Working chefs prepare meals or specialize in pastry, sauces, salads, meats and other foods. They may also supervise kitchen staff and plan menus. Cooks prepare a variety of foods, including short orders, and supervise kitchen workers. They may plan menus and specialize in ethnic cuisine or speciality dishes. Education, Training and Experience People in this group usually complete high school.
Many recent entrants have a high school diploma.
Cooks complete a three-year apprenticeship or a college or other program in cooking, or have several years' commercial cooking experience. Cook trade qualification is available in all provinces except Quebec, the Northwest Territories and the Yukon. Supervising chefs, sous-chefs, chefs and working chefs require a chef apprenticeship or formal training abroad or equivalent training and experience. Supervisors and administrators usually require several years' experience, including two years' supervisory experience in commercial food preparation and experience as a chef. Sous-chefs, working chefs and chefs usually require several years' experience in commercial food preparation.