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Hospitality & Food Service

Executive Chef Resume Example

An executive chef resume must prove culinary leadership and business acumen — menu development, kitchen P&L, and brigade management — in a format ATS can parse and food-service recruiters trust.

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Executive Chef Resume Sample

A complete, recruiter-approved example you can use as a starting point. Open it in the builder to edit every line.

Executive Chef resume example rendered in the Competency template
Built with the Competency template

CHASE DONOVAN

Executive Chef

Miami, FL · c.donovan@email.com · (555) 388-2201

Summary

Executive chef with 12+ years leading high-volume fine-dining kitchens, known for reducing food cost while elevating menu quality. Directed brigades of up to 28 cooks and generated $6M+ in annual food revenue.

Experience

Executive Chef · The Ritz-Carlton

2018 - Present

  • Direct a kitchen brigade of 28 across three outlets generating $6.2M in annual food revenue
  • Redesigned the seasonal tasting menu, increasing average check by 18% and earning a 4.8-star guest rating
  • Cut food cost from 32% to 27% through supplier renegotiation and waste-tracking protocols
  • Run a 9-course chef's table program booking 220 covers monthly at $185 per guest

Sous Chef · Nobu Restaurant

2014 - 2018

  • Managed nightly production for 400+ covers, maintaining a 100% pass rate on health inspections for 4 consecutive years
  • Trained and promoted 6 line cooks into sous chef roles across the restaurant group
  • Standardized 65 recipe cards in MarketMan, cutting plate cost variance from 9% to 3%
  • Coordinated banquet service for events up to 350 guests alongside the catering team

Line Cook · Blue Marlin Grille

2011 - 2014

  • Worked saute and grill stations for 250 covers per night with a 6-minute average ticket time
  • Executed daily mise en place for 40+ menu items and prepped 120 lbs of protein per shift
  • Kept HACCP temperature logs across 3 walk-in units with zero health code violations

Education

A.O.S. Culinary Arts — The Culinary Institute of America · 2014

Skills

Menu Development, Food Cost Control, HACCP, ServSafe Manager, Inventory Management, Vendor Sourcing, Banquet Operations, Staff Training, Wine Pairing, Kitchen Budgeting, Brigade Management, Culinary Innovation

Certifications

ServSafe Food Protection Manager, National Restaurant Association

Certified Executive Chef (CEC), American Culinary Federation

Certified Professional - Food Safety (CP-FS), National Environmental Health Association

Key Achievements

Led kitchen to a AAA Four Diamond rating retained for four consecutive years

Named Miami Restaurant Month Chef of the Year, 2021

Reduced kitchen labor cost by 6 points while raising covers 22% year over year

Languages

English (Native), Spanish (Professional), French (Conversational)

Interests

Whole-animal butchery, Fermentation, Citrus farming, Open-water fishing

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Must-Have Keywords for Executive Chef Resumes

These are the keywords ATS systems and recruiters search for. Include them naturally in your Skills, Summary, and Experience sections.

Menu DevelopmentFood Cost ControlKitchen ManagementHACCPServSafeInventory ManagementVendor SourcingBrigade SystemCulinary InnovationStaff TrainingHealth InspectionsBanquet Operations

The Right Resume Structure for Executive Chef Roles

ATS systems parse your resume top to bottom. The order of your sections matters — here is the order that works best for Executive Chef applications:

  1. 1Contact Information
  2. 2Professional Summary
  3. 3Core Competencies
  4. 4Work Experience
  5. 5Education
  6. 6Certifications
  7. 7Awards

ATS Optimization Tips for Executive Chef Resumes

  • Lead with your culinary philosophy or specialty (e.g., modern French, farm-to-table) plus years of experience and kitchen size.
  • Quantify food cost percentage and how you improved it through sourcing or portion control.
  • List any awards, star ratings, or press mentions your kitchen has earned.
  • Detail brigade size managed and how you developed junior chefs into leadership roles.
  • Show menu impact with numbers: dishes launched, seasonal menu turnover, revenue lift from new offerings.
  • Include HACCP/ServSafe certifications and health inspection scores to prove compliance rigor.
  • Mention experience with banquet or private-event volume if applicable — it signals scalability.

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