Chef Salary Range

The 2007 computer animated movie Ratatouille, Reny, the rat, also the main protagonist in the film, is inspired by chef Gusteau's words, 'Anyone can cook'. He breaks all the man-rat barriers and becomes a great chef, helping Linguini, Gusteau's son, in the kitchen. You may be wondering why am I mentioning a rat and his story in this article with the title, "Chef Salary Range"? Well, it is really all about becoming a chef and not just a chef, in fact the greatest chef in the world. You are searching for more information on chef salary range, proves you are a talented cook, who is looking towards becoming a chef and to be known as one among famous chefs.

Who is a Chef?
A chef is a professional cook and the term chef means 'the chief' in French. He is in charge of the entire kitchen, the procedures pertaining to cooking and the operations carried out in a kitchen. Keep in mind that all chefs are cooks, but not all cooks are chefs. Let us learn more about the different types of chefs and the chef salary range accordingly.

Types of Chefs and Chef's Salary
There are different types of chefs and the salary of a chef depends on the geographic location, type of establishment he works with and the skills and responsibilities involved. A chef's salary will vary according to his job description and the industry sector of his employment. Cooking is an art and after graduating from the culinary arts school, everyone is interested to know the chef's salary they may earn. The following different types of chef's earn according to their respective chef salary range.

Chef de Cuisine: Also known as the Executive Chef in U.S and England, is the person who coordinates his staff, plans menus and looks over all the food cooked in his kitchen. He is the one who manages, schedules and decides the chef salary range for his entire staff. He has the final authority over all the decisions pertaining to staff, food and everything related to his kitchen.

Executive Chef Salary Range: According to the National Restaurant Association (NRA), the median for an executive chef salary range is approximately $55,976 to 85,325. One can earn more or less than this figure according to the location, type of industry and his own personal cooking skills.

Sous Chef: The sous-chef de cuisine is the assistant of the chef de cuisine and second-in-command. He takes over the kitchen in absence of the chef de cuisine. He can also be a stand in chef de partie or an assistant to chef de partie.

Sous Chef Salary Range: The annual earning of a sous chef is between $30,000 - 50,000. Again the salary can be anything above or below the average chef salary range.

Chef de Partie: Also known as the 'station chef' or 'line cook', he is the in charge of a particular area in the kitchen. He individually takes care of his department, such as, Sauté chef, who takes care of sautéed dishes and their sauce. There are many station chefs in large kitchens overlooking their cooks and assistants. The chef de partie have their own line of command, that begins with 'First Cook', followed by 'Second Cook', so on and so forth.

Chef de Partie Salary Range: The annual earnings of a sous chef are between $18,000 - 46,250. The salaries for chefs depend on their work experience and also the employer.

Patissier: The patissier or the pastry chef is the one who prepares desserts which includes puddings and cakes. He may also have a team to assist him in the kitchen or a pastry shop.

Pastry Chef Salary Range: The pastry chef salary has a median of around $31,000 per annum. The chef's salary can vary according to his experience and his type of employment industry.

Note: The salaries mentioned in this article are an approximate range and not the exact figures. The chef salary range is subject to change as per the rules of market.

You may be interested to know more on interesting facts about culinary arts.

The salaries for chefs also differ according to their individual employment, like a corporate chef may earn higher salary than a personal chef. It can happen vise verse also, a personal chef may earn higher than the salary of a 5-star corporate chef. Today, there are opportunities to become a celebrity chef and earn not only a higher than average chef salary range but also have more patrons and fan following. Thus, according to your culinary expertize and culinary arts, you may earn the appropriate chef salary. So just as I mentioned Ratatouille, the rat, who followed his heart, follow your dreams as 'Anyone can cook'. The difference lies in the little extra that you add to your 'savoureux, des créations culinaires'.