# How much do top chef's make?



## abefroman (Mar 12, 2005)

How much do top chef's make?

On H3ll's kitchen it said the job Rock got at the Las Vegas resort paid $250k, for a chef of his caliber with a little more experience how likely is a salary in the 6 figure range at a fancy retaurant/resort?


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## shroomgirl (Aug 11, 2000)

in STL which top chefs are making 6 figures
pastry chef from Bayona's in NO was asking 80k
Emeril wants 100k per stage demo.


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## cheftorrie (Jun 23, 2006)

I would post my salary, but I dont know if other chefs want to post theirs, so I dont want to start something bad.


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## adamm (Jul 16, 2005)

Just wondering what what a line cook just out of school, just done with externship, with some experence, would make just wondering?


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## just jim (Oct 18, 2007)

This has a lot to do with the area you want to work.
Larger cities have more opportunity, and therefore better wages.
A city with a culinary school churns out graduates, and local owners know they can hire and replace cooks very cheaply.
Gambling towns, Vegas, Atlantic City, Reno, Tahoe, have great opportunities for the chosen few.
I've heard cruise ships pay well, but I'm not 100% sure, maybe someone else can confirm that.
Here in podunk you're not going to find very high paying jobs, and of the few top tier in the area, once someone has them they try to hang on to them.


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## abefroman (Mar 12, 2005)

No, please don't post it, I just want to get an idea for the industry a whole, like at a 4 or 5 star restaurant, how much the executive chef would make.


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## foodpump (Oct 10, 2005)

Zillion factors to consider. The most important one being what the customer is paying for his/her dining experience, second most important being how many staff you're responsible for, third being your track record, fourth being your negotiating power.


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## shroomgirl (Aug 11, 2000)

or are you at a country club or private club that has huge member dues....
are you owner/chef?

Then ask quality of life questions.....money is one aspect. This topic has come up several times recently. Being able to create different menus and not go into the kitchen on a daily is important to me. I work hard when I work....when it's slower I have lots of other things to do.
Like this morning is pig head pickup at market day....5 heads, offal etc....
one of STL top chefs is coming in to my kitchen and making scrapple and headcheese just to show me how it's done. Tomorrow is tourring Mo wine country in a bus with another of STL's finest, Monday several chefs are showing up to play with piggy bits and pieces. 

You can't put a price tag on this shtuff. Being able to explore and grow is integral to the definition of a good life....
Ok bash away.


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## kuan (Jun 11, 2001)

Everything depends on the revenue. 40k at a top small bistro doing say $500,000 per year to about 350k at a hotel doing $15 million.


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## chefbenjamin (Oct 10, 2004)

There was a chef here in Sydney, Australia a few years back that ran one of the hotels in the city. He was reportly paid over $350k.


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## rivitman (Jul 23, 2004)

Realistically, outside of major food metropolis like NYC, you would be doing well to pull twelve bucks an hour.

No vacation, no sick leave, no medical.

In a union environment, you would probably have medical after six months, and might build a little more wage over time.

In many areas, deep south, rust belt, midwest?
You are looking at not much better than minimum wage.

Sorry, but thats the truth the culinary school recruiters and the ACF don't want you to hear.

I'm not trying to discourage you. I'm trying to tell you that two things are necessary:

#1: TOTAL commitment.

#2: A backup plan including training in a secondary trade in case #1 just isn't enough. Because no matter how committed, how skilled, how innovative/talented/handsome/pretty/clever you may be, it can still all go pear shaped for you. This business is fickle, non-sensical, and peculiar.

Lady luck and the harsh mistress are having a constant chick fight every time you walk in the kitchen door.


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## harryd56 (Jul 29, 2007)

You're right rivetman. I spent 14 years in the classic south of Georgia and had to go to work at an electronic retailer as an inventory/security manager to make more than 40k per year before tax.
I finally got on wit an international food service contractor in healthcare as an EC for the mid forties before tax!!!:beer:


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## epicous (Aug 12, 2004)

Australian dollars?


