An executive chef is a person who manages supervisors and culinary staff in a restaurant trains new kitchen staff and develops food menus as per customer demands.
An Executive Chef is a highly skilled professional cook in a hotel or restaurant who oversees the operations of a food menu and dining facility. An executive chef can earn a good amount in this profession, which is based on their degree and experience. An executive chef should ensure all food safety regulations are followed in their kitchen. In addition to that, the executive chef must inspect the quality of the food, which is a basic need of customers. Check Career as an Executive Chef
To pursue a career as an Executive Chef, aspiring candidates can go for a BHM Culinary or BSc Hotel Management course post completion of class 12 exams. Top reputed hotels such as The Oberoi or The Leela, prefer those candidates who have work experience of more than 5 years and knowledge of Human Resource Management (HRM), Inventory, and BOH system.
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How to Become an Executive Chef
- To pursue a career as an Executive Chef, aspiring candidates can go for a bachelor’s degree in culinary arts (BHM Culinary) or BSc Hotel Management post completion of class 12 exams. Check Hotel Management Courses for all the types of hotel management courses and degrees students can choose from.
- For better pay and career progression, students should also pursue a master’s degree in hotel management (MHM) or culinary arts. In addition to that, they must know about the food profession principles and practices.
- Top reputed hotels and kitchens prefer those candidates that also have a good knowledge of Human Resource Management (HRM), Inventory, and BOH system. Typically these hotels also require the candidate to have five years of working experience in the hotel management industry.
- The secondary requirements include organizational skills, communication skills, leadership skills, and time management skills. You should complete your degree with good grades because it makes a huge impact on the selection process as well.
Check: Top Hotel Management Colleges
What Does an Executive Chef Do?
These are some major responsibilities of an executive chef which are briefly discussed below:
- Supervising staff members’ activities.
- Managing and recruiting new staff members for the kitchen.
- Managing and keeping payroll and time records.
- Ensuring hygiene standards.
- Interacting with customers for suggestions and feedback on food quality prepared by them.
- Add new items in menus that satisfy quality standards.
- Managing estimation about the food requirements and other costs.
- Ensuring preparation process of food that must be in a consistent manner.
Types of Executive Chefs
There are different types of Executive Chefs based on their job roles and day-to-day activities. The different job roles for an executive chef are discussed below:
Head Chef
Head Chef is responsible for managing whole food processes in a restaurant including managing other chefs and kitchen staff members. He is the main person in the kitchen who assigns all the duties to all staff members. All staff members are working based on the Head Chef’s order. Moreover, Head Chef manages internal and external processes of the kitchen as well.
Kitchen Manager
He is responsible for managing food quality and overall hygiene and maintenance of the kitchen. There are various things to manage in a kitchen for cooking the food in a better way. Moreover, there are many responsibilities of a kitchen manager including managing kitchen staff, food preparation, machines, and food supplies. In addition, they are responsible for stock and inventory as well.
Restaurant Manager
A restaurant manager is a person who manages both the internal and external processes of a restaurant. Moreover, there are some basic needs to modify or update a restaurant than a restaurant manager should take proper decision about it. Moreover, there are many changes in the working processes. Thus, he should manage all the business processes in an efficient manner.
Catering Manager
The main responsibility of the catering manager is managing all the arrangements related to food supply and basic management of guests in the restaurant. The catering manager must manage all the serving processes in the restaurant. It makes a huge impact on the guests.
Executive Chefs Job Availability in India
In India, Executive Chefs are required in high demand with good skills and experience. Moreover, the five-star hotels are hiring good managers and executive chefs, which are responsible and a value-addition to the hotel. They can apply to various places including hotels, resorts, restaurants, cruises, corporate faculties, spas, hospitals, casinos, and others. Besides, an executive chef can start his own business as well.
Executive Chef Salary
The salary of an executive chef varies as per the work experience and the expertise he/she holds. Normally, an executive chef can earn INR 8,00,000 per year with some experience in inventory management, menu planning, and budget preparation.
