Leads the food for an entire restaurant group, hotel company, or foodservice brand, setting menus and standards across many kitchens. BLS does not publish separate figures for chefs and head cooks; it counts them within chef (SOC 35-1011), whose median pay is $62,470 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Typical entry-level education: High school diploma or equivalent.
- SOC 35-1011
- Food Preparation and Serving Related
- Last updated October 9, 2026
At a glance
Corporate Executive Chef in four numbers
- Median pay
- $62,470a year, or $30.03/hrBLS OEWS, May 2025Lowest 10% $38KTop 10% $99K
US median, all jobs: $50,980
- Projected growth
- +6.6%Faster than averageBLS EP, 2025–2035This career+6.6%All jobs+3.5%
Projected employment change, 2025–2035 Item Value This career +6.6% All jobs +3.5% - Openings a year
- 25,200220,300 jobs todayBLS EP, 2025–2035
- Jobs in 2025220.3K
- Projected 2035234.7K
Employment, 2025–2035 Item Value Jobs in 2025 220.3K Projected 2035 234.7K - Typical education
- High schoolneeded to enterBLS EP, 2025–2035; mix: O*NET
- High school12.5%
- Certificate16.7%
- Some college8.3%
- Associate's54.2%
- Bachelor's8.3%
Highest education held by chefs and head cooks Segment Value High school 12.5% Certificate 16.7% Some college 8.3% Associate's 54.2% Bachelor's 8.3%
Also advertised as: Culinary Director, Director of Culinary Operations, Corporate Chef, Vice President of Culinary.
Pay
How much do Chefs and Head Cooks make?
Every corporate executive chef in the US, by percentile of annual wage
Median
$62,470
Middle half earn $48,440 to $78,750
- 10th
- $37,900
- 25th
- $48,440
- 75th
- $78,750
- 90th
- $98,560
All US occupations: $50,980
| Percentile | Value |
|---|---|
| 10th | $37,900 |
| 25th | $48,440 |
| Median | $62,470 |
| 75th | $78,750 |
| 90th | $98,560 |
| All US occupations | $50,980 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Median annual wage
- $62,470
- Median hourly wage
- $30.03/hr
- Mean annual wage
- $66,700
- People employed
- 200,040
Versus all US occupations
At $62,470, Chefs and Head Cooks earn 23% above the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $11,490 a year.
Versus food preparation and serving related occupations
Inside the Food Preparation and Serving Related group, where the middle occupation pays $35,360, this is 77% above the group median.
Pay range
The top 10% earn $98,560 or more while the bottom 10% earn $37,900, a gap of 2.6×. That is a typical spread for a US occupation.
Rank in the bank
This median pays more than 36% of the 1,741 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.
Cost of living
Rhode Island posts the highest raw median ($79,930), but once local prices are taken into account North Dakota leads at $84,016 in national-average dollars.
Pay by state
Which states pay Chefs and Head Cooks the most?
State medians come from the same OEWS release as the national figures. The cost-of-living column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity, restating pay in national-average dollars so a high-cost state and a low-cost one can be compared directly.
| State | Median | COL-adjusted | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Rhode Island | $79,930 | $78,148 | 740 |
| 2Hawaii | $77,360 | $70,359 | 1,240 |
| 3District of Columbia | $76,420 | $69,535 | 2,020 |
| 4Washington | $76,010 | $71,029 | 5,320 |
| 5North Dakota | $74,740 | $84,016 | 100 |
| 6New Jersey | $74,280 | $68,269 | 9,100 |
| 7Wyoming | $73,170 | $78,940 | 240 |
| 8South Carolina | $71,860 | $76,651 | 2,650 |
| 9New York | $70,670 | $65,483 | 17,430 |
| 10Tennessee | $69,810 | $75,988 | 3,820 |
Job outlook
Is Corporate Executive Chef a growing career?
Employment change over 2025–2035, against every US occupation
Faster than average. +6.6% projected growth vs 3.5% for all occupations.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Chefs and Head Cooks | +6.6% |
| All US occupations | +3.5% |
Source: BLS EP, 2025–2035
Faster than average
BLS projects employment of Chefs and Head Cooks to change 6.6% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% projected for all occupations. That is 14,400 more jobs.
Annual openings
About 25,200 openings are projected each year, 11.4% of the 220,300 jobs that existed in 2025. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.