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## montelago (Nov 19, 2007)

Take it from someone who has worked his way from the East coast to Vegas. The best place to make money in this business is Casino Hotels. The Exec. at the Rio in Vegas makes over 200K. Wolfgang Von Wieser at the Bellagio makes over 500k. These jobs are hard to come by and highly prized, but even the Room chefs at the bigger hotels make 50k-55k plus bonuses based on performance. Running a single restaurant will rarely make you a great living unless you are in a town that warrants Michelin ratings. NY, San Fran, Vegas, LA. I salivate at the idea of only having one restaurant to be responsible for. Currently I have a Steakhouse, 24 hour casual dining, sports bar/pizzeria, 1000 seat banquet facility, room service for 400 rooms and off site catering contracts in five separate venues. When you grow in responsibility level, your salary grows along with it. Don't limit yourself to running one restaurant. That is for your years approaching retirement. When you are young and out to conquer the world you have to take chances and come to a town like Vegas. Even line cooks out here in the union start at about $15.85/hr. Contact me if you want more info about the real Vegas.


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## justjoe (Oct 1, 2007)

Montelago,

I've sent you a PM.


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## scarecrobot (Jun 15, 2007)

She might have asked but I'm sure all she got was laughter and a hand shake.

Here line cooks just started getting payed descent say 11 to 13 an hour to start
sous chefs anywhere around 33 to 36 k and chefs go 50 to 60 k depending on the restaurant


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## risque cakes (Apr 20, 2007)

This is very true, when we went to job fairs the starting pay was about $7.50 an hour for kitchen grunt, and $12.50 for an Asst. Head Pastry Chef in a MILLIONAIR'S PRIVATE ISLAND resort.

and the hours are brutal, had a very hard time with my experience and age to even get past the interviews.

so they want them young to work them to death..lol

******************************************


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## montelago (Nov 19, 2007)

Also, Rock never got that salary. It is 100k and it is only for one year. He is not even the chef. He is what we call an assistant room chef. He has a room chef over him just like every restaurant in the casinos. His boss' job was posted on all the employment web sites out here for a month before he even won the show. The girl that won the year before is also an asst. room chef at Red Rock Casino out here. It is all a sham, though I'm sure he is happy with the 100k for a year.


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## sam_2007 (Nov 20, 2007)

In the U.K, for a top quality and experienced Chef, there is a possibilty of £12/£13+ an hour (about $24/$26)...
I would say mine but I can see that that is not the done thing on this thread, so if you need to know email me!
:chef:


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## tamuna (Aug 20, 2010)

As a private chef you can make 40k to more the 100k a year, if you have culinary school training.


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## petemccracken (Sep 18, 2008)

tamuna said:


> As a private chef you can make 40k to more the 100k a year, if you have culinary school training.


I'm not really sure the "culinary training" is an essential prerequisite to become a "top earning private chef", note: I said "training", not "ability", "skill", "experience", or a multitude of other adjectives or modifiers.

I would suspect that the key to becoming a top earning private chef is the ability to satisfy your employer's needs and wants, culinary training may "get your foot in the door" but performance is what will decide the size of the check!


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## fryguy (Sep 2, 2009)

shroomgirl said:


> or are you at a country club or private club that has huge member dues....
> are you owner/chef?
> 
> Then ask quality of life questions.....money is one aspect. This topic has come up several times recently. Being able to create different menus and not go into the kitchen on a daily is important to me. I work hard when I work....when it's slower I have lots of other things to do.
> ...


thats the real key.....how much money do you make for the amount of stress and time you have to put in.....myself, I like to see my family....


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## chefedb (Apr 3, 2010)

When I semi retired and came to Florida my last job in NY paid 58000 plus leased car every 3 years which was in addition. Plus medical.that was 1990.But about 60 hours a normal week 7 months a year.other part of year about 48 hours week.


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## rat (Mar 2, 2006)

I was making close to 80k as a pastry chef until I got whacked to hire a new culinary graudate for half the salary, go figure.


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## tamuna (Aug 20, 2010)

PeteMcCracken, I agree with you , but again while searching for the jobs, I could see the difference in compensation, between school trained chefs and once that were unique in there own way. I got culinary education not long ago and can charge my client up to $50 and hour. Before it was anywhere form 25 to 40 dollars. So when speaking to how much chefs make, This is how it worked for me, In New York.


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## foodpump (Oct 10, 2005)

Yeah...but don't forget.  The ones paying more for newly minted culinary graduates vs. experienced non-schooled ones are the HR managers or newly minted owners with no experience themselves.


