Prepares food or supervises cooks preparing meals in a food service establishment.
Positions range from apprentice cook to executive chef.
Both head cook and chef must be able to prepare all the dishes. Chef must maintain health and safety standards, hire and train kitchen staff, oversee and schedule preparation of meals, plan menus, select recipes, estimate quantities, and purchase supplies. May develop new recipes and become known for special dishes. Formal schooling through community colleges and private cooking schools recommended. Increase of jobs may be due to population growth, rising incomes, more leisure time to dine out and more women joining the labor force.