How Much Money Can A Chef Earn?
When thinking of a chef, who are the first people you think of? Gordan Ramsay, Jamie Oliver, etc. While these guys are in the upper echelons of the industry, it is quite possible for you to become a chef. However, while it is unlikely that many people will reach that star status, it is quite possible to earn more than a healthy living while becoming a chef. However, becoming a chef, especially in a professional sense takes a lot of time, dedication, and effort.
While there are efficient ways to become a chef, you can possibly achieve your goals in a multitude of ways. However, this depends on the type of chef you strive to become. With that being said, we will take a look at a few aspects of the industry within this article. First, we will look at how you can become a chef. Next, it will be time to venture into the types of chefs you can become, three in particular. Lastly, how much money you can earn from each of these chefs. Therefore, let’s get into the bulk of the article.
How To Become A Chef
Becoming a chef can be quite a long process. However, depending on where you live, your path can vary. For example, becoming a chef in Canada vs the United States may be different. However, we can take a look at the basic criteria for both. This information will be general and not an exact pathway as certain states and provinces may vary.
Let’s say you’re in Toronto, becoming a chef is a regulated trade. Therefore, you would most likely need to get a certification from the Ontario College of trades. While secondary school is not always required, in most instances it will be. More often than not, getting into a trade will require the bare minimum of a high school degree. However, if you are looking to become a head chef, you will most likely need years of experience and a post-secondary school degree (not always required). In all provinces the cook’s trade certification is mandatory.
If you’re looking to become both executive or sous chef, you will need a multitude of years worth of experience under your belt. This is due to the fact that you will be looking over the daily operations of a kitchen, which means the responsibility falls on you and your sous chef. Due to the stressful nature of the job, garnering a wealth of experience will help you tremendously. Becoming an executive chef has its own certification that can be obtained as well. However, this can be obtained by the CFCC, if qualified. Lastly, similar to a welder, you can obtain a red seal certification which will add more credibility and make you more marketable as an employee.
If you’re looking to become a chef in the United States, your avenue will be quite similar. Of course, you can work in a restaurant first, which will help you know whether or not you want to pursue your career. Assuming you have your high school diploma, you can go to culinary school, which is quite common in the states. After that, gain relevant work experience, become certified, and strive to obtain the position you want. Of course, it won’t come that easy. However, if you map out the method in which you’d like to take, you will eventually make it to your end goal.
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The Types Of Chefs
In terms of becoming a chef, there are many different types. For example, we already mentioned two of the major ones, executive chef and sous chef. However, what are the other ones?
First, we have chef de partie which translates to station chef or line cook. There are the people who operate different stations, making the food.
A Saucier is a chef that specializes in sauces.
Another example is a Patissier, which is a chef that specializes in baking. Another word for this is a pastry chef.
Entrementier is a chef that specializes in cooking vegetables and starches.
Poissonier is a chef whose primary task is to cook and prepare seafood.
A roast chef whose task is to prepare and cook meats through various methods.
Pantry chef that specializes in the preparation of salads and other cold food items.
Fry chefs whose main duties pertain to foods that need to be fried.
Grill chef who specializes in foods that are grilled.
Lastly is the butcher, which prepares cuts of meat that station chefs cook.
All of these examples fit under the umbrella of a specialty chef. Therefore, if you show prowess in one particular type of cooking, like baking, you can specialize in making pastries.
As you can see, there is a multitude of specialties that you can dive into. However, each has its own respective skill set that must be respected and honed in on.
How Much Can A Chef Earn?
Lastly, we will take a look at how much money you can earn as a chef. While every specialty fo chef earns a different amount, we will focus on both sous and executive chefs. There are various ways for you to earn more money. Especially if you find yourself working at a company that is either very prestigious or has a lot of volumes going through it. It should be no surprise that someone who is a head chef at one of Gordon Ramsay’s many restaurants will most likely earn more money than a head chef at The Keg. However, how much do both of them earn on average?
The above picture is the salary of a sous chef while the bottom represents an executive chef’s salary. As you can see, they both earn a similar amount. However, the executive chef earns a noticeable amount more. As a head chef, you take on most of the responsibility. Therefore, it is your job to delegate tasks. Furthermore, you need to make sure that the food has met certain quality and that the kitchen is operating as efficiently as possible. A well-trained and experienced head chef will have a few unique qualities. This includes but is not limited to bringing out the best in their staff and making sure that everyone is well motivated. Mistakes do happen. However, a seasoned chef will be able to recover from the mistake and think on their feet.
As a sous chef, your tasks will be quite similar to the head chef. However, as a sous chef, your primary task is team management whereas the head chef is kitchen management. You are, in essence, the assistant or second in command to the executive chef.
Cooking isn’t their only duty. Chefs must know how the kitchen equipment works and how to track inventory as well.
While this is a survey averaging the amount of money you can earn in both roles, you can potentially earn more. As you become more experienced you can find opportunities that provide a high income for the same amount of work. Furthermore, you can create your own restaurant. As a restaurant owner, you can still be the head chef. However, you will have the added stress of running the business as a whole. While this is true, you can increase your earnings drastically if your business becomes successful. However, that is just one of a few ways that you can earn more money as a head chef. Regardless, as a sous or head chef, you will earn a considerable amount of money.
Shameed is just a man on a mission to help those around him gain financial success. Obsessed with writing about all things finance, this GTA native is constantly learning and sharing his experiences with others.