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## petemccracken (Sep 18, 2008)

tamuna said:


> PeteMcCracken, I agree with you , but again while searching for the jobs, I could see the difference in compensation, between school trained chefs and once that were unique in there own way. I got culinary education not long ago and can charge my client up to $50 and hour. Before it was anywhere form 25 to 40 dollars. So when speaking to how much chefs make, This is how it worked for me, In New York.


Interesting, I've worked as a personal chef/caterer for over 10 years in a city of around 35,000 and I started at $50/hour, currently my hourly rate is a little higher /img/vbsmilies/smilies/crazy.gif.

I will agree, when applying for jobs through an HR department, a "certificate" or "diploma" may improve one's chances of being considered. However, I have serious reservations as to the effect on potential pay rates.

NTBS, a "certificate" or "diploma" may boost one's "self confidence" in asking for a higher compensation rate but, IMHO, maintaining a higher rate is highly dependent on one's ability to perform, not one's educational record.

IMHO, culinary schools certainly provide an opportunity to learn those skills that the school deems necessary for the successful performance of the tasks common to food production. Whether one "learns" those tasks is solely dependent on the student.

Now, does attending "culinary school" make financial sense? That is the real question!


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## nicko (Oct 5, 2001)

Moved this out of the pro forums because well, they are for pros only to post (please respect that everyone).

At the height of my career in the 90's I was at 32K a year with health benefits for a large size restaurant. Back in that day if you were making 50K a year as a chef that was a great salary but if you break it down by the hours you put in here is the reality of the situation:

I think this is a conservative estimate check my math and see if I am correct.

As a chef you will probably:

work 6 days a week

12 hours a day

which is 72 hours a week

You work around 3,744 hours a year.

You make $50,000 a year

which means your only making around $13.35 an hour. If your not getting any health benefits then your making even less.

Sadly you can go to McDonalds and make pretty close to that. *Current Illinois minimum wage is $8.25. 

I think the tough question anyone needs to ask themselves going into cooking is 13.00 an hour to be a chef worth all the time I will lose with my family?


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## petemccracken (Sep 18, 2008)

Oh, BTW, as a personal chef/caterer, I can not remember any week where I put in more than about 50 hours billable and, on average, probably closer to 16-24 hours per week.

What difference does that make? Well, at $50/hour and 16 hours/week, that's

$800/week GROSS,
less $120 for SS and MediCare (approx 15%)
probably $80 for income tax reserve (say 10%, maybe it should be 20%)
$50-100 for health insurance (that's $200-$00/month, YMMV),(remember, self-employed do not qualify for State disability or Worker's comp)
Say $100 for "unemployment savings", self-employed do NOT qualify for unemployment insurance
That alone, which ignores business licenses and permits, liability insurance, health permits, car, equipment, etc., results in a "take-home" of about $500/week or about $25,000/year.

Using the average of 2,080 hours/work year (40 hours per week), I'm netting almost $13/hour or about 1/4 of my "hourly rate".

Yes, my net DOES increase if I raise my weekly billable hours, but remember, if I'm working, I'm NOT marketing/selling, and if I'm not marketing/selling, I probably won't be "working" /img/vbsmilies/smilies/crazy.gif


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## islandcheferic (Aug 24, 2010)

Does anyone really do this for the money? If you have the drive and talent, you'll be fine. Life is about trade-offs...and our work is no exception...in 40 years in the trade, only 8 did I work for someone else...and rarely had to do more than a 5 day week=50 hrs...I know this is'nt the norm, it wasn't in 1970...but I was lucky to be hired by a gentleman new to the restaurant-ownership game who believed everyone should have two days off.......okay, iv'e never made 350k a year....but I never dreamed I would make what I have in my lifetime and be so happy doing what I love. Every one has to make the right choices for themselves ......and as someone said earlier...IT'S GOOD TO BE KING1


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## gypsy2727 (Mar 9, 2010)

Nicko said:


> Moved this out of the pro forums because well, they are for pros only to post (please respect that everyone).
> 
> At the height of my career in the 90's I was at 32K a year with health benefits for a large size restaurant. Back in that day if you were making 50K a year as a chef that was a great salary but if you break it down by the hours you put in here is the reality of the situation:
> 
> ...


