How to Become an Executive Chef: Career Guide, Courses, After 12th, Jobs, Scope, Salary

In India, every year more than 30,000 candidates appear for the Hotel Management and Culinary entrance exams and about 11,000 candidates take admission to the course. Some top hotel and catering management institutes in India for the executive chef course are IHM Delhi, IHM Chennai, IHM Kolkata etc. Average fee for the course in different academic institutions is different. The course cost varies from institute to institute, i.e., INR 20,000 – INR 5,00,000.

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The growth of the market is expected to increase to 6% from 2019- 2029. As an Executive Chef, one can work at various hotels and restaurant industries. More than 1,50,000 jobs are there in this occupation. At starting, an executive chef can expect INR 36,066 per month. The highest salary package an Executive Chef can earn is INR 85,110 to INR 2,50,000 in a month.

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Quick Facts for an Executive Chef

What Does an Executive Chef Do

• Executive Chefs are the head chef in a restaurant or cafeteria.
• They are responsible for overseeing the works in the kitchen of a restaurant, hotel, cruise ships etc.
• Their tasks are to do planning, directing the workers during preparation of food and culinary activities, creating menus, managing budgets for the dishes and presenting them to the customers.
• Their responsibility includes ensuring all food safety regulations, modifying the menu and coordinating with the kitchen members. 
• They also have to check whether the food is of good quality or not and as per the standards of the organisation.
• They make new recipes, plan menus, select plate presentations, hire and train kitchen staff, such as cooks, food preparation workers, and dishwashers etc.
• An executive chef must have an excellent record of kitchen management, Capable of delegating multiple tasks, Keep up with cooking trends and best practices in a Hotel.

Steps to Follow to Become an Executive Chef

Here are some steps one should take before going to the career as an executive chef. Those are discussed below:

Make a Decision

Before taking any steps, consider what you want to study. After passing 12th you can take a Diploma or Bachelor Degree course to pursue the course. The degree and diploma courses are offered by the management or business school in India. Thus make sure what you want to pursue after passing the exam of 12th board. In your 12th grade, you can opt for any stream or subject (Arts/ Science/Commerce/Engineering) to become an executive chef. But a Diploma or Bachelor degree is a must to become an executive chef. Hence, to make any decision on your career, consider it thoroughly, discuss it with your guardian and then go ahead with the course. In the work environment, the executive chef needs to work for a long time. So you must have to stay there to work and direct others in their work.

Choices of Subjects

Once you pass your 10th, you must have to pass the board exam of 12th grade, you can take any stream in your 10+2 class (arts/ Science/ Commerce). And after that you must need to pursue a Diploma course or an Under-graduate degree course in Hotel Management/ Culinary Art/ Hospitality Management from a recognized B-School or Management School under a university or institute. And once you complete the UG Degree or Diploma program you can go for a PG Degree or PG Diploma in Catering Technology/ Culinary Arts etc.

Entrance Exam Preparation

There might be an entrance examination for pursuing the degree or diploma in this course. Some institutes give admission to the students on the basis of merit. But where the entrance exam is a must, there you need to secure a good mark in order to get admission in the course. And all the management and catering technology entrances are not so easy to pass. So you must have to do practice, hard word, and understanding on the topics of the exam, and make some notes on the given topics for the entrance. Some mock test series papers are also available in different online study sites, thus practice the mock test paper as much as you can. Practice will make the questions easier for you, thus keep practicing and keep calm.

College Selection

Your score in the entrance exam is most important to get admission in a good management school under any recognized institution or university. Students who are pursuing the course in good universities have the chance to get placement offers in a top restaurant company, resort etc. One must have the ability to choose a good college with good academic quality.

After Qualifying Exam

After qualifying the exam of UG Level courses in Culinary Arts/ Culinary Science/ Catering Technology/ Hotel Management, you can go for higher studies like, Master’s Degree or PG Diploma course. Or also you can engage yourself in various types of restaurant or hotel industries to start your career. The post-graduate students in the executive chef are mostly preferred by the recruiters for jobs in the hotels, restaurants etc.

Internship/ Apprenticeship

Internship will help you in enhancing the skill which is required to be a professional Executive Chef. Internships give chances to the fresher to increase the skills to achieve their goal. There are some top hotels and restaurants in India where you can apply for internships, such as the Oberoi hotels, the Leela hotel, etc. During the Internship, you can learn how to help the workers in a kitchen, how to prepare food, how to plan, what to add in the menu and how to serve the quality and hygienic dishes to the clients.

Types of an Executive Chef

An Executive Chef can take lead for different works in a hotel, restaurant, motels, cafeteria etc. Some of the types of Executive Chef one can become after completing hotel management/ culinary art courses.

