How to become a chef

1. 1Get a kitchen job as a prep or line cook

   Time: Start anytime; 1-3 yearsSources 1

   Most chefs start at the bottom: dishwasher, prep cook, then line cook on a station such as grill, sauté or garde manger. You learn knife work, timing, station setup and how a kitchen runs under pressure. Choose kitchens where the chef will teach you, and move stations to build range. Some states and cities require a food handler card for kitchen workers.

2. 2Consider culinary school or an apprenticeship

   Time: 1-2 years (optional)Cost: About $4,422-$4,525 a year at public collegesSources 5, 3, 1

   A culinary certificate or associate degree teaches technique, baking, menu planning, sanitation, purchasing and cost control, usually with a required externship in a commercial kitchen. Public community colleges cost much less than private culinary schools. The ACF Education Foundation also runs a Department of Labor-registered, earn-while-you-learn apprenticeship that pairs paid kitchen work with classroom instruction.

3. 3Earn food safety certification

   Time: A day to a few weeksCost: Varies by providerSources 6, 7

   The 2022 FDA Food Code, which state and local governments use as a model for their own rules, says the person in charge of a food establishment should be a certified food protection manager who has passed an exam from an accredited program; regulators can exempt minimal-risk operations. ServSafe Manager, accredited by ANAB under Conference for Food Protection standards, is one widely used option. Whether it is required depends on your state or county.

4. 4Move up to sous chef

   Time: 2-5 years in kitchensSources 1, 2

   Once you can run any station, lead a shift and train new cooks, aim for a lead line cook or junior sous chef role, then sous chef. Sous chefs handle ordering, scheduling, inventory and running service when the chef is out. Learn food costing and labor scheduling now, because these business skills decide who gets the head chef job.

5. 5Become a head or executive chef

   Time: Usually after 5+ years totalCost: $250 member or $490 nonmember for ACF certification (optional)Sources 2, 1

   Head chef jobs go to cooks with a track record of running a kitchen, controlling costs and keeping staff. ACF certification can strengthen a resume: the Certified Executive Chef requires five years as a chef de cuisine, executive sous chef or chef in charge of production, supervising at least five full-time people in food preparation, plus written and practical exams. Hotel, club and contract food service chains often promote from within.

Programs, tuition and graduates’ earnings

U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard (most recent cohorts, released 2026-10-15). Scorecard groups programs by 4-digit field, so a row can include related programs. Tuition is the median published undergraduate tuition and fees of the colleges offering the program (shown only for undergraduate credentials); debt is the median of programs’ median federal loan debt at completion; earnings are the national median for the field and credential four years after completion.

Requirements differ by state. Check your state’s rules in the CareerOneStop License Finder (U.S. Department of Labor) before you enroll.

Knife skills and technique

Speed and consistency in cutting, searing and saucing are what let a kitchen turn out hundreds of identical plates a night.

Food cost control

Chefs are judged on food and labor cost percentages, so pricing a menu and cutting waste matter as much as flavor.

Leading a crew

Head chefs hire, train and keep cooks in a field with high turnover, and the mood of the line depends on them.

Calm under pressure

A full dining room, a missed delivery or a cook who calls out sick all have to be handled during service, not after.

Food safety discipline

One temperature or storage mistake can sicken guests and close a restaurant, and the chef answers to the health inspector.

O*NET 31.0 rates these skills as most important for the occupation: monitoring, speaking, critical thinking, active listening, reading comprehension.

Training cost

$4.4K–$9.5K

Before financial aid

Time

5 to 10 years

Typical path

Median pay

$62,470

All US jobs: $50,980

Payback once qualified

Under 1 year

Pay above the all-jobs median vs. cost

Many chefs pay nothing for training and learn on the job. For formal training: Low is one year of College Scorecard median published in-state tuition for public culinary certificate programs, $4,422. High is two years at the public associate degree median of $4,525 a year ($9,050), plus the ACF Certified Sous Chef nonmember fee of $490 = $9,540. Not included: knife kits, uniforms, food protection manager exam fees and living costs. Private culinary schools usually cost far more; median federal loan debt for culinary associate graduates is $13,750.

Rough guide only: ignores taxes, aid, interest and earnings given up during training. How we calculate it.

• Executive chef or culinary director

  Head chefs who run profitable kitchens move up to overseeing several outlets, a hotel's food program or a restaurant group.

• Restaurant or catering owner

  Many chefs open their own business after years in other kitchens; it adds permits, payroll and financial risk on top of cooking.

• Operations manager$105,770 median

  Chefs with strong cost and staff management skills move into food and beverage or general operations management roles.

• Nutritionist or dietitian$76,400 median

  Chefs drawn to health-focused cooking can earn a nutrition degree; becoming a registered dietitian takes a graduate degree and supervised practice.