Executive Chef Resume Sample
Joanna M. Peterson
Address: 789 Oakley Drive, Chicago, Ill
Phone: (872) 9876544
Email: [email protected]
Current Job: Executive Chef, Star Food Concepts Inc., Chicago, Ill
Objective
A passionate ACF certified Executive Chef with 8 years of culinary experience seeks the opportunity to join GMA Resorts International as Director of Kitchens-Executive Chef. Recognized for innovative recipes and cost effective kitchen management.
Skills
- ACF-American Culinary Federation Certified
- AAS in Culinary Arts
- Recognized as one of the young chefs to watch in 2015 by leading food publications and critics
- Specializes in unique fusion cuisine
- Proficient with restaurant management software such as Avero, Synergysuite, TouchBistro, Marketman and Promodo Tech POS
- Strong leadership with exceptional team building skills
- Efficient multitasker
- Multilingual – Conversant in French and Nihonggo
Work Experience
Executive Chef, 2019 to present
Star Food Concepts Inc., Chicago, Ill
Duties and Responsibilities
- Leads operations of $3 million/year restaurant kitchen.
- Develops menu and oversees food preparation, staff supervision, quality control, supplies inventory and vendor negotiations.
- Assigns stations and work shifts of sous chefs, line cooks and kitchen crew for maximum productivity.
- Develops food preparation techniques and supplies ordering system that minimizes wastage.
- Safeguards excellent food quality and presentation to ensure that restaurant standards are kept and maintained.
- Plans and takes corrective actions to resolve issues in a timely manner.
- Implements procurement strategies to minimize costs and ensure timely delivery.
- Develops guidelines for hiring staff to maximize efficiency and minimize labor costs without compromising quality of food and customer service.
Executive Chef, 2017-2019
The Orchard, San Francisco, CA
Duties and Responsibilities
- Supervised 50 staff involved in full-service restaurant operations – sous chefs, line cooks, dining crew and customer service.
- Switched to Avero restaurant management software which improved customer service and led to 50% sales increase.
- Developed international fusion menu which was instrumental in the Orchard’s turn-around and 70% increase in guest traffic.
- Oversaw service operations for three branches generating $2M annual food sales revenue.
- Implemented ergonomic and energy efficient design for the new kitchen and dining area layout.
- Directed all cold food preparation and catering activities.
Executive Chef, 2015-2017
Diamond Hotel, New York, NY
Duties and Responsibilities
- Planned menu and executed daily breakfast, lunch and dinner buffet restaurant with 1,500 seating capacity.
- Achieved $1 million in gross sales revenues within one month (December 2015).
- Hired, trained and supervised 60+ kitchen staff. Coordinated with team leaders on rotating work shifts and performance evaluation of kitchen and dining crew.
- Collaborated with Sous Chefs on buffet menu development, layout and themes for daily, weekend and special occasions.
- Served plated dinners for up to 2,000 people and buffet dinners for up to 3,000 people.
Education
Bachelor of Science in Culinary Arts
The Culinary Institute of New York at Monroe College-Rochelle, New York
2011-2015; GPA
High School
St. Mary’s High School, New Jersey, NY
2007-2011; GPA
Certification:
- CEC – Certified Executive Chef obtained from American Culinary Foundation in 2015
Personal information
Status: Single
Date of Birth: August 8, 1986
Hobbies include photography, traveling and triathlon
Executive Chef Resume Skills List
Your Executive Chef skills list shouldn’t be all about cooking. It takes more than just culinary experience and expertise to become an in-demand chef. There are particular traits and other skills that matter too.
As you have read from our resume examples, skills such as ability to organize the kitchen and managing the crew, plan menus, controlling food cost, resolving disputes and finding ways to make operations more efficient should be showcased in your application.
Begin by matching the employer’s requirements and then include additional skills that will enable you to work efficiently. Irrelevant information will only disengage the hiring manager so remember… do not add unnecessary ingredients so as not to spoil the dish.
Education
An Associate’s degree or Bachelor’s degree in culinary arts will give you strong foundation while a Master’s degree will help you further advance in your career. A passionate chef has great desire to learn more about different cuisines and cooking techniques. Show that your skills are not limited to what you learned in college and list all the training course that you signed up for.
