Your work. Your records.
Chef and Head Cook Workplace Records
Chefs and head cooks may direct preparation while also cooking, ordering supplies and responding to shortages. An employment concern needs a concrete account of that mix. Explain which decisions you could make and which required approval; a chef title alone does not settle employment coverage or pay classification.
Call now(800) 800-5555Free initial case evaluation. Representation depends on work state and case eligibility. This guide explains record preparation; it does not determine whether a legal claim exists.
A record map for your role
What to organize first
Decision examples
List staffing or menu decisions you made and those requiring another manager’s authorization.
Coverage sequence
Identify periods spent cooking, training or cleaning alongside your supervisory assignments.
Review context
Pair your own evaluation with the instructions and supply or staffing changes relevant to its stated concerns.
Start with the work you actually do
Direct and may participate in the preparation, seasoning, and cooking of salads, soups, fish, meats, vegetables, desserts, or other foods. May plan and price menu items, order supplies, and keep records and accounts.
O*NET classifies this occupation as Chefs and Head Cooks (35-1011.00). Its description covers a typical occupation, not every workplace or individual job. It does not establish employee status, overtime eligibility or employer misconduct.
- Monitor sanitation practices to ensure that employees follow standards and regulations.Source task 11129 · updated 08/2025
- Instruct cooks or other workers in the preparation, cooking, garnishing, or presentation of food.Source task 11135 · updated 08/2025
- Supervise or coordinate activities of cooks or workers engaged in food preparation.Source task 11132 · updated 08/2025
- Order or requisition food or other supplies needed to ensure efficient operation.Source task 11131 · updated 08/2025
A reference point for your pay records
May 2025 wage estimates by state
Compare your pay records with published BLS estimates for Chefs and Head Cooks (SOC 35-1011). These describe an occupation across employers. They are not a required pay rate, an overtime calculation, or evidence of discrimination or unpaid wages.
Select your work state to see its published pay range. No personal pay information is requested or sent.
The 25th and 75th percentiles mark the middle half of the estimated wage distribution; the median is its midpoint. Actual pay can differ with experience, employer, location and duties. Hourly and annual figures are shown as published, without converting one into the other.
All published state estimates for this occupation
| State | Hourly 25th | Hourly median | Hourly 75th | Annual median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $24.47 | $30.00 | $35.64 | $62,400 |
| Alaska | $19.90 | $25.09 | $35.16 | $52,190 |
| Arizona | $18.50 | $28.79 | $36.05 | $59,890 |
| Arkansas | $18.96 | $22.20 | $31.24 | $46,170 |
| Connecticut | $24.59 | $30.92 | $37.41 | $64,310 |
| Delaware | $27.00 | $29.54 | $36.69 | $61,440 |
| Florida | $21.00 | $28.00 | $36.46 | $58,240 |
| Georgia | $24.15 | $31.84 | $43.44 | $66,230 |
| Hawaii | $26.22 | $37.19 | $47.42 | $77,360 |
| Idaho | $20.35 | $25.00 | $32.18 | $52,000 |
| Indiana | $18.80 | $25.09 | $31.25 | $52,190 |
| Iowa | $20.49 | $23.07 | $28.55 | $47,990 |
| Kansas | $21.15 | $28.07 | $36.06 | $58,390 |
| Kentucky | $17.71 | $23.11 | $32.10 | $48,070 |
| Louisiana | $19.06 | $21.91 | $28.38 | $45,570 |
| Maine | $26.48 | $27.41 | $30.32 | $57,010 |
| Michigan | $23.54 | $28.88 | $35.62 | $60,070 |
| Minnesota | $25.51 | $30.10 | $36.52 | $62,600 |
| Mississippi | $17.87 | $26.37 | $36.71 | $54,850 |
| Missouri | $23.82 | $31.00 | $36.79 | $64,480 |
| Montana | $23.51 | $27.63 | $34.63 | $57,470 |
| Nebraska | $22.13 | $29.09 | $39.26 | $60,510 |
| New Hampshire | $25.25 | $30.48 | $36.68 | $63,400 |
| New Mexico | $23.34 | $29.93 | $40.03 | $62,250 |
| New York | $26.48 | $33.98 | $44.83 | $70,670 |
| North Carolina | $23.25 | $29.39 | $36.70 | $61,130 |
| North Dakota | $23.53 | $35.93 | $37.84 | $74,740 |
| Ohio | $22.00 | $25.96 | $35.64 | $53,990 |
| Oklahoma | $18.19 | $28.14 | $32.48 | $58,540 |
| Pennsylvania | $23.69 | $30.70 | $39.32 | $63,860 |
| Rhode Island | $34.44 | $38.43 | $46.24 | $79,930 |
| South Dakota | $19.06 | $23.30 | $24.94 | $48,470 |
| Tennessee | $27.63 | $33.56 | $39.37 | $69,810 |
| Texas | $20.21 | $26.96 | $34.55 | $56,080 |
| Utah | $20.07 | $28.39 | $36.46 | $59,060 |
| Vermont | $27.29 | $31.46 | $37.19 | $65,440 |
| Virginia | $24.12 | $30.42 | $37.15 | $63,270 |
| West Virginia | $23.07 | $29.38 | $39.65 | $61,100 |
| Wisconsin | $23.65 | $29.47 | $35.62 | $61,300 |
| Wyoming | $29.85 | $35.18 | $40.24 | $73,170 |
“Not published” preserves unavailable or suppressed source cells. “Above reporting limit” preserves a top-coded source value without inventing a number. A missing state estimate does not establish service eligibility. The data describe wage and salary employment; they do not measure self-employment income.
Source: BLS May 2025 state workbook · OEWS tables · BLS technical notes. Use your own schedule, pay statement and compensation terms to identify the question you want reviewed.
Clarify menu and staffing authority
Describe who approved menu changes, supply purchases and staffing levels during the relevant period. Distinguish your recommendation from a decision you could make independently. If an assignment changed, record the instruction and whether the expected service or production target changed with it.
Describe hands-on coverage
List cooking, training and sanitation work you performed when someone was absent or supplies arrived late. Connect those duties to your own schedule and time record. Note the assistance requested and response without treating the kitchen’s final output as a complete measure of your work.
Protect the kitchen’s restricted files
Keep your own employment terms, evaluation and permitted manager messages. Do not take recipes, vendor pricing, staff medical details or disciplinary files. Describe a relevant purchasing or sanitation record by type and date, leaving the original unchanged and within its authorized system.
Choose your next step
Review the workplace retaliation guide, unpaid wages guide, or discrimination guide if those concerns fit your experience. A job title alone does not establish a claim.
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