Moreover, an executive chef working for top reputed hotels can earn a starting salary of INR 5,00,000, which later rises to INR 9,00,000 - INR 15,00,000 per year depending on years of experience.
Specialization Wise
| Specialization | Average Annual Salary (INR) |
|---|---|
| Head Chef | 8,50,000 |
| Kitchen Manager | 7,20,000 |
| Restaurant Manager | 6,50,000 |
| Catering Manager | 5,00,000 |
Organization Wise
| Organization | Average Annual Salary (INR) |
|---|---|
| Five star hotels | 15,00,000 |
| Resorts | 12,00,000 |
| Restaurants | 10,00,000 |
| Corporate facilities | 8,00,000 |
| Cruise | 6,00,000 |
| Spas | 4,00,000 |
Skills Required to be an Executive Chef
| Excellent Communication Skills | Communication makes a huge impact on the guest as well as staff members. Thus, an executive chef should be able to communicate effectively to understand the issues and offer solutions from a better perspective |
| Time management skills | Executive Chef should be able to cater to the needs of the guests on time and make sure that the kitchen staff works and delivers services effectively. |
| Organizational skills | Executive Chef should make sure that all the processes, from cooking food to maintaining the kitchen are aligned and in a coordinated manner. |
| Leadership skills | The staff members should be taken care of and managed in a proper manner. |
| Willingness to learn | Learning is necessary for this field |
| Ability to skillfully multitask | There are many works at the same time. Thus, multitasking is necessary for an executive chef |
Executive Chef Top Recruiting Companies
The top hotels and companies that are known to offer the highest compensations to Executive Chefs are mentioned below:
- The Leela Palace, New Delhi
- The Oberoi Rajvilas
- Taj Falaknuma Palace
- The Oberoi, New Delhi
Also Check: How to Become an Executive Chef Abroad?
Duties and Responsibilities of Executive Chef: FAQs
Ques. Who are the major recruiters for an executive Chef?
Ans. There are some specific hotels and five-star groups that recruit executive chefs such as The Oberoi Vilas, The Leela group, The Taj Palace group, and many others.
Ques. Where can an Executive Chef Apply?
Ans. An executive chef can apply to hotels, resorts, restaurants, cruise lines, casinos, and guesthouses. Besides, there are some other places in India where an executive chef can earn a better salary as well, such as private properties in tourist places Goa, Mumbai, and many others.
Ques. What is the eligibility criteria to become an executive chef?
Ans. Candidate must have completed a Bachelor’s degree in hotel management. Besides, some companies require a master’s degree. In addition, you can get certification from various courses as well.
Ques. What profiles are available for an Executive Chef?
Ans. Some of the other profiles in this industry are head chef, Restaurant manager, food and beverage manager.
Ques. Who works under Executive Chef?
Ans. An Executive Chef manages staff members and chefs including a pastry chef, sous chef, line cook, and grill chef.
Ques. What is the scope of a Bachelor’s degree in hospital management?
Ans. You can choose your career as an executive chef at various places including 5-star hotels, resorts, cruises, casinos, and many others. You can earn more money using your experience as well as a master’s degree can be a useful better place in the industry.
Ques. What are the duties and responsibilities of an Executive Chef?
Ans. An executive chef should manage and develop staff members and other operations using his skills such as time management, leadership, and effective communication skills.
Ques. What is the salary of executive staff in India?
Ans. It is depending on two things which are degree and experience. Thus, you should manage both degree and experience. Initially, an Executive Chef can earn INR 40,000 to 80,000 in a good organization.
Ques. What are extrinsic benefits in this profession?
Ans. Being an Executive Chef, you can be recognized with additional benefits from your organization that can be money or equal to it. Thus, it is a part of your job to do better and earn respect and money as well.
Ques. What are the long-term benefits of becoming an Executive Chef?
Ans. You can earn experience and it is so important in this profession. Thus, just improve your skills and get a better experience from a good organization. It will directly connect with the salary as well.
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