How to Hire a Chef
Hire a Chef
Does your growing business need a head chef, sous-chef, pastry chef, chef de parti or any type of professional chef? If it’s time to expand your menu, roll out new features, or bring in a new leader to organize your kitchen’s workflow, consider hiring a chef passionate about creating a dining experience customized to your business needs and vision.
Here are some tips to help you find great chef candidates and make the right hire for your business.
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Find a Chef on Indeed
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resumes from job seekers with chef experience on Indeed
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Salary Information
- Common salary in Canada: $59,110 CAD a year
- Typical salaries range from $20,300 – $73,600 CAD a year
- Find more information on Indeed Salary
*Indeed data (CA) – Jan 2020
Why hire a chef?
A talented chef – one who strives for perfection in every aspect – is committed to crafting the finest recipes, refining plate presentation, and delighting customers. Dedicated to producing a skilled crew and highly efficient operations, a head chef also serves as a valuable leader by training and mentoring team members.
Contributions of a great chef:
- Create new recipes based on knowledge of ingredients and cooking methods
- Oversee kitchen staff and provide instruction regarding meal preparation, mise en place, cooking, and delivering dishes to customers
- Make responsible purchasing decisions while adhering to budget
- Build and sustain positive relations with distributors and vendors
- Resolve concerns raised by kitchen staff and customers
- Comply with safety, food handling, and sanitation standards
Skills to look for in a great chef
The ideal chef is able to inspire and bring joy to customers by using their ability to create a unique experience. Conscious of food quality, operation costs, and food trends, a great chef candidate will have training, qualifications, and experience that reflect top chef skills.
Chef qualifications:
- Associate’s or bachelor’s degree in culinary arts or related discipline
- Experience in a high volume, full-service restaurant
- Kitchen management, including hiring and training staff members
- Creative
- Professional
- Detail-oriented
Writing a chef job description
A thoughtful job description is important to finding qualified head chef, sous chef or pastry chef candidates. A chef job description includes a compelling summary of the role, a detailed list of duties and responsibilities, and the required and preferred skills for the position.
Keywords to include in your chef job description:
- Chef
- Sous
- Executive
- Catering
- Banquet
- Pastry
- Cook
Interviewing chef candidates
Ask targeted and thoughtful questions to learn about a job candidate’s education, training, professional experience, and ambitions. Strong candidates for chef positions will be confident when answering a variety of questions.
Topics for chef interview questions:
- Menu creation
- Culinary standards
- Food preparation/cooking methods and equipment
- Management responsibilities
- Inventory control and food purchasing
- Sanitation and safety
See our list of interview questions for more examples.
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