![9 Chef CV Examples [& Templates]](https://beamjobs.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/chef-resume-example.png)
You can memorise recipes, cook dishes, and work with diverse kitchen teams. You’re an amazing chef and can’t wait for your next employer to experience your skills!
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that the demand for chefs will rise by at least 6% between 2019 and 2029, which is faster than average. So, while more places need a great chef, chances are there are hundreds of other interested applicants.
To increase your chances of landing your dream job as a chef, you’ll need to write a cover letter and CV. We have created seven of the best chef CV samples to guide you as you write your own chef resume.
We’ve reviewed thousands of CVs and identified common mistakes many chefs make when writing their CVs. Thankfully, this chef CV writing guide will help you develop the kind of CV that will increase your chances of getting hired in 2025.
Why this CV works
- You know have the relevant experience, but adding a resume summary can help employers quickly see your qualifications.
- Always customise your summary by including the employer’s name and the position you’re applying for.
- Given that chefs work in a fast-paced environment, interviewers will always prioritise job-ready applicants over those who need additional training after being hired.
- This means you have to clearly demonstrate your relevant experience. If you have certifications or additional training, make sure to include it on your chef CV.
- If you can demonstrate how and why you’ve utilised certain certificates or training in your work, be sure to include that in your chef cover letter.
Why this CV works
- As a sous chef, you’ve probably written a CV before, but it can help to review common resume tips to ensure your CV is easy to read, comprehensive, and aesthetically pleasing.
- Interviewers are usually drawn to sous chef CVs that showcase competencies in skills or experiences mentioned in the job description.
- If you possess any skills listed in the job description, ensure you include them in your skills section or work experience bullet points. And don’t forget to list specific achievements in your sous chef CV.
View more sous chef resumes >
Why this CV works
- Your executive chef CV should demonstrate an increase in the level of responsibility you’ve taken on throughout your career.
- If you’ve had the opportunity to assist in hiring or managing other kitchen or service staff, be sure to include that. Employers always appreciate seeing leadership skills!
- Remember to mention any relevant skills in your resume’s skills section.
- Always double-check the head chef job description for relevant keywords you can include, such as “budgeting,” “food preparation,” and “recipe creation.”
View more executive chef resumes >
Why this CV works
- Sometimes writing your pastry chef CV can feel impossible—how are you supposed to condense years of experience into one page?
- Start by only listing your most relevant experience. No employer needs to know every job you’ve had since you were 16.
- Once you’ve included the experience you want, note down only your most notable achievements. Some responsibilities can be combined, such as monitoring ingredient usage, labour costs, and customer preferences to manage the kitchen budget.
- Even the best writers make mistakes, so always run your CV through a resume checker to ensure there aren’t any misspelt words, punctuation errors, or grammar issues.
View more pastry chef resume examples >
Why this CV works
- You’ve got to highlight your ability to customise meals according to the different needs and restrictions of your private clients.
- In addition to this, feel free to highlight your personal skills such as food presentation to enhance your private chef CV with your key strengths.
Why this CV works
- To start, listing relevant expertise such as knife skills or rice preparation can work wonders here. Highlight your technical skills, particularly your proficiency in food knowledge, safety, and quality standards through relevant qualifications.
- Including your creative past experiences and soft skills can elevate your sushi chef CV.
Why this CV works
- For a chef de partie CV that’s so enticing it leaves the potential employer eager for your expertise in their kitchen, focus on your ability to take charge, so they know both their staff and business are set to flourish under your supervision.
- You see, action words like “formulated,” “revolutionised,” “championed,” and “spearheaded” are the kind that put your leadership skills in the spotlight and make your sales pitch impossible to ignore.
Why this CV works
- Even if you are a beginner, you can still pique the hiring manager’s interest in learning more about your career, bringing you a step closer to an interview. One tip? Use metrics to support your achievements in your commis chef CV.
- Phrases like “Ensured consistent dish quality with ChefSteps-powered recipes, achieving 98% compliance with dietary standards” and “Coordinated meal delivery for large hotel events, managing over 290 plates/service within a one-hour window” from Evelyn’s piece are spot on.
Why this CV works
- You probably don’t have a ton of experience to write on your entry-level chef resume. Luckily, you can add a resume objective to occupy space and inform interviewers why you’re a good fit.
- When writing a career objective, you need to mention keywords that will capture the interviewer’s attention, such as “assist kitchen staff,” “maintain a clean working area,” and “customer service experience.”
- Always ensure you include the name of the employer and the position you’re applying for.
See more entry-level chef resumes >
Related CV guides
How to Write a Chef’s CV
When you write a chef CV, you must highlight two important things: your experience and culinary skills. You’re unlikely to impress recruiters without clearly describing those two things.
Fortunately, we are here to help you write a CV and ensure that the final document will get you hired.
Summarise your impressive chef profile
A summary section is a brief statement about your qualifications as a chef. It should provide details about places you’ve worked and the kind of impact you make wherever you go. You must mention here if you have special abilities, such as baking or expertise in a specific cuisine.