Executive Chef or Head Chef

Executive Chefs are the top level chefs in a hotel or restaurant or we can say that they are head chefs in a restaurant or airlines kitchen or hotels. They have to manage and operate the entire kitchen. These types of Chef are highly skilled cooks and their responsibility is to oversee the dining facility in a restaurant/ hotel, and oversee the work in a restaurant’s kitchen.

The salary structure is different in different restaurant companies. However, an Executive Chef earns around INR 4,30,000 at the starting of their career and the experienced Executive Chef gets around INR 10,00,000 per year and in some hotels more than that, i.e., INR 20,00,000 per annum.

Executive Sous Chef

Executive Sous Chefs are responsible for menu planning, operating the kitchen, preparing recipes, taking the financial responsibility, checking the food quality and supervising the other employees in the restaurant kitchen/ cruise ships/ cafeteria etc. They do everything necessary to ensure a dining establishment operates at maximum efficiency in a restaurant, cafe or hotel. They also handle more of the operational aspects of the kitchen, such as managing line cooks and waitstaff in a restaurant.

A Sous Chef can make around INR 4,93,156 per annum and a Senior Sous Chef makes around INR 10,00,000 per annum in India. Their salary is a little less than the Head or Executive Chef.

Station Chef

Station Chefs task is to ensure the freshness of foods, checking the quality of dishes, preparing the ingredients, cooking of dishes and presenting the dishes to their clients. They also have to check whether the food is hygienic or not. They prepare, cook high quality dishes within the speciality section. They also assist the Head Chef and Sous Chef in creating menu items, recipes and developing dishes in a restaurant.

In India, a Station Chef makes around INR 8,00,000 per year after having experience of 4- 9 years and at the entry level position they can make around INR 3,500,000 in a year.

Executive Pastry Chef

Baking operation in a restaurant is fully the responsibility of the Executive Pastry Chef. They have to supervise the desert preparation, train the employees, manage the supplies, assign the budget for the desert and ensure the sanitation regulations in the kitchen. They oversee  the preparation of desserts and the baking of breads in a commercial kitchen of a restaurant. They also develop dessert recipes and maintain an inventory of ingredients, while striving to achieve cost-efficiency for the restaurant or cafe.

Executive Pastry Chef earns a huge amount of salary in this profession. They make approx. INR 31,35,352 every year, but at the starting, they earn approx. INR 4,08,700 per year.

How to Become an Executive Chef in India?

To become an Executive Chef in India, you have to pass 12th grade in any stream and under-graduate level course in Culinary Art.

School Level Preparation

• If you are willing to become an executive chef then you have to prepare for the entrance in your 12th grade
• You can study in any discipline (Arts/ Commerce/ Science)

How to Become an Executive Chef after 12th?

After passing 10+2, prepare for the entrance examination for the hotel management/ culinary art courses in a good university/ institution.

Under-Graduate Level Preparation

• Admission to the under-graduate level of culinary course is done through an entrance or merit basis
• Entrance exams are conducted at university or national or state level
• Admission to the most of diploma courses are done through interview or on the basis of merit

Post-Graduate Level Preparation

• To pursue the Post-graduation in culinary art/ hotel management programs, first you have to finished your under-graduate level of program in hotel management or culinary arts
• An entrance exam will be conducted by the university for the post-graduate course in culinary art/ hotel management

Courses to Become an Executive Chef

There are different courses you can opt for to become an executive chef in restaurants. Those courses are offered at under-graduate and postgraduate level.

BHM or Bachelor of Hotel Management

BHM is a 3 year UG course studying food and beverage preparation, business communication, marketing, public relations and related fields of Hotel Management. 

Eligibility Criteria for the Exam

Applicants must have the following eligibility to seat for the exam:

• You should pass 12th grade with 50% minimum marks
• You must have to get a good marks in the English
• 12th board exam appearing students also can apply for this entrance exam

How to Apply for the Exam?

• Register your name in the website before moving forward to fill the online application form
• Login to the page again to fill up the form
• Upload each and every documents that is asked
• Pay the NCHMCT JEE fee and submit the form
• After submitting the form, download the confirmation page of online application

How to Prepare for the Exam?

• Like the other exams, it is also not so easy
• But if you are dedicated to become an executive chef, you must have to prepare well for the exam
• Practice the previous year’s questions for the exam
• Make your own notes and revise regularly

BA in Culinary Arts

BA in Culinary Arts is offered at under-graduate degree level and duration of the course is 3 years. It focuses on preparing ingredients, food preparation, cooking, and presentation of the quality dishes.

