Also called: Chef, Culinary Director
Leads all food operations for a large restaurant, hotel, or group of kitchens.
You design menus, hire and develop chefs, negotiate with suppliers, and answer for food cost and reviews. You still cook, but you also sit in budget meetings with owners. At a big hotel you might oversee banquets, room service, and three restaurants.
Hotels, casinos, and big groups pay the most; 90th percentile chefs overall ~$96k, but luxury roles exceed $150k.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Associate's degree (2-year), about 2 years after high school. Culinary degree common; 10+ years of kitchen leadership.
Ways in: On-the-job training, 2-year college, 4-year college, Trade school. Training cost: Under $15k.
Majors to look at: Culinary Arts, Hospitality Management.
Growing faster than average (about 7% over 10 years).
Low risk for 10 years. AI forecasts orders and costs menus; leading kitchens, creating food and managing people stay human.
Classes: Culinary arts CTE, Business, Accounting.
Official data: O*NET occupation 35-1011.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.