If you love to cook and have excellent culinary skills, there are various career paths that you can pursue. For example, you could work at a restaurant, on a cruise ship, in a private home, or in a school. Another option is to become a corporate chef, which is an executive-level chef that takes on managerial roles and administrative tasks in addition to cooking.
In this article, we discuss the role of the corporate chef and tips for how to become one if this type of work interests you as a culinary professional.
Corporate Chef Job Description
A typical corporate chef job description outlines the need for a highly trained executive chef who can oversee the culinary management of a hotel or restaurant chain. What sets this professional apart from other chefs is the ability to combine expertise in food service with business management and marketing skills to meet and exceed culinary standards.
A corporate chef is responsible for supervising everything that goes on in a sizable kitchen, ranging from purchasing ingredients to preparing food, maintaining quality standards, and ensuring sanitary conditions. Corporate executive chefs are trusted to hire and train staff, handle supply management, and create menus for discerning clients and customers.
Typical Duties of a Corporate Executive Chef
Here are some of the most common duties and responsibilities that you may encounter as a corporate chef:
- Hire and train all levels of kitchen staff and management
- Create new dishes and plan menus
- Manage day-to-day kitchen operations
- Work with marketing professionals to promote the business
- Travel to business conferences to get inspiration for new business ideas and network with suppliers
- Collaborate with the business owner to handle budget matters
- Track food-related costs and manage vendors
- Ensure that safety and sanitation standards are met
How Much Does a Corporate Chef Make?
The salary of a corporate chef can vary greatly depending on where the professional is employed. But according to recent statistics, the average corporate chef salary is $98,324, with the most common salary range between $84,639 and $113,569. This is considerably more than what many chef positions earn, but the salary increase comes with added qualifications and requirements.
Many employers require a corporate chef to have at least five years of chef management experience, a bachelor’s degree, and a specialty food certification. To become a corporate chef, you will need excellent communication skills, decision-making abilities, be well-organized, and exhibit strong leadership qualities. Creativity and a savvy business sense are assets for corporate chef professionals and qualities that help them do their very best at their jobs.
How to Become a Corporate Chef
At Pavillion Agency, we help culinary professionals find rewarding careers as corporate hospitality staff, private chefs, and related roles. Unless you have strong connections in this industry through past employment or networking, using a domestic staffing and employment agency like Pavillion can give you opportunities that you would have otherwise never encountered.
To start your job search, you can browse our latest job listings to see if any corporate chef-related positions are currently available. Or, to get in our system and be notified about these types of jobs when they arise, complete our online application form and upload your resume.
We look forward to helping you find a corporate chef job you’ll love!
