Table of Contents

Chef CV Template (Text Format)

PERSONAL STATEMENT

Passionate Chef with 15 years of experience managing food and beverage services for 500+ guests daily. Skilled at directing the food preparation process, developing menus, ordering supplies and stock, enforcing health and safety standards, and leading teams. Track record of increasing revenue and building a loyal customer base through authentic and premium tastes.

WORK EXPERIENCE

The Old Vicarage, Sheffield
Head Chef, Dec 2020–Present

  • Increased restaurant by £6K per month by serving hygienic food as per guests’ taste
  • Generated £2K per month savings by transitioning from six vendors to only one supplier
  • Decreased food and drink wastage by 10% through wastage and spoilage tracking
  • Introduced 8 new items within the menu based on season, occasion, and guest preferences
  • Ensured quality, quantity, freshness, and presentation of food throughout service
  • Gained customer loyalty and appreciation for food by personally attending requests of each guest

Joro Restaurant, Sheffield
Sous Chef, Jun 2018–Dec 2020

  • Increased loyal customer base by 25% through exceptional dinner service
  • Promoted passion for food service among kitchen staff members
  • Developed staff schedules with a focus on seamless workflow and functional excellence
  • Trained 10+ kitchen staff members to meet strict standards defined by head chef, Marco Pierre
  • Planned, coordinated, and directed food preparation in the kitchen as per set recipes
  • Assisted head chef with menu design, inventory sourcing, and staff management

EDUCATION

Sheffield Hallam University (2018)
BSc in Culinary Arts Entrepreneurship — upper-second class honours

Relevant modules:

  • Food Science
  • Culinary Arts
  • Hospitality Industry
  • Human Nutrition
  • Advanced Techniques in Culinary Arts
  • Human Resource Management
  • Human Nutrition, Fish, and Crustaceans
  • Meat Utilisation
  • Pastry Arts
  • Financial Management
  • Art of Food Styling
  • Digital Marketing
  • Menu Development

Birmingham College of Food (2017)
Diploma in Hospitality Management

University of West London (2016)
Certificate in Culinary Arts

KEY SKILLS

  • Culinary expertise
  • Knife skills
  • Communication skills
  • Management and leadership
  • Customer service skills
  • Attention to detail

HOBBIES & INTERESTS

  • Swimming
  • Cycling
  • Bodybuilding

Sous chef CV example

Apply for a sous chef position with a CV like the one below:

A sous chef CV example.
Download this CV example.

Chef de partie CV example

Show employers you’re ready to be an outstanding chef de partie by supplying a CV like this:

A chef de partie CV example.
Download this CV example.

How to write a chef CV

People enjoy fine dining, and they’ll pay well to dine where a chef produces great food. But you’ll only get to showcase your culinary skills if you impress your future employer by writing an effective CV.

You also need to make a cover letter that introduces your chef CV to the employer.

Employers look for chefs who are experienced in preparing meals, presenting dishes and cooking with different foods and ingredients. Scroll down to learn how to create an outstanding CV for a chef role using four guided tips.

1. Open with a convincing personal statement

A great chef CV starts with a strong CV personal statement of 2–4 sentences that introduces your expertise with food and cooking.

A CV personal statement sits at the top of your CV under your name and contact details. You can format your chef CV personal statement as a paragraph or use bullet points.

A chef CV personal statement’s goal is to help employers understand exactly who you are and what skills and expertise you can bring to their restaurant or business.

Your chef CV personal statement should:

  • start with a professional title with a strong adjective (for example: ‘Experienced chef’, ‘Top chef’)
  • introduce your previous experiences as a chef
  • summarise your most relevant skills
  • explain how you’ll be beneficial in that position

Unless you know the exact wording to include in your CV, write your personal statement last. By writing it last, you’ll identify relevant skills to include in it as you’ve write your other sections.

Here’s an example of a well-written chef CV personal statement that highlights the applicant’s key chef skills and years of experience:

An example of a chef CV personal statement
List your years of experience and top skills in your chef CV personal statement.

2. Choose proper CV formatting

The correct CV layout will make your chef CV look organised and easy to read.