Yes Nicko

I hear you loud and clear on that one.....I have taken note of too many divorced chefs in my career. Or those on the brink.....Hind site is a great thing


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## kyheirloomer (Feb 1, 2007)

Ever since I joined Cheftalk, three + years ago, not a week goes by that a thread of this nature doesn't run. Subject line may change, but, at base, it consists of culinary artists complaining about how long their hours and how short their pay.

Well, here's where I get myself in trouble, again. But I have one question: Do y'all want some cheese with that whine?

Hey, if you want big bucks, become a stock broker or an investment banker. But if you stay in this field, get real. You are neither overworked nor underpaid as compared to any other normal occupation.

The average salary for Exectutive Chefs is $41,647-68,086.

Let's do some comparisons.

Chefs:                         $41,647-68,086

Marketing Driectors:     $44,100-83,524

Heavy equip. operators:$29,609-52,818

Air Traffic Controllers:   $40,000-126,000

Newspaper Editors:      $26,994-51,094

PR Acct. Execs:          $32,179-49,132

So, yeah, if you want to compare yourself to the CEO of a Fortune 500 company, you're woefully underpaid. But if you compare yourself to workers in any reasonable job, you are generally in the middle- to high-end of the comparable salary range.


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## boar_d_laze (Feb 13, 2008)

National "average" aside, execs in high-end, greater L.A. places are earning in the low to mid 100s.  Participation agreements aren't exactly uncommon, either.

BDL


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## kyheirloomer (Feb 1, 2007)

No doubt that's true, BDL. But on a site like this we have to talk averages to have any valid comparisons. You can't talk just the exceptional cases. Otherwise it's like that old New Yorker cartoon, where a guy from the commerce department is interviewing a hillbilly type on the porch of his ramshackle cabin. "Yup," the mountaneer is saying, "average income around here is 'bout $93,000. Most of us make around $1,200, but the fella up on the hill, he brings home a million dollars.

Besides which, what you're doing, perhaps unwitingly, is playing the culinary school game. What percentage of LA chefs are bringing home those kind of bucks?

Before that $29,000/year chef in Des Moines packs it in for LA, he ought to know what the realistic salary expectation might be. I don't know it. But I guarantee it ain't 100K.


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## kyheirloomer (Feb 1, 2007)

FWIW, here are some in-industry averages:

Cook (whatever that means):  $28,345

Bartender:                              28,200

Server                                    20,380

Sous chef:                             30,000

For comparative purposes:

Logger:                                $32,512

Medical Asst.:                        30,000

Union carpenter                      38,600

Union plumber                        39,217

And just to put this in perspective, here are typical salaries for investment bankers:

1st year associate (Bach degree)               $125,000

1st year associate (MBA)                          $180,000

3rd year associate                                    $350,000

VP                                                          $500,000

Director/Principal                                      $800,000

These figures apply to investment banking wage slaves, you understand, not to owners. Most investment banking organizations take part of their compensation in the form of equity positions, so there's no real way of figuring the annual income.


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## gypsy2727 (Mar 9, 2010)

I know .....I wonder sometimes why we are at the lower end of the pay scale ...

My daughter is only 23 and has some PR experiance ,,,just finished her 4th year in University.... Journalism BA. Now an Undergrad on her way to Masters and has had head hunters offer her 60K to walk in the door!

My brother is a Golf Course Superintendant making 130K!!!!!!!!

Brother -In-Law ....Electrician for a Toronto Hospital...bringing in 80K ....He tells me some days he watches a couple movies at work and changes a couple light bulbs!

We work so hard...we must love our jobs

The wages for Cooks are on scale up here in Canada with what was previuosly posted but Sous Chefs are much higher at 50 -100K here in Canada

Bartenders can pull in 100K easy...of course they do not claim that on their taxes...but what service industry personal are really truefull when it comes to the GOV?

Happy Cooking


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## foodpump (Oct 10, 2005)

Why do cooks earn so little?

4 reasons:

1)  There are no, or very few national recognized standards or benchmarks for cooks.

2) There is waaaaaaaaay too much competition for the dining dollar

3) The customer is virtually "programmed" to seek out the cheapest meal

4) The hospitality Unions have done very little to adress or even acknowledge the above issues.

#'s 2 and 3 are self complimentory.  In order to get the cheapest meal, the opertor finds the cheapest labour and the cheapest ingredients.  The indistry reponds with more and more "convienience items" which requires less and less experienced and knowledgeable cooks.  And  round and round it goes.....

