CV Example
Chef CV Example (Full Sample + Writing Guide)
This Chef CV example shows how to present menu development, kitchen leadership, and food-cost control so a director of culinary sees a creative cook who also protects margin. A strong sample quantifies covers served, food-cost percentage, and team led. Use it to balance culinary craft with the operational numbers that owners care about.
Written & reviewed by the CVWon Editorial Team · Updated June 2026
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Chef
Professional Summary
I am an Executive Chef with 14 years of experience leading kitchens in luxury hotels and standalone fine-dining restaurants across the UAE and France. I have designed menus that lifted average check by 21% while holding food cost at 28%, and I have led brigades of up to 30 across multiple outlets. I combine refined, seasonally driven cooking with the discipline of HACCP compliance and tight cost control.
Key Achievements
Education
Chefs train through culinary school (e.g. a diploma from Le Cordon Bleu or a national culinary academy) and apprenticeship, with progression earned in the kitchen. On the CV, lead with the calibre of kitchens worked in and any accolades, listing formal training and food-safety certification clearly underneath.
Certifications
Skills
What Skills Should a Chef CV Highlight?
Technical
Soft Skills
Tools
| Category | Skills |
|---|---|
| Technical | Menu development and recipe costing, Food cost and waste control, Classical and modern cooking techniques, HACCP and food-safety management, Kitchen production planning and mise en place, Supplier and produce sourcing |
| Tools | Recipe-costing software (e.g. Apicbase / MarketMan), POS / kitchen display systems (Micros), Inventory management systems, Microsoft Excel (food-cost models), Sous-vide and blast-chilling equipment, Procurement / ordering platforms |
| Soft Skills | Brigade leadership under service pressure, Creativity and palate, Mentoring junior chefs, Calm communication during peak service |
Industry Note
Culinary directors want chefs who can cook at the required standard AND run the kitchen as a profit centre, so food-cost percentage, waste and covers carry as much weight as creativity. In the UAE, multi-outlet luxury experience and strict municipality food-safety compliance are big signals, while European employers may weight accolades and seasonal, ingredient-led cooking. Show that your menus are both exciting and costed.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Both - and that balance is the point. Show signature menus and any accolades for craft, but pair them with food-cost percentage, waste reduction and team leadership so owners see a chef who creates and controls margin.
Name the establishments, their style, cover volume and any ratings or accolades. The calibre of kitchen instantly communicates the standard you cook to, which matters more than a long list of generic duties.
Yes, especially in the UAE where the municipality PIC certification and HACCP are effectively mandatory. Listing them upfront removes a compliance worry and signals you run a disciplined, audit-ready kitchen.
Quantify brigade size, outlets managed, and people outcomes like promotions or reduced turnover. At senior level, employers hire you to build and retain a team as much as to cook.
Link to a clean portfolio or social profile rather than embedding images in the CV. Visual proof of your food is powerful, but keep the CV document itself scannable and text-led for HR readers.
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