Admission Process

• Admission procedures to the BA Culinary Arts course can be done on the basis of marks scored at the previous degree.
• Few colleges may also take an Entrance Test for admission to this course followed by a practical test
• The entrance exam authority will release the list of selected candidates according to the marks in exam
• And after that the students can take admission in the course

How to Apply?

• First, register your name with all the details on the official website of the respective college.
• During registration give the details, i.e., name, email ID, password and mobile number and then submit it
• Then, again go to the site and login to your account with your name and password
• Fill the application form available in the online
• Upload the documents and your scanned photograph and the scanned signature
• Make the payment after filling up the application form
• Submit the form and print out the confirmation form for future reference

BHM in Culinary

BHM Culinary is a 3year UG course studying interdisciplinary management of food and beverage service operations, including customer service, resource planning and management.

Admission Process

• BHM Culinary admissions are based on merit as well as entrance based. 
• They need to register themselves to the official website of the colleges offering BHM in Culinary.
• Candidates appearing for an entrance test, may have to appear for counseling and personal interview
• The list of selected candidates is released according to the rank of applicants.

Diploma in Bakery and Confectionery

Diploma in Bakery and Confectionery is a 1 year course covering study of commodities used in Bakery/Confectionery, the process undertaken, selection, composition, functions, and reactions to the ingredients, etc.

Admission Process

• Admission to this course is done through merit marks scored at the previous higher education degree.
• Candidates need to register themselves on the website with all the required details.
• They need to clear all the mentioned eligibility criteria to get admission to colleges offering Diploma in Bakery and Confectionery.

How to Become an Executive Chef Abroad?

To be an Executive Chef abroad you must have to complete your courses and also must have skills and experience in this field. Here are some countries where you can become an Executive Chef after completing culinary arts/ hotel management/ catering technology courses.

US

To start a career as executive chef in the US one needs to have experience in the field, and for that they have to work in a restaurant kitchen to know the kitchen and work.

Admission Process

• Admission to the culinary or bakery management or confectionery courses is done through a test.
• One must have High School passed certificate or must have to pass an exam like, GED (General Education Diploma)

Top Colleges in USA

College Name	Average Fees (IN USD)
Culinary Institute of America, NY	$18,465
New England Culinary Institute, VT, US	$22,210
The Restaurant School at Walnut Hill College, PA	$23,550
International Culinary Education, New York	$38,169
Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts, Austin, TX	$62,850
L’Academie de Cuisine Gaithersburg, MD	$58,525
Johnson and Wales University, RI, US	$13,332
Metropolitan Community College Nebraska, Omaha	$4,680
Kendall College of Culinary Arts, Chicago	$8,443
Sullivan University National Center for Hospitality Studies, Louisville, US	$13,860

Courses Available

• Diploma in Culinary Arts
• Bachelor in Culinary Arts
• Certificate in Culinary Studies
• Masters’ in Culinary Arts
• BSc in Baking and Pastry Arts
• Associate of Science in Baking and Pastry

Australia

To become an executive chef in Australia, one needs to complete an apprenticeship in cooking and a TAFE qualification in cookery. To be the executive chef, one must have experience of 10 years.

Admission Process

• Admission to the culinary school is done on the basis of TAFE qualification, apprenticeship and an experience in cooking and kitchen management.
• Interested candidates need to complete a TAFE qualification in cookery and after that an apprenticeship of 36 months.

Top Colleges in Australia

College Name	Average Fees (IN USD)
Le Cordon Bleu Australia, Adelaide	A$1,825
William Angliss Institute	A$10,000
University of New South Wales	A$47,280
Meridian International Hotel School, Melbourne and Sydney	_
Unlimited Cuisine Company, Melbourne	_
Federation University, Australia	A$28,200
TAFE Queensland	A$5,000
Charles Darwin University	A$14,800
Sydney Seafood School	_
International College of Hotel Management, Adelaide	A$250

Courses Available

• Graduate diploma in food science
• Bachelor of Food and Nutritional Science
• Certificate in commercial cookery

UK

In the UK, to be an Executive Chef, one should study a foundation degree or a higher national diploma or degree in culinary arts or professional cookery. Along with these qualifications, one also needs to do apprenticeship in a restaurant.

