Passion is a key ingredient in the making of every great chef.
But it's not just a labor of love - you also want to earn a decent living. Recruiters with executive placement firms say it's hard to generalize. Salaries are as varied as the chefs who earn them. There's no standardization in the industry. Nationwide, salaries are closely linked to the cost of living, so chefs can anticipate higher wages in cities like New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Chicago.