Getting in
How to become a Corporate Executive Chef
Corporate executive chefs usually have many years of kitchen experience, typically as sous chef and then executive chef of a single restaurant or hotel before moving to a multi-unit role. Culinary school is common but not required. The American Culinary Federation's Certified Executive Chef and Certified Culinary Administrator credentials document management-level experience and are valued by hotel and foodservice employers. Business skills, often gained through a hospitality management degree or on the job, matter as much as cooking.
People reach this level by running a profitable kitchen, opening new locations successfully, and showing they can train others to cook their food consistently.
- 1
Typical entry-level education
High school diploma or equivalent
- 2
Work experience in a related occupation
5 years or more
- 3
Typical on-the-job training
None
- 4
Preparation needed (O*NET job zone)
Some preparation
BLS Employment Projections, 2025–2035; job zone from O*NET 31.0 Database.
What education people in the job have
O*NET incumbent survey: the highest level of education reported by people already working as chefs and head cooks.
- Associate's Degree or other 2-year degree54.2%
- Post-Secondary Certificate16.7%
- High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)12.5%
- Some College Courses8.3%
- Bachelor's Degree8.3%
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Associate's Degree or other 2-year degree | 54.2% |
| Post-Secondary Certificate | 16.7% |
| High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED) | 12.5% |
| Some College Courses | 8.3% |
| Bachelor's Degree | 8.3% |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
The work
What does a Corporate Executive Chef do?
A corporate executive chef is the senior culinary leader for a multi-unit company. Instead of running one kitchen, they set the menu, recipes, and quality standards that every location follows. They develop new dishes, test them, write the recipe cards and plating guides, and roll them out with training for each kitchen team.
The role is as much business as cooking. Corporate chefs negotiate with suppliers, manage food costs across locations, work on new restaurant openings, and report to owners or executives on performance. They visit kitchens to audit quality and food safety and mentor the executive chefs who run each site.
Day-to-day tasks
- Create and standardize menus and recipes for multiple locations
- Train kitchen teams on new dishes, plating, and procedures
- Negotiate with food suppliers and manage purchasing programs
- Monitor food costs and kitchen performance across locations
- Audit kitchens for quality, consistency, and food safety
- Plan kitchens and menus for new restaurant openings
- Mentor and evaluate executive chefs at each site
- Present menu proposals and results to executives or owners
Typical tasks, researched by NueCareer from the sources below.
Working conditions and hours
Corporate executive chefs split time between a headquarters test kitchen, offices, and the restaurants they oversee. Travel between locations is frequent and can be regional or national. Hours are long during openings and menu launches, though they usually involve fewer late-night services than a single-kitchen chef.
Where the work happens
Indoors, climate-controlled
NeverEvery dayIndoors, in a climate-controlled space, every day.
Outdoors in all weather
NeverEvery day
Physical demands
Sitting
NeverAlmost all the timeStanding
NeverAlmost all the timeOn their feet more than half the working day.
Bending or twisting
NeverAlmost all the time
Working with people
Contact with other people
NoneConstantConstant contact with other people.
Face-to-face discussions
NeverEvery dayFace-to-face discussions every day.
Dealing with the public
Not importantExtremely important
Pressure and stakes
Strict deadlines
NeverEvery dayMeeting strict deadlines at least weekly.
Conflict situations
NeverEvery dayHandling conflict situations at least monthly.
Cost of a mistake
Not seriousExtremely serious
Autonomy
Freedom to decide
NoneA lot
Conditions: O*NET Work Context survey. Each item has its own scale, so each dot is read against the two answers that end its own line.
