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Executive Chef Resume Samples
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0-5 years of experience
Efficiently managed and assisted kitchen staff in producing food banquets, catered events and member dining areas.
- Reduced food costs by 10% by expertly estimating purchasing needs and buying through approved suppliers.
- Collaborated closely with Food and Beverage manager to conduct staff meetings and resolve any service, product or personal issues.
- Consistently kept a clean and safe environment by adhering to all federal, state and local sanitation and safety requirements.
- Regularly developed new recipes in accordance with consumer tastes, nutritional needs and budgetary considerations.
0-5 years of experience
Responsible for all aspects of food production and beautiful waterfront resort with 413 rooms, 3 restaurants, 40,000 square feet of meeting; convention space, the stewarding department $10M in Food and Beverage revenue.
- Renovated and restructured the kitchen lay out to fulfill its maximum potential
- Developed menu items to reflect current trends and local taste for restaurants and banquet.
- Increased food revenue by $1M in the first year, reduced food and labor cost by 2%, increased guest SALT (satisfaction and loyalty tracking) score.
0-5 years of experience
Managed a high volume kitchen of 30 staff members for a restaurant with annual sales of $5M, keeping food costs to 31% and labor costs to 17% of staff size. Created all recipes and menus.
- Implemented a recipe procedure for each new menu change.
- Developed a yield chart system for fish butchering, as well as for items used on a daily basis to assist with ordering and par levels.
- Ensured weekly scheduling was consistent with projected sales.
- Facilitated a morning and evening pre-shift meeting to inform staff of daily features, reservations, and reinforce team-building skills.
0-5 years of experience
Created and managed $3 million annual food & labor budget for 3 restaurants.
- Worked as part of sales team to sell, upgrade and execute events.
- Established direct contact with members to drive sales revenue in 3 restaurants.
- Demonstrated of culinary techniques to staff to ensure proper preparation, presentation and quality of new menus.
- Catered more than 100 private functions annually – size ranging from small tea parties to 350+ person banquets.
- Created & executed monthly high-end specialty wine dinners for 80 members with estimated
- Ensured proper equipment operation and maintenance to ensure proper safety & sanitation in kitchen.
0-5 years of experience
Executive Chef for upscale food court, serving multiple cuisines and stations.
- Interviewed, trained, scheduled, and directed culinary staff.
- Planned menus & created specials.
- Maintained and assured food quality.
- Controlled and managed food cost and inventory from 37% to 28%.
- Maintained amiable relationships with vendors and received preferred pricings.
0-5 years of experience
Managed and built all aspects of the food operation
- Developed menus for casual and fine dining rooms
- Completed high level cost analysis on all menu items
- Developed banquet facility and produced banquets for up to 600 guests
- Lowered total operating costs by 20% in first year and maintained average of 36% food cost and 21% labor cost
0-5 years of experience
Oversaw culinary operations for [company name] headquarters, with nearly 2,000 employees on site
- Multi-site operation, including several cafes and outlets focused on health and wellbeing
- Ensured adherence to food standards, and oversaw welfare and training for a staff of 20
- Controlled food costs and ensured profit, monitoring purchases and catering operations.
- Implemented new food concepts
- Increased catering sales by creating customized menus
0-5 years of experience
Oversaw food production for six school kitchens
- Created and implemented new weekly menus
- Oversaw Banquet and Catering functions up to 1000 people
- Catered to the special dietary needs of the students
- Supervised a staff of 30 cooks and 3 Sous Chefs
- Daily ordering of all food products and menu items through approved vendors
6-10 years of experience
Responsible for daily operation of al a Carte and Banquet facility with 420+ members
- Prepared and executed Banquets from 10-350 people
- Implemented lunch and dinner specials on a daily basis
- Managed ordering and inventory, food and labor costing, budgeting and forecasting
- Menu development, Tournaments, Theme Nights, and other social events
- Responsible for hiring, training and scheduling kitchen staff of 20+ employees
- Administered employee performance reviews and raises reflecting their evaluation
Executive Chef Duties and Responsibilities
Executive chefs are responsible for all the food coming out of a kitchen, so need a strong knowledge of food. Kitchens seek professionals who demonstrate the following abilities:
Develop Menus and Create New Recipes Executive chefs create menus and come up with new recipes as needed to replace old, outdated dishes with new and exciting options.
