Restaurant Manager Resume Examples and Templates
Chef Resume Examples and Templates for 2024
Last Updated:
October 4, 2024
Chef
Sous Chef
Executive Chef
Table of Contents
Chef Resume Templates and Examples (Downloadable)
- Chef
- Sous Chef
- Executive Chef
Pastry Chef Resume Example
This guide provides expert tips to help you create a results-driven resume displaying your best chef experience.
Key takeaways:
- Spell out the results of your past work as a chef. Describe how your efforts helped the restaurant or dining facility achieve its goals.
- Emphasize your skills relevant to a chef role, such as menu planning and kitchen management.
- Use bullet points to showcase your work highlights. Start each bullet point with a strong verb like “Led” or “Enhanced.”
How To Write a Chef Resume
Using a template can help you write an effective chef resume. Your chef resume should usually include these sections:
- Contact information
- Profile
- Key skills
- Professional experience
- Education and certifications
1. Share your contact information
Give your full name, phone number, email address, location, and links to any online professional profiles. Ensure your contact information is current so employers can reach you for an interview.
Example
Your Name
(123) 456-7890 | [email protected] | City, State Abbreviation Zip Code | LinkedIn
2. Write a dynamic profile summarizing your chef qualifications
Impress hiring managers at the top of your resume by giving the three to five primary reasons you can excel as their next chef. These key selling points may include your:
- Years of related work experience
- Main strengths or skills in food preparation
- Work style or approach to leading a team
- College degrees or certifications in your field
Example
Chef with a strong background in menu planning, staff training, and inventory management. Skilled at increasing restaurant sales and customer satisfaction through innovative menu development and efficient kitchen management. Hold multiple culinary certifications and degrees.
3. Add a compelling experience section featuring your chef experience
View the experience section as a chance to give detailed examples of your work and success. In what ways have you made kitchen operations more efficient and effective?
Example
Sous Chef, Marriott International, Providence, RI | June 2018 to present
- Led a team of 15 kitchen staff to ensure high-quality meal preparation and efficient workflow, increasing kitchen productivity by 20% within the first year
- Helped develop and plan seasonal menus, introducing over 10 recipes that boosted customer satisfaction by 30%
- Managed kitchen inventory, reducing food waste by 25% and saving the company $10,000 annually
Resume writer’s tip: Quantify your experience
When possible, use relevant performance data and metrics to show the results you’ve achieved as a chef. Hard numbers put your work in context and give employers a better sense of your scope and impact.
Do
- “Revamped the restaurant's menu, adding innovative dishes that increased customer satisfaction by 30%”
Don’t
- “Revamped the restaurant's menu, adding innovative dishes to increase customer satisfaction”
Resume writer’s tip: Tailor your resume to each application
For each job posting you respond to, note any details given about the restaurant’s size, cuisine, ambiance, customer base, or service philosophy. How do these details compare to your own recent experience? By citing these similarities in your profile, you can make a stronger first impression on the hiring manager.
For instance, say you’re applying to a hotel restaurant. You could enhance your profile by changing the first line from “Chef with seven years of experience” to “Chef with seven years of experience, including three years at a popular hotel restaurant.”
What if you don’t have experience as a chef?
Writing a resume can be hard if you don’t have real-world experience. But remember, you still have valuable skills and knowledge from your education and training. Highlight any relevant coursework you’ve done or certifications you’ve earned. Also, consider including volunteer work or internships you’ve completed in your field, and emphasize your work ethic and willingness to learn. By focusing on these qualities, you can show how you’d be an asset to any team.
4. Include education and certifications relevant to chef roles
With the education and certifications sections, you can display your strong knowledge base in your field. Cite any credentials you’ve earned that speak to your abilities as a chef. Following are templates to help you organize this information on your resume (note, years are optional).