Core skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Monitoring4.0
- Speaking3.9
- Critical Thinking3.8
- Active Listening3.6
- Reading Comprehension3.5
- Active Learning3.4
- Learning Strategies3.3
- Writing3.1
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Monitoring | 4.0 |
| Speaking | 3.9 |
| Critical Thinking | 3.8 |
| Active Listening | 3.6 |
| Reading Comprehension | 3.5 |
| Active Learning | 3.4 |
| Learning Strategies | 3.3 |
| Writing | 3.1 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Transferable skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Coordination4.1
- Social Perceptiveness3.9
- Time Management3.9
- Management of Personnel Resources3.9
- Service Orientation3.8
- Instructing3.6
- Judgment and Decision Making3.6
- Complex Problem Solving3.3
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Coordination | 4.1 |
| Social Perceptiveness | 3.9 |
| Time Management | 3.9 |
| Management of Personnel Resources | 3.9 |
| Service Orientation | 3.8 |
| Instructing | 3.6 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.6 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.3 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Tools and software
- Electronic mail software · in demand
- Office suite software · in demand
- Presentation software · in demand
- Spreadsheet software · in demand
- Web page creation and editing software · in demand
- Word processing software · in demand
- Analytical or scientific software
- Data base user interface and query software
- Desktop publishing software
- Enterprise resource planning ERP software
- Financial analysis software
- Instant messaging software
“In demand” marks an O*NET Employer-Based Hot Technology, software named in real job postings for this occupation.
Personality fit
What personality type suits a Corporate Executive Chef?
NueCareer estimate (Holland code EAR) built on O*NET's Chef profile, scored 1 to 7
| Axis | Corporate Executive Chef |
|---|---|
| Realistic | 5 |
| Investigative | 2 |
| Artistic | 4 |
| Social | 3 |
| Enterprising | 5 |
| Conventional | 4 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
What the work is built around
Day to day this is work built around leading, persuading, selling and making decisions, combined with hands-on, practical work with tools, machines or the outdoors.
- Enterprising5.4
- Realistic4.8
- Conventional4.3
- Artistic3.5
- Social3.0
- Investigative1.7
Closest MBTI types
NueCareer fit scores: cosine similarity between each MBTI type's interest vector and this occupation's O*NET interest profile. Not a BLS or O*NET figure; the method is documented on our methodology page.
Explore further
Careers related to Corporate Executive Chef
O*NET related occupations
- Food Preparation and Serving Related
- Production
- Food Preparation and Serving Related
- Food Preparation and Serving Related
- Food Preparation and Serving Related
- Management
More food preparation and serving related careers
Median annual pay, with chefs and head cooks highlighted
- Chef$62,470
- Corporate Executive Chef$62,470
- Food Preparation Worker$35,320
- Server$35,230
- Bartender$34,340
- Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendant and Bartender Helper$33,980
- Barista$31,200
- Fast Food and Counter Worker$31,200
- Host and Hostess, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop$31,200
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Chef | $62,470 |
| Corporate Executive Chef | $62,470 |
| Food Preparation Worker | $35,320 |
| Server | $35,230 |
| Bartender | $34,340 |
| Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendant and Bartender Helper | $33,980 |
| Barista | $31,200 |
| Fast Food and Counter Worker | $31,200 |
| Host and Hostess, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop | $31,200 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
Lists Corporate Executive Chef appears on
Questions
Corporate Executive Chef: frequently asked questions
How much do Chefs and Head Cooks make?
BLS does not publish a separate wage for chefs and head cooks. It counts them within chef, whose median pay is $62,470 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The middle half of that occupation earn between $48,440 and $78,750, and the top 10% earn $98,560 or more.
Do you need a degree to become a Corporate Executive Chef?
No. A bachelor's degree is not the norm: BLS reports a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry-level education for Chefs and Head Cooks. Employers typically expect 5 years or more of related work experience first. In O*NET's survey of people already doing the job, 54.2% hold associate's degree or other 2-year degree.
Is Corporate Executive Chef a growing career?
Yes. Employment is projected to grow 6.6% over 2025–2035, faster than the 3.5% average for all occupations (BLS EP, 2025–2035). BLS still projects about 25,200 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does a Corporate Executive Chef do?
A corporate executive chef is the senior culinary leader for a multi-unit company. A typical task: create and standardize menus and recipes for multiple locations. Employers most often ask for Electronic mail software, Office suite software, Presentation software.
Which states pay Chefs and Head Cooks the most?
The highest state medians for Chefs and Head Cooks are Rhode Island ($79,930), Hawaii ($77,360), District of Columbia ($76,420) (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Adjusted for local prices using BEA Regional Price Parities, North Dakota moves to the top at $84,016.
What personality type suits a Corporate Executive Chef?
O*NET scores Chefs and Head Cooks highest on the Enterprising, Realistic and Conventional interest areas, so the work mixes leading, persuading, selling and making decisions with hands-on, practical work with tools, machines or the outdoors. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping that lines up most closely with ESTJ personalities. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 1,731 careers in the bank.