Off my soapbox now.  Got my regualr stuff to do, then a high tea party to prep for, and then replace the flapper valve in the men's, then go out to Costco for the dairy run....


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## islandcheferic (Aug 24, 2010)

on the cruise ship positions...rarely beyond the two top slots will an america be even hired....remember, all ocean-going ships are flagged by any county except the USA.....and those two top chefs will most likely not be Americans.....it's $&cents.....There are some small lines in the U.S. ....Delta steamboat might still have 1or2 boats still running....can't remember the name for the line that does the N.W.....inside passage to Alaska.


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## zane (Apr 6, 2010)

How much would a chef with a michelin  star make?


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## boar_d_laze (Feb 13, 2008)

Stars (or their equivalent) don't happen by accident.  The chef usually has a well developed career before earning one.  Chefs with stars are typically chef/owners, chef/partners or have some other sort of (non-equity) participation arrangement such as salary against draw; as I understand it a straight salary arrangement is very rare outside of a few hotels. 

A lot depends on the particular restaurant of course, and since there aren't that many operating at that level of critical approval, they're idiosyncratic almost by definition.  A lot depends on the city in where the restaurant is located, and how much nearby competition there is.  

You're looking at a chef who -- if she isn't making in excess of $150K -- can move into that sort of salary with a phone call.

There aren't that many around though.

BDL


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## gypsy2727 (Mar 9, 2010)

boar_d_laze said:


> Stars (or their equivalent) don't happen by accident. The chef usually has a well developed career before earning one. Chefs with stars are typically chef/owners, chef/partners or have some other sort of (non-equity) participation arrangement such as salary against draw; as I understand it a straight salary arrangement is very rare outside of a few hotels.
> 
> A lot depends on the particular restaurant of course, and since there aren't that many operating at that level of critical approval, they're idiosyncratic almost by definition. A lot depends on the city in where the restaurant is located, and how much nearby competition there is.
> 
> ...


Right on the money BDL

In this industry for the most part it is not so much what you know. It is WHO you know ...goes along with other industries also........do not burn your bridges. The ass you kick today may be the one you have to kiss tomorrow


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## jazmine16 (Mar 21, 2011)

Hello there! I love cooking and I would love to make it as a profession but I am wondering how much a chef makes. I know this is something private but I am graduating high school in 2 months and I have no idea if I should attend CIA(Culinary Institute of America) or if I should just go to community college. I would really like a chefs point of view so if you can please let me know...? my email addres is [email protected]. Thank you!/img/vbsmilies/smilies/smile.gif


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## benway (May 24, 2009)

To earn a living as a cook you are best off moving around rapidly.  I have a friend who's cooking career started at the same time as my own.  I stayed in one place for several years while he worked at multiple places never longer than 8 months per place.  Now he is a sous chef making double what I did.  In the mean time I got an engineering degree and earn double what he does--but it certainly helps to works to always be searching for a better job in a better place.  That's certainly true for more than just cooking.


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## 14andlovetocook (Nov 22, 2011)

I am 14 years old and I *"LOVE" *to cook i have planned out my entire life until i looked at some sites and found some good posts and some bad what should i do?

I plan on going to culinary school and becoming a top chef of a 4-5Star Hotel


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## shroomgirl (Aug 11, 2000)

read cookbooks/culinary articles, dine at fine dining restaurants, take culinary classes/camps, read read read and play in the kitchen.


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## foodpump (Oct 10, 2005)

Learn politics.

Not regional or national politics, but work place politics.

Seriously, I've never worked under a 4 or 5 star Chef that wasn't on top of the hotel politics,:Who was stabbing him in the back, who wanted his job, who was protecting him but expecting rewards at a later stage.

You don't get to be at the top without making a few enemies and making a lot of people jealous.  The top CHef knows how to use the situations and pacify those who want his blood.


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## igrab melons (Jan 12, 2012)

i am going into to culinary art school when i get out of highschool so can you give me any advice about where to study and other stuff.


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## petemccracken (Sep 18, 2008)

Igrab Melons said:


> i am going into to culinary art school when i get out of highschool so can you give me any advice about where to study and other stuff.


What do *you* want to do with your life:

Work as a line cook?
Manage a kitchen (work as a chef)
Own your own place
Each has it's own education and training requirements.

