Cooking is a trade learned mostly by doing. Here is what the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics says about chefs and head cooks, and how people usually get there.
Key idea
The BLS (Occupational Outlook Handbook, page modified August 27, 2026): chefs and head cooks typically need a high school diploma and 5 years or more of work experience in a related job; median pay was \$62,470 a year in May 2025; there were about 220,300 jobs in 2025, with employment projected to grow 7% from 2025 to 2035. Most learn through work experience, often starting as line cooks; others train in culinary programs, apprenticeships (some registered with the U.S. Department of Labor) or the Armed Forces.
- Staging: a stage (stahzh) is a short, often unpaid, working trial or visit in a kitchen; the cook is a stagiaire. It's how cooks learn new kitchens and how chefs try out new hires. Labor laws on unpaid work apply, so ask how a kitchen handles it.
- Food handler cards are required in some states and cities; a manager may need a food protection manager certificate.
- ACF certification (American Culinary Federation) is optional and climbs from Certified Fundamentals Cook and Certified Culinarian through Certified Sous Chef, Chef de Cuisine and Executive Chef to Certified Master Chef, with a pastry track; higher levels require years of experience, set courses (such as food safety, nutrition and supervisory management) and written and practical exams.
- Typical path: dishwasher or prep cook → line cook → station chef or lead → sous-chef → chef de cuisine → executive chef. It takes years.
Why it works
Kitchen work is physical: long shifts, nights, weekends and holidays, standing in heat. Many cooks love it for the teamwork, the craft and the pace. Trying it, through a stage or a part-time job, is the best way to find out.
Worked example: Years
A cook spends 2 years as a prep cook, 3 as a line cook and 2 as a sous-chef. How many years before becoming a chef de cuisine?
- $2 + 3 + 2 = 7$.
Answer: 7 years.
Common mistake
Thinking a culinary degree alone makes you a chef. The BLS lists years of kitchen experience as typical.
Practice at home
- Ask a local restaurant whether they take stagiaires or part-time prep help. Prepare by practicing your knife cuts and kitchen calls.