Prepare, season, and cook dishes such as soups, meats, vegetables, or desserts in restaurants. May order supplies, keep records and accounts, price items on menu, or plan menu.
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Representative tasks
Ensure food is stored and cooked at correct temperature by regulating temperature of ovens, broilersInspect and clean food preparation areas, such as equipment, work surfaces, and serving areas, to enPortion, arrange, and garnish food, and serve food to waiters or patrons.
Competency framework
Skill expectations by proficiency level.
emerging
Knife skills (dice, mince, julienne) — execute to spec on prep-station produce.Mise en place — set up to a sous chef's checklist before service on an assigned station.Recipe cards and standardized ratios — follow accurately under direct supervision on the line.Food-safety practices (hand wash, glove change, temp logs) — apply consistently in the kitchen.Cooking temperatures and HACCP standards — verify with a thermometer on simple proteins.Station cleaning and sanitization — perform to spec on opening, closing, and changeover.Basic stocks and sauces — make from a recipe with a senior cook checking the result.Line tickets and call-outs — read correctly during a moderate-volume service.Common allergens and cross-contact risks — identify and flag to the lead cook.Walk-in and dry-storage labels and rotation (FIFO) — maintain on assigned shelves.
developing
A single station (grill, sauté, fry) — run independently through a typical service.Pacing and timing on tickets — coordinate within a station during moderate-volume service.Common menu items — execute consistently to plate spec across a busy shift.Mid-shift restocks and prep calls — anticipate and act on without prompting from the chef.Cooking faults (over/undercook, broken sauce) — recognize and recover at the station.Food cost and waste at the station level — minimize during routine service.Communication with expo and other stations — sustain clearly through service rushes.New prep cooks on basic tasks — guide on knife work and recipe execution.Inventory counts on assigned items — complete accurately for the kitchen lead.Daily specials within the chef's framework — execute reliably to plate.
proficient
Multiple stations and station hand-offs — run smoothly through a high-volume service.Full menu execution — deliver to spec across the line without sous-chef intervention.Service flow and ticket times — manage at expo or the pass during peak service.Prep lists and station builds for a shift — set, adjust, and complete across the kitchen.Vendor receiving and quality checks — perform competently on incoming product.Recipe scaling and substitutions — execute correctly when product or volume varies.Health-inspection readiness — maintain across the kitchen on every shift.Newer cooks across stations — train, evaluate, and develop on the line.Banquets, off-menu, and large parties — plan and execute alongside regular service.Kitchen labor and breaks during service — coordinate while running the pass.
advanced
Menu development and recipe standards — design, cost, and roll out across a restaurant.Food and labor cost — manage to target across a restaurant's kitchen.Vendor relationships and product sourcing — establish and steward for quality and cost.Kitchen culture and standards — set, model, and sustain across all shifts.Sous chefs and lead cooks — develop, evaluate, and grow into greater responsibility.Health, safety, and HACCP programs — own and audit across the operation.Special events and chef's-table service — design and execute to a distinctive standard.Crisis service moments (POS down, short-staffed, equipment failure) — lead through with composure.Operational reporting (waste, COGS, comps) — interpret and act on in weekly reviews.Concept and seasonal menu changes — plan and lead with ownership and front-of-house.
Also known as
34 alternate job titles map to this occupation.
Chef De PartieCook, LarderVegetable CookCook, BarbecueCook, RailroadSpecialty CookGrill CookBroiler CookCook ApprenticeLarder CookCook, Specialty, Foreign FoodSaucierHotel and Restaurant CookBack of House Team Member (BOH Team Member)Breakfast CookBack Line CookGarde MangerProduction CookRestaurant CookForeign Food Specialty CookIce-Cream ChefSpecialty Foods CookCookPrep Person (Preparation Person)Chef De FroidLine CookCook, StationFry CookSandwich ArtistPizza MakerBanquet CookPrep Cook (Preparation Cook)Station CookRailroad Cook