Also called: Riverboat Cook, Galley Hand (Inland)
Cooks three hearty meals a day for the crew living aboard a river towboat for weeks at a time.
A towboat cook plans menus, shops for groceries before a 28-day hitch, cooks big breakfasts and dinners for a crew of 8 to 10 in a small galley, and keeps the living quarters clean. Pay is often higher than shore cooking because you live aboard.
Typically paid by the day on rotating 21- to 28-day hitches.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
High school diploma, about 0 years after high school. No degree; food-handler training and a Merchant Mariner Credential.
Ways in: On-the-job training, Certification. Training cost: Under $15k.
Majors to look at: Culinary Arts.
Growing about average. Steady demand on the Mississippi and Ohio river systems.
Low risk for 10 years. Meal planning apps help, but cooking for a crew aboard a working towboat stays human.
Age 18+. One way to start: Apply to river towing companies for cook jobs; get your food handler card and MMC First: Merchant Mariner Credential, TWIC and a food handler card
Classes: Culinary arts CTE class, Health and nutrition, Business math.
Official data: O*NET occupation 35-2012.
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.