Certification
Acquiring certification will set you apart as it validates your culinary competency. With so many chefs trying to make the cut in the job market, equipping yourself with the culinary seal of excellence will certainly give you an edge. In addition to that, Certified Executive Chefs get paid more than those who aren’t.
Technology skills
There’s plenty of paperwork involved in this line of work. It’s not all about recipes. You must be proficient with restaurant management software to keep things in order. Specify the software you are proficient with in your list of strengths so the hiring manager will easily note that you are equipped with the right tools for effective kitchen management.
Creativity
The food business is extremely competitive. You need strong creative juices in order to survive these days because customers’ dining preferences constantly change. The modern day chef thinks outside the box and is not afraid to try new things. You must have this ability to sense what people want at the moment and serve it to them.
Strong Communication skills
Heading the kitchen crew is no easy feat. Part of your job is to train and guide your staff. You must be able to give directions clearly to get everyone moving at the right pace to assure consistency in food quality and service. Your crew will also need a daily dose of your motivational words to encourage them to give their best efforts all the time.
Leadership
It is your duty to maintain order and structure in the kitchen. It can be chaotic in there and it is up to you to keep things under control. A good executive chef must know how to create the perfect recipe for teamwork and lead by example.
Organization
Management relies on you to assure the profitability of the establishment and excellent work output of the staff. You must be able to spin things around and create a system that maintains cost of food production at a healthy level.
Executive Chef Resume Objective
The resume objective works as the appetizer that will make the Hiring Manager look forward to the rest of your 6 course meal.
Your objective statement must command attention in the same manner that you do in the kitchen. Keep in mind that the person reading your resume could be the restaurant owner who knows what he or she wants in an Executive Chef.
Keep it short and concise. Not more than three sentences. Remember that this is only the appetizer course so reserve the best parts for later. Just present enough to hype interest so the reader will be encouraged to look forward to the main course.
Go over our sample resume objective for Executive Chef to get a clear idea on how to write an effective objective statement.
Executive Chef Resume Format
Just like in the fine dining, presentation is an important part of the experience. That is why the right format for an executive chef resume is the reverse chronological type.
Employers want to see how you grew into your executive chef’s role over the years and the reverse chronological format is the best way to show it. Experience is thoroughly reviewed because you will play an important role in the establishment.
We used the reverse chronological as the basis for our Executive Chef resume examples and arranged the sections in this order:
- Contact Information
- Objective Statement
- Skills
- Work Experience
- Education
- Personal Information
Use the bullet format to present your strengths and responsibilities at work, so the hiring manager can easily take note of your best skills, accomplishments and performance.
Entry Level Executive Chef Resume
Before you can apply for the Executive Chef position, you have to learn the job as a Sous Chef. Thus, in your entry level resume, focus on your experiences as a Sous Chef with special emphasis on skills and techniques learned under different Executive Chefs.
We are doubtful that any restaurant owner will hire you as Executive Chef straight from culinary school. As we discussed in Executive Chef Skills List, it’s not just about cooking. You should develop skills in management, finance, human resources and organization.
Like a good brisket needs long and slow cooking at low temperatures, you should be seasoned into the position as Executive Chef by accumulating a wealth of experience.
Executive Chef Resume Writing Tips
A restaurant is a huge investment and margins are heavily dependent on maintaining rising variable costs. It is a constant struggle to balance out costs and pricing yet still make a decent profit.
In your resume, show the owner what you can do. It should convince them that your expertise, experience, creativity and management style will benefit diners so they will keep patronizing the restaurant.
How do you do this?
Quantify your achievements and responsibilities with actual figures. Owners want to see numbers because these dictate strategy. In our sample resume for Executive Chef we wrote:
- Supervised 50 staff involved in full-service restaurant operations – sous chefs, line cooks, dining crew and customer service
- Switched to Avero restaurant management software which improved customer service and led to 50% sales increase
- Developed international fusion menu which was instrumental in the Orchard’s turn-around and 70% increase in guest traffic
Focus on the details as you would when preparing an elegant Michelin star meal and the job will be yours.