Admission Process

• Admission to the cookery or culinary arts course is done on the basis of performance in entrance tests and working experience in a restaurant.
• To get admission in a culinary school, one must secure 5 GCSEs (General Certificate of Secondary Education) at 9 to 4 with English and Maths
• Certification of Apprenticeship is also most important to be an Executive Chef in UK

Top Colleges in UK

College Name	Average Fees (IN INR)
Le Cordon Bleu London Culinary School	INR 17,11,353
Ulster University Business School, Belfast	INR 403,772
University of Derby, Derby, England	INR 14,52,236
University of London, Birkbeck	INR 10,80,000
University of West London	INR 8,21,000
University College Birmingham	INR 12,92,428
Westminster Kingsway College, London	INR 7,12,172
Newcastle College, Newcastle upon Tyne	INR 8,02,197
Middlesbrough College, Middlesbrough	INR 5,61,537
University of the Highlands and Islands, Inverness Scotland	INR 4,65,294

Courses Available

• B. Sc. (Hons) Culinary Arts Management
• BA in Culinary Arts
• BSc (Hons) Culinary Health & Nutrition
• Diploma in Professional Cookery
• Bachelor in Baking Science & Technology
• Bachelor in Culinary Industry Management

France

To be an Executive Chef in France, it needs 10 years of experience or apprenticeship under a top level chef. Courses in France provide students a world class experience of the best faculty and hands-on training during the course.

Admission Process

• The admission in a good culinary school is done through a test and practical experience of cooking.
• To be an Executive Chef, it need a high school diploma or equivalent
• And also a two year degree in culinary arts to be an executive chef

Top Colleges in France

College Name	Average Fees (IN INR)
Le Cordon Bleu, Paris	INR 962,290
Ecole Lenotre- Culinary Arts School, Paris	INR 26,68,574
Le Cuisine Paris	INR 33,60,000
Ecole De Cuisine Alain Ducasse	INR 36,66,506
Les Coulisses Du Paris	INR 35,20,000
Institut Culinaire de France, Bordeaux	INR 8,01,909
Institut Paul Bocuse, Ecully, France	INR 15,14,717

Courses Available

• Bachelor in International Pastry Management
• Diploma in Cooking
• Bachelor in International Culinary Arts Management
• Master’s Degree in Culinary Leadership and Innovation

Benefits of Career as an Executive Chef

After becoming an Executive Chef you will get more benefits in the career which will also improve your skills of cooking and managing a kitchen.

Good Salary Package

The Executive Chef earns a good salary. They make around INR 10,00,000 to INR 30,00,000 per annum in this profession. And the freshers earn 4,00,000 to 6,00,000 per annum.

Job Security

If you have skills then you will get a chance in this field. And the demand for executive chef is rising in the job market which proves that the occupation is secure.

Positive Impact of the Career

Executive Chefs are responsible for preparing, cooking and presenting good, hygienic, and quality food to their customers. They have to ensure that the food is healthy and not unhygienic.

Higher Studies

After passing under-graduate level course in executive chef, you can go for a master's degree and after that you can also study a doctoral level course in food production/ culinary arts/ culinary science.

Unique Experience

As an executive chef you can gain a unique experience. An executive chef is responsible for many different works in a restaurant kitchen. They have to oversee the food, manage the budget, prepare ingredients, prepare dishes, and serve the quality food to their customers.

Own Industry or Restaurant

The executive chef also sometimes becomes head chef in a restaurant or hotel. You can open your own restaurant.

Skills Required for an Executive Chef

Skills required to become an executive chef:

Time management skill	Organization skill
Excellent communication skill	Leadership skill
Creativity	Customer service skill
Strong management ability	Good hygiene

Salary of an Executive Chef in India

Salary of an executive chef is different in different restaurants.

Average Annual Salary

Name of organization	Average annual salary
Govt.	INR 2,00,000
Private	INR 4,57,200

Salary Trend Graph

Specialization Wise Salary

Specializations	Salary (per annum)
Executive Sous Chef	INR 19,00,000
Executive Chef or Head Chef	INR 22,38,000
Executive Pastry Chef	INR 16,00,000
Station Chef	INR 7,00,000
Commis Chef	INR 2,95,413

Salary Trend Graph

Salary Trend Graph

Experience Wise Salary

Experience	Salary (per annum)
Fresher	INR 4,50,000
Experienced	INR 15,00,000

Salary Trend Graph

After the Executive Chef

After completing the Bachelor degree course in food/ culinary/ hotel management and catering etc. you can either choose to go for further studies or can start a career in this field.

Higher Education

• Most students choose to complete higher studies after graduating in bakery/ culinary art/ culinary science/ catering management etc.
• Many restaurants/ cruise ship/ airlines/ cafeteria/ canteen etc. prefer the candidates who have Masters’ Degree in Cooking/ Pastry making/ Bakery/ Culinary arts. Hence the higher studies is mostly chosen by the candidates
• After completing the Masters’ degree you can do doctoral degree in the course

Start job

• After completing an Under-graduate or Postgraduate Degree or Diploma, you can start your career as an Intern in various hotels/ restaurants etc.
• A fresher can make approx. INR 4- 6 lakh per annum and an experienced executive chef earns approx. INR 10- 30 lakh per annum