The culinary knowledge is easy, in fact, the least expensive place, your local community college probably, is probably just as good as the most expensive for the basic skills.

Regardless as to which of the three choices you pick, I'd get a job in a fairly busy restaurant, *not fast food nor a chain operation*, you may have to start as a dishwasher, but that should not be a problem. After you've been there for at least a year, then ask the chef about schooling.

Of course, if you have $60,000 burning a hole in your pocket, go to CIA, FCI, or J&W


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## comin up chef (Aug 30, 2012)

thank you for the information i would like to knoe more bout it i am a rookie chef and was thinkin about going to vegas to start making my dream


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## snake666 (Aug 29, 2012)

tamuna said:


> PeteMcCracken, I agree with you , but again while searching for the jobs, I could see the difference in compensation, between school trained chefs and once that were unique in there own way. I got culinary education not long ago and can charge my client up to $50 and hour. Before it was anywhere form 25 to 40 dollars. So when speaking to how much chefs make, This is how it worked for me, In New York.


Interesting indeed


> Originally Posted by *PeteMcCracken*
> NTBS, a "certificate" or "diploma" may boost one's "self confidence" in asking for a higher compensation rate but, IMHO, maintaining a higher rate is highly dependent on one's ability to perform, not one's educational record.


Im agree with you about this


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## egyptsy dawn (Apr 26, 2013)

none of you should be chefs,,you should all be politicians,,you do more dancing around the questions than the President does,,can;t you just say FOR EXAMPLE ONLY,,,"between 50 and 75 K for small or lesser restaraunts and say 76 - 100 k for mid level and between 100 to 276 k for upper crust type places,,,dang is it so hard to give a

straight answer?<mod edit>


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## petemccracken (Sep 18, 2008)

Egyptsy Dawn,

OK, straight answer for top chef's pay:

Small/lesser restaurants, low 25K, mid-range 40k, top end >80k
Mid/moderate restaurants, low 25k, mid-range 45k, top end >100k
Top end restaurants, low 40k, mid-range 60k, top end > 100k
Why does it appear to you that the answers are vague? Simply because the question is somewhat vague. I am aware of small, relatively unknown restaurants where the Chef takes home in excess of $250k (psst, he's the owner as well/img/vbsmilies/smilies/wink.gif) and I'm familiar with a few Chefs at top end restaurants that will be lucky to clear 80k-100k.

I also know several Chefs who are satisfied with 30k-40k and run everything from 20 top to 400 top eateries.

The ranges I quoted above are worthless, IMHO, as they are, by definition, wrong.


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## kuan (Jun 11, 2001)

Large Las Vegas hotels, $300k.


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## jgraeff1 (Jun 3, 2013)

it really depends on the place i have worked all over the country and honestly with a few exception pay goes in this range -

pantry- 9-10$ starting

line cook-9-13$ starting

Head cook( supervisor) - 12-15$ starting

Sous Chef- 15+$ starting making around 30-40k a year deepening on the place.

Head chef anywhere from 36k-100k on a regular non Michelin star restaurants and big hotels. 

Like i said there are exceptions some places are small with few employees but do big profits and pay more i worked at a place like that and i was making 45K as the sous chef. 

I made about 40k as a chef de cuisine. and right now i make about 36-39k as a sous chef depending on my hours. It dosn't always have to do with position, it has to do with location and what the place takes home. 

anyways this is not the business to get rich in and also those hotel chefs making 100-300k works like crazy maybe not on the line but tons of paperwork meetings, etc so is it really worth it? if your single probably but i have a family and thats why i choose to work where i work now, i get a full month off, paid, and i can take up to another 2 weeks off unpaid. I get health benefits and work with a good crew in Island paradise and get to spend time with my family.


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## emma054 (Feb 26, 2016)

this was not helfpful at all you should get it right I am look for the week/img/vbsmilies/smilies/smoking.gif


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## mattm (Jan 25, 2016)

Quote:


Nicko said:


> Moved this out of the pro forums because well, they are for pros only to post (please respect that everyone).
> 
> At the height of my career in the 90's I was at 32K a year with health benefits for a large size restaurant. Back in that day if you were making 50K a year as a chef that was a great salary but if you break it down by the hours you put in here is the reality of the situation:
> 
> ...


That's sad....


