chef?

Highlight any times you ran a shift, trained others or managed ordering.

How long should a chef resume be?

One page, two for executive chefs.

Make this chef resume yours.

Start from the example, swap in your own jobs and numbers, and switch to any template without retyping a word.

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