Chef Salary Data - They Are Not All Paid Like Celebrities
By: Barnaby Dorfman
Published: February 28, 2013

With the rise of the celebrity chef, it's easy to forget that there are tens of thousands of hard working chefs who don't get the level of recognition garnered by Cat Cora, Bobby Flay, and Mario Batali.
While many of the elite make millions of dollars each year from TV contracts, books, and theme restaurants, even professionals with the prestigious title of "Head Chef" only make about $40K per year, according to leading salary data site PayScale.com. In a recent blog post on chef salary information they profile the profession, where the average "Kitchen Chef" typically earns just over $27,000 per year and often work shifts that "run 12 to 14 hours, six days a week."
So if you love to watch Rachael Ray, Guy Fieri, Gordon Ramsay and Paula Deen on TV...also take the time to send compliments to the chefs of your local restaurants and give those extremely hard working, modestly paid individuals some additional recognition!

Head Chef
Salary Report (United States)



Disclosure: In addition to my role at Foodista, I am also employed by PayScale.