Head chef to chef
A head chef already meets 65% of what the chef role asks for. The move turns on 6 required skills not yet in the profile.
44.4/ 100
1 How much of what a chef is expected to do is already part of a head chef’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 chef role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A chef role treats 15 of its required skills as things a head chef already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- comply with food safety and hygiene
- control of expenses
- design indicators for food waste reduction
- develop food waste reduction strategies
- food waste monitoring systems
- handover the food preparation area
What stands in the way is 6 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 29 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A chef role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a head chef background worth leading with.
- already held prepare flambeed dishes assisting and caring
- already held compile cooking recipes communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held set prices of menu items information skills
- already held think creatively about food and beverages communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held cook pastry products assisting and caring
- already held types of whisks services
All 29 carried skills, including the 15 the chef role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 20 missing skills fall into 4 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 instruct kitchen personnel required
- still to learn work in a hospitality team required
- still to learn maintain customer service required
- optional, not held order supplies optional
- still to learn maintain kitchen equipment at correct temperature required
- still to learn use food cutting tools required
- still to learn store raw food materials required
- optional, not held manage waste optional
- optional, not held cook dairy products optional
- optional, not held cook fish optional
- optional, not held cook meat dishes optional
- optional, not held cook sauce products optional
- optional, not held cook seafood optional
- optional, not held cook vegetable products optional
- optional, not held prepare canapés optional
- optional, not held prepare desserts optional
- optional, not held prepare salad dressings optional
- optional, not held prepare sandwiches optional
- optional, not held identify nutritional properties of food optional
- optional, not held ensure cleanliness of food preparation area optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a chef role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 instruct kitchen personnel practise this
- 02 maintain kitchen equipment at correct temperature practise this
- 03 use food cutting tools practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 29 skills that carry over
- already held comply with food safety and hygiene skill
- already held control of expenses skill
- already held design indicators for food waste reduction skill
- already held develop food waste reduction strategies skill
- already held food waste monitoring systems knowledge
- already held handover the food preparation area skill
- already held manage staff skill
- already held plan menus skill
- already held think creatively about food and beverages skill
- already held types of whisks knowledge
- 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 use resource-efficient technologies in hospitality skill
- already held assist customers skill
- already held check deliveries on receipt skill
- already held compile cooking recipes skill
- already held conduct research on food waste prevention skill
- already held cook pastry products 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 molecular gastronomy knowledge
- already held perform procurement processes skill
- already held plan shifts of employees skill
- already held prepare flambeed dishes skill
- already held set prices of menu items skill
- already held train employees skill
14 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held cook dairy products optional
- optional, not held cook fish optional
- optional, not held cook meat dishes optional
- optional, not held cook sauce products optional
- optional, not held cook seafood optional
- optional, not held cook vegetable products optional
- optional, not held ensure cleanliness of food preparation area optional
- optional, not held prepare canapés optional
- optional, not held prepare desserts optional
- optional, not held prepare salad dressings optional
- optional, not held prepare sandwiches optional
- optional, not held identify nutritional properties of food optional
- optional, not held manage waste optional
- optional, not held order supplies optional
23 held skills the chef role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role advise guests on menus for special events skill
- not needed by the target role attend to detail regarding food and beverages skill
- not needed by the target role ensure maintenance of kitchen equipment skill
- not needed by the target role estimate costs of required supplies skill
- not needed by the target role food storage knowledge
- not needed by the target role forecast future levels of business skill
- not needed by the target role handle customer complaints skill
- not needed by the target role identify suppliers skill
- not needed by the target role keep up with eating out trends skill
- not needed by the target role maintain a safe, hygienic and secure working environment skill
- not needed by the target role manage budgets skill
- not needed by the target role manage contract disputes skill
- not needed by the target role manage hospitality revenue skill
- not needed by the target role manage inspections of equipment skill
- not needed by the target role manage medium term objectives skill
- not needed by the target role manage stock rotation skill
- not needed by the target role monitor the use of kitchen equipment skill
- not needed by the target role negotiate supplier arrangements skill
- not needed by the target role plan medium to long term objectives skill
- not needed by the target role recruit employees skill
- not needed by the target role supervise food quality skill
- not needed by the target role train staff to reduce food waste skill
- not needed by the target role upsell products skill
Common questions about this move
Can a head chef become a chef?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A head chef already covers 65% of what a chef is expected to do: 29 skills carry over, 15 of which the chef role treats as required.
What skills does a head chef need to become a chef?
6 required skills are missing, plus 14 optional ones. They fall into 4 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is instruct kitchen personnel.
How hard is the move from head chef to chef?
Its learning distance is 44.4 out of 100, which is the moderate 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.