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## just jim (Oct 18, 2007)

Nicko said:


> Moved this out of the pro forums because well, they are for pros only to post (please respect that everyone).
> 
> At the height of my career in the 90's I was at 32K a year with health benefits for a large size restaurant. Back in that day if you were making 50K a year as a chef that was a great salary but if you break it down by the hours you put in here is the reality of the situation:
> 
> ...


Good points.

I've always recommended that anyone who is considering a salaried position not break it down as you have, to an hourly wage.

The benefit to salary is more annual income, at the expense of your time.

Yes, you can make more per hour just cooking, but you will probably have a cap on your overtime, so you're unlikely to realize as high an annual income.

So the choice is: an hourly rate that pays you for every minute you work, with an annual income cap, or a salary that rapes you hourly, but allows you more spending cash per year.

I've jumped at the chance for salary, and other times I have walked away from the money because I needed more personal time.


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## frozenhawaiian (Feb 28, 2016)

while I can't speak for shore based restaurants, but I work in the yacht industry and generally speaking on yachts the chef is the 2nd highest paid person on the vessel after the captain. the general rule of thumb for yachts is $800 per foot of length of the boat. in other words the chef on the last 90ft yacht I was running the chef was making about $72,000 per year 90 X 800= 72,000.


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## rick alan (Nov 15, 2012)

I'm amazed to hear these salaries.  I don't know what the pay is today but 15 years ago here in Boston a sous chef at a decent restaurant could easily make 1K/week, and they weren't working over 50hr/week.  I recall my brother having trouble with a sous who took the job because he wouldn't have to work nights or weekends.  After a week he stopped showing up because he had to put in 10hr a day for the 5 weekdays.  And he was just slow and wasn't a good manager of things because the one who took his place would finish in 8.  His problem was coke though.


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## rickb1415 (Nov 4, 2007)

I like the Golf/Country Club life, and have stuck with it after doing the restaurant thing for a couple years.

 I'm an Exec. Sous (started as a line cook and been here 7yrs, with just over 10 years culinary exp.) I make over $50k/yr, 401k, Company paid Pension, Good health, dental, vision, AFLAC.. I have some down time in the colder months, where I can get a good vacation.. A' la carte is closed at 9pm everyday all year, and we constantly change the menu and daily specials.. We have a nice garden for the kitchen as well.. Exec Chef is over $80k+ bonuses.. I get a lot of morning schedules, so I get time with family and get to be home for dinner a lot. I'd say slow season (Nov., Jan-Apr) I'm about 45-50/hrs a week, then when its busy (spring/Summer) Im 55-70hrs/ week.. We also can buy the best of everything which is always a huge perk.. lowering quality is never an option.

I am in NJ and from what I know of other chefs and cooks I know. Most line cooks are $10-$16 hour around here . Sous $32k-$45k  Execs $40-$90 ..  I'm talking from nicer bars, rated restaurants,

and hotels local to me


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## foodpump (Oct 10, 2005)

Quite a lot of statements you made there, where do I start?

If its about salaries, the rule of thumb ( according to employers, who supply the kitchens, the staff, and the food) is, the more employees a Chef has to look after, the more responsibility, and threrefor the higher pay.

Thus, the person in charge of three kitchens, (main, banqueting, fine dining) and responsible for supplying 4-6 f & b outlets is not only a true "exutive chef" (one who is in charge of multiple kitchens), but is also paid much higher than the Chef of a high end 60seat restaurant.

The other rule of thumb, also according to the employer, is that a Chef lives and dies by his/her food and labour costs. If these costs are not adhered to, the Chef (regardless if executive or not) is unceremniously booted out the door. Most employers have bonuses or salaries tied to these costs.

Hope I have shed some light on this subject.....


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## midlife (Jan 1, 2016)

Rivitman... "Realistically, outside of major food metropolis like NYC, you would be doing well to pull twelve bucks an hour."

$12/hr as a head chef? Really? I used to work for a department store chain in SoCal where the EVP said "It's California. We don't need to pay people real money. We pay them with sunshine." I left soon after I heard that. Do the places paying $12 'pay them with titles'?

It's hard to believe that any really good food professional would stay very long at that wage, especially given the hours and stress. I suppose I can see it for experience and resume-building. Otherwise, just the thought of it is depressing. In some fields there is a process of being extremely tough on newbies to weed out those who don't really WANT the career. Is this one of them?


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