So use a standard CV format. For the quickest results, use a CV template for your chef CV, but if you prefer a made-from-scratch document, ensure that it contains five to six sections.

Here’s what to include in a CV for chefs:

  1. Your CV title
  2. Your personal statement
  3. Work experience section
  4. Education section
  5. Skills section
  6. Additional sections such as your hobbies and interests or certifications

If you include an additional section at the bottom of your CV, make it short and use bullet points.

And because employers are primarily interested in what you’ve done recently, emphasise your most recent work history by using reverse-chronological CV format.

Reverse-chronological CV format means starting with your most recent (or current) job, and then working backwards. Reverse-chronological format lets employers see your most recent positions or education first, which are usually the most relevant.

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3. Highlight your chef skills

An impressive chef CV that showcases your exceptional key skills will secure an interview.

Chefs need many hard skills to succeed as a chef in a fast-paced restaurant or hotel.

For instance, some hard skills for chefs include preparing gourmet dishes, creating menus, and managing the restaurant’s budget.

Here are some other hard skills for your chef CV:

 

  • Baking
  • Culinary expertise
  • Developing new interesting recipes
  • First aid training
  • Grilling
  • Keen sense of taste and smell
  • Knife skills
  • Pastry production
  • Portion control
  • Presentation skills
  • Sanitation and safety knowledge
  • Specialised dietary knowledge

 

Before you add skills to your CV, check the job advert for skills that the employer values the most and add them to your personal statement, work experience section, or anywhere they seem fit.

Also, showcase any specific certifications you have as a key skill on your CV or in a separate section for certifications. For example, a first-aid certificate is relevant because it shows you can handle medical emergencies in the kitchen, such as burns.

4. Quantify your experience using hard numbers

Recruiters like to see numbers and results on a CV because positive numbers mean their business will grow with you on their team. And quantifying your contributions using hard numbers gives evidence of your value and shows how much you’ve positively impacted the restaurants and hotels you’ve worked in.

So include any relevant data such as percentages, sales, and time worked that’ll help your accomplishments and work experience section stand out.

Here’s an example of how to use hard numbers in your chef CV’s work experience section:

  • Increased loyal customer base by 25% through exceptional dinner service
  • Trained 10+ kitchen staff members to meet strict standards defined by head chef, Marco Pierre
  • Increased restaurant revenue by £6K per month by catering for special dietary requirements
  • Generated £2K per month savings by transitioning from six vendors to only one supplier
  • Decreased food and drink wastage by 10% through wastage and spoilage tracking

Additional resources for your chef CV

If you’re new to the kitchen industry, the perspectives of other professionals are an invaluable resource for starting your career. Ryan Dean Dexton is a vlogger who offers a comprehensive view of kitchen hierarchy, skills a professional chef needs, and tips for breaking into the culinary world:

Need more ideas?

Our library of CV examples has hundreds of tailored CVs you can use to fine-tune your job application and stand out from other applicants.

Chef job outlook in 2025 — things to know

According to the UK Earnings Explorer provided by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), chefs in the UK earn an average annual salary of £22,284.

Additionally, there are similar pay levels for both men and women in this type of role.

Data source: The Office for National Statistics, an agency of His Majesty’s Government. The information contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0 and reflects the ONS’s most recent salary (1/11/2023), gender pay gap (4/2023), and skills shortage data (6/2022).


Samuel Johns
Written by

Samuel Johns

Samuel Johns is a Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW) and Senior Editor on the CV Genius team, with 6+ years of experience in the careers space. He has helped countless job hunters craft high-quality CVs and cover letters, exceed expectations at interviews, and obtain their dream jobs. Born and raised in County Durham in the beautiful North East of England, he graduated with a BA (Hons) in French Language and Literature from the University of Bristol in 2013 and has worked in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, London, Paris, and Taipei as a French–English translator. He’s determined to use his native English and fluent French skills to help UK and French candidates get the jobs they deserve. In addition to the British and French versions of CV Genius, Samuel’s job-hunt advice has been published on numerous websites, including Careers.org, the University of Warwick, the Enterprisers Project, and HR.com. If you’d like to collaborate, please reach out to Samuel through LinkedIn. Please note, we don’t accept guest posts and won’t reply to such requests.