Executive Chef

You earn the title through years of burns and closes — then discover it's a management job wearing a chef's coat.

Median pay

$60k/yr

Typical range

$45k–$95k

Runway to entry

1–2 years

Education

High school or a certificate

Outlook

Chef shortage is real

What does a Executive Chef actually do?

Taste everything at 8am, chase a missed produce delivery, expedite a slammed Saturday service at full volume, then cost next month's menu after close.

Serves people who value:

Creative expressionLeading teamsBuilding things

Skills that get you hired

Core skills

• Technique at speed: knife to sauce
• Expediting and station management
• Food-cost and menu P&L math
• Scheduling and leading a young crew
• Sanitation discipline, ServSafe Manager level

The complementary edge

• Beverage-program literacy
• Butchery or pastry depth
• A social presence that fills seats

How to become a Executive Chef: the roadmap

Phase 1: Get on the line (Months 1–6)

• Take any prep or line job in the best kitchen that'll have you
• Stage on days off instead of paying for culinary school
• Learn every station, ugliest first

Milestone: Holding a busy station solo

Phase 2: Climb to sous (Years 1–4)

• Change kitchens deliberately to collect techniques
• Volunteer for ordering, inventory and schedules
• Study the chef's costing spreadsheets at night

Milestone: Sous chef with real P&L exposure

Phase 3: Take a kitchen (Years 4–8)

• Build menus that land 28–32% food cost
• Develop and keep a crew — retention is the skill
• Court GMs and owners; they hire chefs they know

Milestone: Executive chef of your own kitchen

Quick wins this week

• Ask a kitchen you admire for a stage
• Cost one recipe to the penny tonight
• Book your ServSafe food handler exam

Proof of skill to build

• A menu you costed that survived real service
• Chefs who answer the phone and vouch for you

What screeners look for

• Stations held under pressure — verifiable by one call
• Calm at the pass, not volume
• You think in food cost, not just flavor

Is Executive Chef a good career? The honest take

What surprises newcomers

• At the top you cook least — vendors, spreadsheets and schedules take over
• Keeping your dishwasher matters more than your tasting menu

You come alive in the rush and can lead a tired crew hard without breaking them — or yourself.

How to get hired: networking that works

Where to show up

• The kitchens themselves — staging is the networking
• ACF chapter meetings and competitions
• Farmers markets and purveyor reps
• Industry nights where cooks trade intel

Tactics that actually work

• Stage at ambitious kitchens; chefs hire off their stage list
• Never burn a kitchen on the way out — GMs all talk
• Cook charity events; owners work the same tables
• Ask your chef to teach you costing — humble ambition gets promoted

The principle: Kitchens promote stamina and loyalty they've witnessed — your reputation is the resume.

A cold-outreach template you can adapt:

Hi Chef [Name] — the [dish] at [restaurant] stayed with me for a week. I'm working toward running my own kitchen and would love to stage. Could I get 15 minutes after service on what you look for in a sous?

Current Executive Chef openings

• Pastry Chef de Partie - Sitio El Tropicano | Emmer & Rye Hospitality Group — Sitio Food & Beverage · San Antonio, Bexar County · ≈$38k–$38k · Adzuna
• Kitchen Supervisor — Bern's Steak House · Tampa, Hillsborough County · ≈$38k–$38k · Adzuna
• PREP COOK (FULL TIME) — Morrison Healthcare · Falls Church City, Virginia · ≈$32k–$32k · Adzuna
• Restaurant General Manager - Expanding Pizza Franchise - Room to Grow — Gecko Hospitality · Omaha, Douglas County · $60k–$65k · Adzuna
• Restaurant General Manager - Salary to $60,000 — Gecko Hospitality · Benton, Lowndes County · $55k–$60k · Adzuna

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