Chef

Pūkenga Tao Kai

This job is sometimes referred to by alternative titles

Chefs prepare and cook food in restaurants, hotels, cafes and bars.

Pay

Chefs usually earn

$16-$25 per hour

Head or executive chefs usually earn

$22-$49 per hour

Source: Hospitality NZ and TIANZ, 2016.

Job opportunities

Chances of getting work as a chef are good due to a shortage of workers.

Length of training

1-3

1-3 years of training usually required

About the job

Pay

Pay for chefs depends on the size, type and location of the establishment they work in, and the position they hold.

Commis chefs usually earn between minimum wage and $18 an hour.
Chefs de partie usually earn between $17 and $20 an hour.
Sous chefs usually earn between $18 and $25 an hour.
Head/executive chefs usually earn between $22 and $49 an hour.

Source: Hospitality NZ and Tourism Industry Association New Zealand (TIANZ), 2016.

(This information is a guide only. Find out more about the figures and diagrams in our job information)

What you will do

Chefs may do some or all of the following:

prepare and cook food according to customers' orders
arrange food on plates
design, plan and price menus
train and supervise staff
keep work areas clean and tidy, and adhere to health and safety standards
order food supplies and cooking equipment
supervise cleaning and dishwashing
keep records of supplies.

Skills and knowledge

Chefs need to have:

food preparation, cooking and food presentation skills
knowledge of budgeting, stock management and how to price and set up a menu
understanding of hygiene and health and safety regulations
knowledge of new developments in food nutrition, food technology and cooking methods.

Working conditions

Chefs:

usually work long hours including evening and weekends, and they may be on call
sometimes travel to food festivals and events, or to attend cooking competitions
work in kitchens in conditions that can be hot, noisy and stressful, because food must be prepared quickly and to high standards.

What's the job really like?

Tommy Kirton

Head Chef/Owner

What makes a good chef?

"Having empathy – being able to relate to the struggles your cooks are going through, and taking steps towards elevating them.

"Also, hard work. There isn’t any great chef anywhere in the world who hasn’t done the grunt work, like peeling potatoes by the barrel load or cleaning the floors."

Best part about being head chef?

"Two parts. First, seeing the faces of people who have only eaten chain store pizza as they suddenly realise our pizza is simple and more than the sum of its parts. Second, seeing my staff after three to six months of training when they start to really get it and realise the nuances of your hand movements create a better product. We all get excited when that moment happens."

Is there a worst part of your job?

"I’m not a fan of cleaning the floors."

Did you do any training?

"I didn’t do formal training. I did a lot of staging [unpaid internships in chefs' kitchens to learn their techniques and cuisine] around the world under gurus I wanted to learn from, and a lot of reading."

What advice do you have for aspiring chefs?

"Do it 100 percent! A lot of work and sacrifice is required to get great. Take any opportunity and draw on knowledge from others who are already good."

Ashley talks about life as a chef - 1.29 mins. (Video courtesy of Got a Trade? Got it Made!)

View transcript

I’m a chef here at The Village in Patumahoe. I’ve been cheffing for four years now and I’ve just recently finished my apprenticeship. My hospitality teacher got me really interested in cooking, I liked it and I was good at it. I then started competing and seeing what blending flavours could do to a dish. That all opened my eyes and I really wanted to become a chef.

In my opinion, on job training works better because I learn from excellent chefs, I learnt how to cook different varieties of food, when you study in the kitchen and you get paid for it. The other thing is I get to see the customers eat my food and I get to see the reaction on their face, if they like it then I did my job. And what makes me most proud is that I made my family proud, my friends proud.

If you want to become a chef it’s best to study in school, get a job in the kitchen, any job, you start from a kitchen hand and work your way up, become an apprentice, it’s the best way to learn on the job. What I really want to do with my career is open up my own restaurant and I’d call it The Slammin’ Salmon.

I’m Ashley Wade, I’m a chef at The Village Kitchen. I’ve got a trade and I’ve got it made.

How to enter the job

Entry requirements

Chefs can train in a number of ways. You may complete a:

two to three-year, on-the-job apprenticeship, including study towards a National Certificate in Hospitality – Cookery (Level 4)
one-year, full-time National Certificate in Hospitality – Basic Cookery (Level 3) through a training provider
one-year, full-time National Certificate in Hospitality – Cookery (Level 4) through a training provider.

You can also train to be a chef with the NZ Army or Royal NZ Navy.

Secondary education

There are no specific secondary education requirements, but some training providers may require NCEA Level 1 numeracy and literacy credits.

Personal requirements

Chefs need to be:

reliable
able to work well under pressure
able to work well in a team
willing to learn new cooking methods, recipes and menus
organised, quick and efficient, while still being patient and careful
creative and open-minded
able to follow instructions
good at planning
good at communicating and managing people.

A good chef needs to be able to move through the kitchen quickly, jumping from place to place and being totally responsible for what they do.

Andrew Spiegel

Chef

Useful experience

Useful experience for chefs includes:

work as a kitchen assistant or kitchenhand
staging (unpaid internships in chefs' kitchens to learn their techniques and cuisine)
any work involving preparing food for others
any hospitality industry experience
catering experience
bakery work.

Physical requirements

Chefs need to have a good sense of taste and smell. They also need to have a reasonable level of strength, fitness and stamina as they often have to carry heavy items, such as bulk ingredients, and spend long hours on their feet.

Find out more about training

Hospitality New Zealand: (04) 385 1369 - nsc@hospitalitynz.org.nz - www.hospitalitynz.org.nz
Restaurant Association of New Zealand: 0800 737 827 - info@restaurantnz.co.nz - www.restaurantnz.co.nz
ServiceIQ: 0800 863 693 - www.serviceiq.org.nz

Check out related courses

Job opportunities

What are the chances of getting a job?

Strong demand for qualified chefs

The job of chef appears on Immigration New Zealand's long-term skill shortage list. This means the Government is actively encouraging skilled chefs from overseas to work in New Zealand.

The shortage of chefs is caused by:

too few people doing chef training
many chefs leaving to work overseas, where they can get better pay
a high number of chefs leaving the profession – only 42 of every 100 cookery graduates are still in the industry after five years.

Types of employers varied

Most chefs work for restaurants and hotels. They can also work at:

cafes
bars or taverns
corporate catering firms.

Sources

Immigration New Zealand, 'Long-term Skill Shortage List', accessed January 2015, (www.immigration.govt.nz).
Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, '2006-2014 Occupation Data' (prepared for Careers New Zealand), 2015.
New Zealand Chefs Association website, accessed January 2016, (www.nzchefs.org.nz).
Tourism Industry Association New Zealand, 'TIA 2015 Salary Survey', accessed January 2016, (www.tianz.org.nz).
Robertson, B, chief executive officer, Hospitality New Zealand, Careers New Zealand interview, January 2015.

Progression and specialisations

Chefs may specialise in different cuisines such as French or Japanese.

They also progress through different levels:

Commis chefs work in all areas of the kitchen. They prepare and cook food, and may also wash dishes and clean.
Chefs de partie are in charge of one section of the kitchen such as fish or pastry. They train and supervise staff in their sections, and may plan menus, and buy food and equipment.
Sous chefs are second-in-charge, and manage the kitchen in the absence of the head chef.
Head/executive chefs are responsible for the whole kitchen, including staff management, budgets and menus.