Adhere to Food Safety Regulations Executive chefs must follow food safety regulations, because improperly stored or prepared food isn’t just a health violation, it can be potentially fatal to people eating it. The chef must also stay up-to-date on new health code regulations and begin following them the moment they are issued.
Hire and Train Cooking Staff Executive chefs interview, hire, and train all cooking and kitchen staff, as well as fire staff members that are underperforming in their duties.
Monitor Daily Food Inventory and Order Items Executive chefs order all food inventory and kitchen items as needed, monitoring the daily food supply to ensure that all ingredients are available as needed for recipes.
Quality Control Executive chefs are responsible for the quality of all food leaving the kitchen and all inventory entering the kitchen.
Keep All Kitchen and Stock Areas Clean Executive chefs see that all cooking, food preparation, and storage areas are clean and hygienic at all times.
Write Cost Analysis Reports Executive chefs write cost analysis reports for all inventory and kitchen equipment needed and submit them to the restaurant manager or owner.
Inspect Kitchen Equipment Executive chefs ensure all kitchen equipment and tools are operating at their peak and order new items as necessary.
Manage Kitchen Staff Executive chefs write staff schedules and host staff meetings to brief employees on kitchen practices and changes.
Stay-up-to-Date on Culinary Trends It’s necessary for executive chefs to be aware of food trends and what’s popular in the culinary world, tailoring menus to suit.
Executive Chef Skills and Qualifications
Executive chefs possess a finely-honed sense of taste, but they are also supervisors responsible for the kitchen staff. Kitchens hiring executive chefs seek out professionals who display the following:
- Cooking – executive chefs can cook anything at any time and know how to use ingredients to create tasty meals
- Leadership – executive chefs are managers responsible for the kitchen staff
- Time management – it takes a good sense of time management to create delicious meals in a timely fashion and ensure that appetizers and entrees make it to tables quickly
- Basic computer knowledge – most restaurants use special software to keep track of food orders and inventory
- Finance – a wasteful kitchen is not profitable, so executive chefs are required to have a basic financial knowledge to produce food as inexpensively as possible
Executive Chef Education and Training
Most kitchens look for executive chefs who have an associate’s degree in culinary arts. A degree in business administration is highly desired as well. However, having a lot of experience in the foodservice industry can make up for not having a formal education.
Executive Chef Salary and Outlook
In 2016, the median pay for chefs and head cooks was $43,180 per year, about $20.76 hourly. Research conducted by the shows that there were 146,500 executive chef jobs available in 2016, and through 2026 this industry is expected to grow by 10 percent. That’s slightly faster than the national average. Health insurance and retirement benefits are generally not provided to executive chefs, though some bonuses and profit-sharing revenue may be offered.
Executive Chef Helpful Resources
Become a better, more successful executive chef by making use of these resources:
ChefQuant – A Practical Guide to Data Analysis and Modeling for Restaurant Owners, Managers, and Executive Chefs – This book offers a practical approach to being an executive chef, covering topics such as menu planning, pairing wine with food, and managing food inventory.
American Culinary Federation – Consult this website to learn about the latest culinary trends, to find seminars and workshops for chefs, and to learn more about getting accredited as a chef.
French Lessons: Adventures with Knife, Fork, and Corkscrew – Read this book to learn more about French and other culinary techniques, including using kitchen tools that make the job easier.
United States Chef Association – This website provides certification for chefs and information about career advancement opportunities.
Private Cuisine: An Executive Chef’s Secrets to Gourmet Cooking Made Easy – Easy enough for cooking novices to understand, this book is for all those who want to hone their cooking skills, taking their culinary skills to a gourmet level.