For those starting in the culinary world, a resume objective would showcase your potential to employers and let them know they can’t overlook you.
For an experienced chef, a CV summary detailing your experience, skills, and achievements would demonstrate why diners can’t get enough of your culinary creations and why you deserve the position.
Example of a career objective for a trainee chef
Passionate and hardworking culinary graduate seeking a junior chef position at Kavi’s Hibachi Grill to apply knife skills, food preparation knowledge, and enthusiasm for Japanese cuisine in a fast-paced kitchen.
Example of a CV summary for an experienced chef
Accomplished head chef with over 10 years of experience leading high-performing kitchen teams and delivering exceptional culinary experiences. Passionate about innovation, flavour, and consistency. Driven to inspire teams, elevate dining standards, and create memorable meals that bring people together.
Showcase your culinary experience
Your employment history will be at the centre of this. It can include direct work, projects, work placements, or charity activities that demonstrate your ability to take on the role and excel.
Did you create a new menu that boosted sales, or did your culinary expertise attract more guests to the hotel? Mention this and include figures to highlight your impact in the new role.
From all these, recruiters can see your value beyond the obvious routine of a chef. If the role also requires you to lead a team, ensure that you add bullet points that demonstrate your leadership and management skills. The correct way to add impactful and compelling work experience is to have three to four bullet points for each entry. Next, you should use active verbs to show what you achieved.
Work experience
Sous Chef
Langoustine
2023 – Present
Pittsburgh, PA
– Established a cleaning checklist for the closing shift, contributing to being awarded Most Hygienic Restaurant 2017 by Denver PHI
– Discovered and trained young chefs from local secondary schools to create unique monthly dishes, increasing sales of specialised dishes by £33K annually
– Managed budgets based on consumption plans that reduced unnecessary purchases by 14% a year
List education and qualifications
Including your education and qualifications in your chef CV highlights your technical skills, knowledge of the culinary sector, and willingness to learn and make a difference. While entry-level positions may not require formal culinary training, it is essential if you’re aiming for a senior chef role.
You can also include an apprenticeship with a renowned chef as part of your formal training.
For education, begin with the highest and most recent qualification. Also, include the name of the institution, its location, and the year of graduation. Make sure to only include relevant qualifications for the job you are applying for.
Education
Foundation Degree in Science
Cookery
Allegheny County College
2022 – 2024
Pittsburgh, PA
Certifications demonstrate your specialisation and are beneficial when aiming for a leadership role or planning to work in a regulated environment. When listing them, ensure you include the issuing institution, the date awarded, and the expiry date, if applicable.
Qualification
ServSafe Manager, National Restaurant Association, 2025
Highlight relevant chef skills
Your skills will set you apart from the rest of the crowd. However, simply mentioning software and other abilities you have won’t suffice—you must demonstrate them and the results you’ve achieved.
Additionally, be aware that some skills are applicable across the hospitality sector, and you should include them. However, when applying for a specific role, tailor your CV using the key skills and keywords from the job description.
A mixture of hard and soft skills will make your chef CV stand out, but only include what you can do.
Technical skills for a chef
- Sautéing
- Barbecuing
- Cost management and budgeting
- Food safety & hygiene
- Expertise in French, Italian, and Asian fusion cuisine
Soft skills for a chef’s CV
- Problem-solving
- Collaboration and teamwork
- Juggling tasks in high-pressure environments
- Time management
- Customer service orientation
Common mistakes to avoid in a chef CV
When you review your resume before it’s ready for submission, check and ensure that you don’t make any of these common errors:
- Using a generic application for all positions
- Being unclear when describing achievements
- Overlooking grammatical mistakes
- Failing to demonstrate management and leadership experience in senior positions
Chef CV FAQs
In the guide above, BeamJobs has explored chef CV examples for all job levels and provided chef CV writing tips to help you create a job-winning document. For further inspiration, check out these expert-reviewed CV examples to write a CV that will get you more job interviews.
A chef’s primary duty is to create dishes that keep customers returning in droves, generating more orders and ensuring every meal leaves a lasting impression on the diners. However, that’s not all you should cover in your chef CV. Demonstrate how you’ve streamlined kitchen operations, saved on supplies through meticulous stock management, trained junior staff, and collaborated with the team to boost sales and customer satisfaction ratings.
Ensure that both your direct and transferable skills match the requirements of the job advert. Next, use a career objective to summarise your unique attributes, skills, related work experience, and relevant culinary education and qualifications. The strategy here is to show hiring managers that although you may lack direct work experience, you have the expertise and passion to exceed their expectations.
Yes, a chef must showcase their work experience because this is the best way to prove to recruiters that you have what it takes to succeed. Unlike other professions, chefs learn most of their craft while on the job and not from formal training. Therefore, adding relevant work experience to your CV and demonstrating measurable achievements gives a clear picture of your unique abilities.
