Cook to head chef
A cook already meets 30% of what the head chef role asks for. The move turns on 22 required skills not yet in the profile.
76/ 100
1 How much of what a head chef is expected to do is already part of a cook’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the head chef role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A head chef role treats 10 of its required skills as things a cook already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- comply with food safety and hygiene
- control of expenses
- handover the food preparation area
- maintain a safe, hygienic and secure working environment
- plan menus
- train employees
What stands in the way is 22 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 15 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A head chef role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a cook background worth leading with.
- already held prepare flambeed dishes assisting and caring
- already held use culinary finishing techniques assisting and caring
- already held handover the food preparation area handling and moving
- already held use reheating techniques assisting and caring
- already held plan menus communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held maintain a safe, hygienic and secure working environment assisting and caring
All 15 carried skills, including the 10 the head chef role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 37 missing skills fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn develop food waste reduction strategies required
- still to learn manage budgets required
- still to learn manage hospitality revenue required
- still to learn manage staff required
- still to learn manage stock rotation required
- still to learn plan shifts of employees required
- still to learn recruit employees required
- optional, not held identify suppliers optional
- optional, not held manage medium term objectives optional
- optional, not held plan medium to long term objectives optional
- still to learn compile cooking recipes required
- still to learn train staff to reduce food waste required
- still to learn handle customer complaints required
- still to learn perform procurement processes required
- optional, not held advise guests on menus for special events optional
- optional, not held think creatively about food and beverages optional
- optional, not held manage contract disputes optional
- optional, not held negotiate supplier arrangements optional
- optional, not held upsell products optional
- still to learn assist customers required
- still to learn monitor the use of kitchen equipment required
- still to learn supervise food quality required
- still to learn use resource-efficient technologies in hospitality required
- optional, not held cook pastry products optional
- still to learn keep up with eating out trends required
- still to learn set prices of menu items required
- still to learn estimate costs of required supplies required
- optional, not held conduct research on food waste prevention optional
- optional, not held design indicators for food waste reduction optional
- optional, not held forecast future levels of business optional
- optional, not held manage inspections of equipment optional
- still to learn food storage required
- optional, not held molecular gastronomy optional
- still to learn ensure maintenance of kitchen equipment required
- optional, not held attend to detail regarding food and beverages optional
2 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a head chef role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 assist customers practise this
- 02 compile cooking recipes practise this
- 03 food storage study this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 15 skills that carry over
- already held comply with food safety and hygiene skill
- already held control of expenses skill
- already held handover the food preparation area skill
- already held maintain a safe, hygienic and secure working environment skill
- already held plan menus skill
- already held train employees skill
- already held use cooking techniques skill
- already held use culinary finishing techniques skill
- already held use food preparation techniques skill
- already held use reheating techniques skill
- already held check deliveries on receipt skill
- already held create decorative food displays skill
- already held execute chilling processes to food products skill
- already held handle chemical cleaning agents skill
- already held prepare flambeed dishes skill
The 2 learning areas not shown above
- still to learn food waste monitoring systems required
- still to learn types of whisks required
15 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held advise guests on menus for special events optional
- optional, not held attend to detail regarding food and beverages optional
- optional, not held cook pastry products optional
- optional, not held molecular gastronomy optional
- optional, not held think creatively about food and beverages optional
- optional, not held conduct research on food waste prevention optional
- optional, not held design indicators for food waste reduction optional
- optional, not held forecast future levels of business optional
- optional, not held identify suppliers optional
- optional, not held manage contract disputes optional
- optional, not held manage inspections of equipment optional
- optional, not held manage medium term objectives optional
- optional, not held negotiate supplier arrangements optional
- optional, not held plan medium to long term objectives optional
- optional, not held upsell products optional
35 held skills the head chef role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role advise customers on seafood choices skill
- not needed by the target role advise on preparation of diet food skill
- not needed by the target role comply with standard portion sizes skill
- not needed by the target role composition of diets knowledge
- not needed by the target role cook dairy products skill
- not needed by the target role cook meat dishes skill
- not needed by the target role cook sauce products skill
- not needed by the target role cook seafood skill
- not needed by the target role cook vegetable products skill
- not needed by the target role create a diet plan skill
- not needed by the target role ensure cleanliness of food preparation area skill
- not needed by the target role fish anatomy knowledge
- not needed by the target role identify nutritional properties of food skill
- not needed by the target role maintain kitchen equipment at correct temperature skill
- not needed by the target role manage waste skill
- not needed by the target role nutrition knowledge
- not needed by the target role order supplies skill
- not needed by the target role prepare bakery products skill
- not needed by the target role prepare dairy products for use in a dish skill
- not needed by the target role prepare desserts skill
- not needed by the target role prepare egg products for use in a dish skill
- not needed by the target role prepare meat products for use in a dish skill
- not needed by the target role prepare ready-made dishes skill
- not needed by the target role prepare salad dressings skill
- not needed by the target role prepare sandwiches skill
- not needed by the target role prepare saucier products for use in a dish skill
- not needed by the target role prepare vegetable products for use in a dish skill
- not needed by the target role prepared meals knowledge
- not needed by the target role receive kitchen supplies skill
- not needed by the target role seafood processing knowledge
- not needed by the target role slice fish skill
- not needed by the target role store kitchen supplies skill
- not needed by the target role store raw food materials skill
- not needed by the target role use food cutting tools skill
- not needed by the target role work in a hospitality team skill
4 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn food storage required
- still to learn food waste monitoring systems required
- still to learn types of whisks required
- optional, not held molecular gastronomy optional
Other moves recorded from cook
- pizzaiolo 79% covered · adjacent
- kitchen assistant 65% covered · moderate
- chef 59% covered · moderate
- pastry chef 55% covered · moderate
- private chef 54% covered · substantial
- kitchen porter 49% covered · moderate
- quick service restaurant crew member 38% covered · substantial
- head pastry chef 31% covered · substantial
Common questions about this move
Can a cook become a head chef?
Yes, and it is a career change move. A cook already covers 30% of what a head chef is expected to do: 15 skills carry over, 10 of which the head chef role treats as required.
What skills does a cook need to become a head chef?
22 required skills are missing, plus 15 optional ones. They fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by management skills. The single most important is assist customers.
How hard is the move from cook to head chef?
Its learning distance is 76 out of 100, which is the career change band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.