Chef Salary - What's Cooking?

The good news first. The chef salary is reported to be as much as USD 80000 per annum. The employment and future prospects are also bright for chefs with the industry expanding at a rapid pace. That’s for the best in the line of course. Depending on the location, experience and expertise the average annual chef salary could vary anywhere between USD 19000 to 47000 which makes it a lucrative career with many wonderful options.

So how does one get there to being a highly paid chef? Despite all the pluses of being a chef, one must certainly be prepared to work long hours for low wages in the first few years. To get the path to the top ranks right, it helps to start out in the line you would like to pursue and that includes getting specializations (through training courses) or working with similar organizations. Salaries are always tricky to know because you cannot quote too high and be left out nor can you quote too low and miss on your real worth. One can certainly begin by getting information from chefs and managers in local restaurants.To be top of the line you would be expected to have, other than culinary skills, a good knowledge of food theory and preparation, calculations, sanitation, safety and equipment, professional cooking, cost control, beverage operations, advertising and sales, catering, restaurant management and dining room management. These can be learnt at any good cookery school.

All chefs would vouch that it is a very creative and satisfying profession. But there was a time when options were limited to restaurants and hotels, low pays and standard fare. But now the business just got bigger. Apart from the regular jobs as chefs in hotels there is a huge segment of chefs that’s growing in the personal chef and private chef segment. This segment according to reports is one of the fastest growing industries in America what with families now wanting to enjoy the convenience of personal chefs serving home cooked nutritious, delicious meals once or twice a month.

Personal chefs are different from private chefs in the way that they work. Private chefs work for one client and work 4-5 days a week. Personal chefs however work about once a week and get a whole lot of benefits such as freedom, good pay and a chance to be creative at work. They include professional chefs as well as single moms. Personal chefs shop for fresh food before cooking and they prepare customized entrees in their clients' kitchens, leaving the homeowner with detailed thawing and reheating instructions.Personal chefs charge per hour (USD 20-25 and up to 40), per meal and can make up to USD 300 per day. Personal chef salary could range from $30,000 to $50,000 a year, based on clients and charges per meal.

With so many options to be had as a cook one can look forward to being a chef in a restaurant, a private chef or a personal chef depending on how much freedom, creativity, flexibility one wishes. Happy cooking!