Chef resume example
Chef resumes are read for covers, cuisine and cost control. The number of covers you have run per service places you instantly; gross profit percentage and food cost tell an owner whether you can run a kitchen as a business rather than only as a kitchen.
The full example
Fictional example shown in the Classic template. Every design on this site is free to use.
Summary example
Head chef with 10 years in high-volume restaurants, currently running 220 covers a service with a brigade of 9. Improved gross profit from 62% to 71% by rewriting the menu around yield, and held food safety scores at the top rating across four consecutive inspections.
Notice the shape: years of experience, then one specific result with a number in it, then what you are known for. Three sentences is enough.
Bullet points that work
Adapt these to work you have genuinely done — the numbers must be yours.
- Ran services of up to 220 covers with a brigade of 9 across two sittings.
- Improved gross profit from 62% to 71% by rewriting the menu around ingredient yield.
- Cut food waste by 35% through a prep-list rebuild and stricter par levels.
- Maintained the top food hygiene rating across 4 consecutive inspections.
- Reduced kitchen staff turnover from 70% to 30% by moving to a fixed rota with guaranteed days off.
- Designed and launched 6 seasonal menus, two of which raised average spend per head by 14%.
Tips specific to this role
- 1
Covers per service is the single most useful number you can give. Include the sitting structure too.
- 2
Gross profit percentage separates chefs who cook from chefs who can run a P&L.
- 3
Name your food safety certification and rating history — it is a legal screening point.
Mistakes to avoid on a chef resume
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No covers figure. The number of covers a service, and the style of the kitchen, is the fastest read on the pressure you have worked under.
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Omitting section experience. Larder, sauce, pastry and grill are distinct, and a brigade kitchen expects the specific one.
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No mention of food cost, GP or waste when you have held responsibility for them — head chef roles are as much financial as culinary.
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Leaving out food safety qualifications and any inspection or hygiene rating you were accountable for.
How the summary changes with experience
The same role, written two ways. Take whichever is closer to where you are now.
Entry level
Chef de partie with three years in AA Rosette kitchens, running larder and then sauce for services of 80–120 covers. Level 2 Food Safety certified, and trained two commis chefs through their first full season.
Senior
Head chef with 15 years, currently running a 22-person brigade for a 180-cover restaurant with a £2.8M annual food and beverage turnover. Holds gross profit at 71% against a 68% target, redesigned the menu around seasonal supply to cut waste by a fifth, and maintains a five-star hygiene rating.
Certifications worth listing
Put these in their own section with the awarding body and, where one applies, the expiry date.
- Level 2 / Level 3 Food Safety and Hygiene for Catering
- HACCP training certification
- NVQ Level 3 Professional Cookery
Questions
What should a chef put on a resume?
Lead with a summary that names your years of experience and your single strongest result. Then work experience with one measurable achievement per bullet, followed by skills using the exact terms from the job advert. For this role, employers screen most often for: head chef, menu development, food cost, kitchen management, haccp.
What establishes level on a chef resume?
Covers per service, brigade size, the sections you have run, and kitchen type. A chef doing 300 covers on a Saturday in a hotel brigade and one doing 40 in a neighbourhood restaurant are differently skilled, and covers is the fastest way to say which.
Should I include food cost and gross profit figures?
Yes, above chef de partie level. Kitchen management is a margin business, and GP and food cost percentages show you have carried commercial accountability rather than only cooked. Very few chef resumes include them, which is exactly why they land.