Executive Chef

Career Overview

An executive chef oversees the menus, cooking and quality for all food service in a hotel, resort or casino. The executive chef works with kitchen personnel to insure food preparation is being done in a timely manner. He or she is responsible for personnel in all on-site restaurants, for menu preparation, ordering food an supplies, scheduling workers and adapting food choices to maximize each facility's use.

Education

Executive chefs have usually attended a cooking school and learned not only the art of food preparation but also the skills required to run a restaurant. Most culinary arts degrees require coursework on restaurant management, food service and food purchasing. Executive chefs must be as adept at working with a budget as they are talented in the kitchen.

Employment

There were 119,000 chefs and head cooks employed in the U.S. in 2006. A portion of this group were chefs in fine food restaurants and executive chefs. Many chefs choose not to pursue executive chef positions, as their interest is in food preparation and service.

Job Outlook

The job opportunities for executive chefs should grow at about the same pace as the projected average growth for all jobs. Additional positions will open up as some executive chefs retire or choose to open a restaurant.

Salary

10th Percentile $47,072

Median Salary $73,140

90th Percentile $105,235

Source: Salary.com