Education
Template:
[Degree Name], [School Name], [City, State Abbreviation] | [Graduation Year]
[Relevant coursework or honors]
Example:
Bachelor of Arts in Culinary Arts, Johnson & Wales University, Providence, RI
Certifications
Template:
[Certification Name], [Awarding Organization] | [Completion Year]
Example:
Certified Sous Chef (CSC), American Culinary Federation (ACF)
5. List chef-related skills and proficiencies
A separate skills section lets you quickly display the ways you can add value to a kitchen or dining establishment. Below, you’ll find some key terms and skills to consider for this section:
| Key Skills and Proficiencies | |
|---|---|
| Advanced culinary techniques | Cost reduction and elimination |
| Customer service and satisfaction | Food safety and sanitation |
| Inventory management | Kitchen management |
| Menu planning and development | Operations management |
| Staff training and supervision | Team leadership and motivation |
Resume writer’s tip: Use descriptive action verbs
One of the best ways to enhance your resume is by starting each bullet point with a strong action verb. Dynamic verbs help you keep the hiring manager’s attention and show the varied nature of your experience. The following list can help you find a good mix of action verbs for your chef resume:
| Action Verbs | |
|---|---|
| Created | Decreased |
| Developed | Enhanced |
| Expanded | Fostered |
| Generated | Grew |
| Improved | Increased |
| Introduced | Led |
| Lowered | Monitored |
| Motivated | Oversaw |
| Prepared | Prevented |
| Ranked | Reduced |
| Streamlined | Trained |
| Updated | Won |
How To Pick the Best Chef Resume Template
A resume is a simple tool for professional communication and should be formatted accordingly. Choose a clear and straightforward template, and avoid any with elaborate graphics or various colors and font styles. Simple resume design helps a hiring manager scan for relevant information. It also helps you tailor the document to each job application and make updates to your work history going forward.
Chef Text-Only Resume Templates and Examples
Mina Sayed
Minneapolis, MN 12345 | (123) 456-7890 | [email protected] | LinkedIn
Chef with a strong background in menu planning, staff training, and inventory management. Skilled at increasing restaurant sales and customer satisfaction by developing innovative menus and streamlining kitchen operations. Hold multiple culinary certifications and degrees.
Key Skills
- Advanced culinary techniques
- Food safety and sanitation
- Menu planning and development
- Team leadership and motivation
Education
Bachelor of Arts in Culinary Arts, Johnson & Wales University, Providence, RI
Associate of Applied Science in Culinary Arts, The Culinary Institute of America, Hyde Park, NY
Diploma in Professional Cookery, Le Cordon Bleu, Paris, France
Professional Experience
Sous Chef, Marriott International, Minneapolis, MN | June 2019 to present
- Established seasonal menus that increased restaurant sales by 20% over a two-year span
- Trained and supervised a team of 15 kitchen staff, ensuring close adherence to food safety and sanitation laws
- Managed kitchen inventory, reducing food waste by 30%
Junior Chef, Starbucks Corporation, Seattle, WA | May 2018 to June 2019
- Co-created and prepared cafe’s menu, helping increase customer satisfaction by 15%
- Gained proficiency in various culinary techniques, enhancing the quality of dishes served
- Played key role in staff training sessions, improving team efficiency
Professional Development
American Culinary Federation
- Certified Executive Chef (CEC)
- Certified Master Chef (CMC)
- Certified Sous Chef (CSC)
Why this chef resume example is strong:
This resume’s experience section contains impressive performance data, showing how the candidate made a positive impact on employers.
Frequently Asked Questions: Chef Resume Examples and Advice
How do you align your resume with a chef job posting?
First, look closely at the job post text and highlight words that are repeated or emphasized. Compare these phrases to the language you’re using in your resume, particularly the profile and key skills sections. Then, seek ways to align your resume language with the job posting while not copying phrases or misstating your background.
For example, if the organization seeks someone collaborative, call out that aspect of your experience in your profile. Or say the restaurant has many non-English speaking customers. Highlight your foreign language skills both in your profile and as a separate section farther down the document. With adjustments like these, you can make your resume more relevant to each opportunity.
What is the best chef resume format?
The combination or hybrid format, which merges a functional resume's profile section with a chronological resume's experience section. Most modern resumes (including the three on this page) follow the combination format because it gives hiring managers the clearest view of an applicant's strengths and work history.
Expert advice:
Include a cover letter with your resume
A good cover letter makes a valuable addition to most job applications. To write a standout letter, get specific. Tell the hiring manager why you’re interested in their organization and the specific chef role they hope to fill.
Check Out Related Examples
Executive Resume Writer and Career Coach
Andrew Stoner is an executive career coach and resume writer with 17 years of experience as a hiring manager and operations leader at two Fortune 500 Financial Services companies, and as the career services director at two major university business schools.
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