Culinary Salary
Preface: This article will help you know the salaries most
people get after completing their culinary degrees. Please
understand that this is an estimated figure and your exact
salary may differ from what is written here.
Article updated: Jan 2005
What is the salary range for graduates of culinary school? Your
diploma will certainly give you an advantage over non-culinary
school graduates. College graduates earn on average about
$15,000 more per year than non-college graduates. Remember your
level of experience and geographic location will influence your
salary.
Average pay ranges in the United States: Executive Chef: between
$48,000 and $80,000 per year.
Pastry Chef: between $30,000 and $64,000 per year.
Food Scientist: between $42,000 and $63,000 per year.
Food Writer: between $40,000 and $54,000 per year.
Restaurant Manager: between $34,000 and $60,000 per year.
Sous-Chef: between $30,000 and $45,000 per year.
Hospitality Manager: between $30,000 and $42,000 per year.
Cook: between $28,000 and $32,000 per year.
Sources: National Restaurant Association, Salaries.com, U.S.
Bureau of Labor Statistics and Bizstats.com. January 2002.
Job Descriptions Executive chef: Executive chefs are highly
skilled professionals with over eight years of cooking
experience. They manage the kitchen staff, plan menus, order
supplies and ingredients, and oversee all food preparation and
cooking.
Fast food cook: Fast food cooks prepare a limited selection of
menu items in fast-food restaurants. They cook and package
batches of food, such as hamburgers and fried chicken, which are
prepared to order or kept warm until sold.
Food scientist: Food scientists apply scientific and engineering
principles in research, development, production technology,
quality control, packaging, processing, and utilization of food.
Food stylist: Food stylists arrange food for photo shoots for
magazines, newspapers and books.
Garde manger: Garde mangers create salads, hot and cold
appetizers, sandwiches, and table decorations.
Institution and cafeteria cook: Institution and cafeteria cooks
work in the kitchens of schools, cafeterias, businesses,
hospitals, and other institutions. For each meal, they prepare a
large quantity of a limited number of entrees, vegetables, and
desserts.
Line cook: Line cooks are assistant cooks each with a specialty.
Grill cooks, fry cooks, sauce cooks, and saut