There is a high demand for chefs in kitchens with many business owners offering good salaries and extra holiday days to entice good candidates. However, the best jobs out there will draw a lot of applicants, so you need to stand out from the crowd. Whenever you decide to apply for a new job, it is always a good idea to prepare yourself. Try and have some examples of your previous experiences ready to showcase your strengths. This article is brought to you by… Our Sales and Development Manager, Jamie Hogg, who has an extensive background in hospitality. With more than 15 years of experience as a General Manager of several bars, restaurants, hotels and pubs, Jamie has recruited many chefs and enjoys seeing how they develop with the role. I worked in restaurants and bars for over 9 years before setting up a cafe with a business partner. I’ll use my experience from the shiny, the sharp and the downright bluntest of interviews, to make sure you’re as prepared as possible. The contents of this article are Interview Questions for Chefs Interview Questions for Kitchen Managers Use the links above to jump to each section of the guide. Interview Questions for Chefs Being a good chef requires use of both hard and soft skills. You need to show attention to detail, be able to multitask, have an excellent understanding of cleanliness and allergens as well as cooking techniques and culinary expertise. You may be asked about your ability to cope under pressure, your decision-making ability and your creativity. Senior chefs will also be asked about P&L reports, average GP% and management style. To help you prepare for your interview, we’ve compiled a series of common questions along with the answers your interviewer will be looking for. Question Why do you want to be a chef? Answer This question is often asked to establish your passion for your job and what ambitions you have. Think about what it was that made you become a chef. Do you want to produce Michelin star food? Run your own business? Or perhaps you want to write cook books? Whatever it is that drives you, allow your love of food to shine through. Having genuine passion for your career inspires confidence in your desire to do well – a must for any chef. Question Who is a chef you admire, and why? Answer This is another question where the interviewer is looking for passion, as well as testing your knowledge on the industry. Be aware of key players that are relevant to what you want to do. For example, if you are applying for a chef job in a school, Jamie Oliver and his opinions on school dinners might come up. Similarly, if you are going for a job in a Michelin star establishment, have an opinion on worldwide renowned chefs. This question also determines who inspires you and why, it could be Michel Roux Jr., it could be your mum – likely for very different reasons! We all take inspiration from different places so there is no right or wrong answer here. Question Why are you leaving your current role? Answer The interviewer is on the lookout for any red flags here. Remember to stay positive and focus on sounding motivated for the opportunities a new role will bring you. Don’t focus on any negative reasons why you want to leave your current job. Never bad mouth your previous employers it looks unprofessional. Question How is your food hygiene knowledge? Answer Here, the interviewer is looking to see you are aware of food safety. If you have a food hygiene certificate, let them know, but make sure it is up to date! Your food hygiene training should be refreshed at least every 3 years. Explain how you use good kitchen practice to make sure the food you produce is safe, such as sanitising equipment. You may get bonus points for talking about HACCP, or demonstrating knowledge of allergens in dishes. Question What would you do if you saw a co-worker break food safety practice? Answer Breaking food safety practice can have dire consequences. If a customer was to become sick because of consistently bad food safety procedures, it could lead to business closure. Every reputable business will take food safety very seriously. If you see something that could harm customers or the business, you should take steps to rectify this. You may need to stop a dish from going out to the customer and you may need to have a talk with the staff member in question, or their senior. Food safety is everyone’s responsibility and the interviewer will want to know you take it seriously enough to do what is required. Question How is your knowledge on allergens and dietary requirements? Answer With this question, it would be helpful to give examples of times you have worked with allergenic and dietary requirements. Do you understand the importance of avoiding contamination, and communicating allergen or dietary information with serving staff and customers? Perhaps you have had a request come to the kitchen to make a dish with no nuts, were you able to guarantee the safety of the dish? How did you do this? The interviewer will want to see that you have excellent knowledge on allergens, and that you can confidently identify ingredients in a dish when a customer has a dietary or allergenic request. Question Can you tell me about a time when you’ve had a dish returned to the kitchen? Answer As chefs, most of us will have had a dish returned at some point. This question seeks to understand how you cope under pressure, and how you work to put the customers’ needs first. A good answer will show how you prioritise replacing the dish immediately, whilst staying cool and calm. Be wary of blaming others for making mistakes as it isn’t helpful to point fingers during service and will make you look unprofessional. If you did need to speak with a fellow staff member after the incident, make sure you mention doing so professionally, and in a constructive way. Question Can you tell me about a time you’ve accepted a delivery? Answer A question about receiving deliveries may seem simple at first, but it will actually reveal a lot about your capabilities. A good answer here will mention checking the temperature of the delivery and of the vehicle, the condition of the delivery vehicle, and of the goods themselves are there any signs of damage on any of the products or packaging? The food should be within a good best before or use by date. There should also be a delivery note accompanying the products – each item needs checking off to ensure it has been delivered. If there are any discrepancies within the delivery, the order may require an invoice adjustment or credit note. The delivery needs to be put away correctly and you could mention stock rotation here. What seems like a straightforward answer could actually be quite detailed, so don’t be afraid to show off your knowledge. Question Do you follow trends in food, do any trends excite you? Answer The hospitality industry moves so quickly and staying on top of trends is a key topic for business owners. It is therefore likely you will be asked a question around the future of food. There are many ways of staying on top of trends in food. Following inspiring chefs on social media is a good way to get started, or you could aim to visit new eateries that interest you. There is a big trend around sustainability of menus at the moment so having knowledge of where food comes from is appealing. Perhaps you even have ambitions to start your own farm – producing carbon neutral beef for your restaurant! No matter what trend excites you, having a well-thought-out answer will highlight your passion and ambition for the industry you work in. It will also show you are committed to staying current in a fast-paced industry. All of these are desirable traits for any chef at any stage in their career. Back to Top Kitchen Supervisor & Manager Interview Questions As a more senior chef, you will likely face questions designed to discover more about you as a manager of a team, and of a business. Consider the following as sous chef interview questions and beyond, gearing towards kitchen supervisor and head chef interview questions. Question Can you provide an example of a time when you successfully organised a diverse group of people to accomplish a task? Answer Often a busy kitchen will have chefs working in it from all over the world, meaning there may be language barriers and different schools of thought. As a senior member of the kitchen team, it will fall to you to get your staff working cohesively. Use this question to demonstrate your ability to lead and get the best out of a team. Your prospective employer will be looking to see you build teams based on trust, mutual respect and co-operation. Also, consider the front of house team. A kitchen manager may need to help cover problems faced by front of house, requiring adaptability and a unified outlook. These are excellent traits to demonstrate in your interview. Question How are your computer skills, do you have experience of stock checking software? Answer The higher up the chef hierarchy you go, the more paperwork you can get! Being asked about your computing skills is as important as being asked about your cooking skills. Make sure you have some experience, or at least show a desirability to learn new computing skills. Question What GP% do you work at and how do you maintain this? Answer An experienced chef will work their menus to a target GP% gross profit percentage. Explaining your reasonings behind your target will give you a chance to highlight your knowledge of costing menu items. You could use this question to demonstrate knowledge of the menu prices at the place you are interviewing for, and how you expect to achieve a good GP in this new setting. Question Can you read a P&L report? Answer The Profit & Loss report is essentially the bookkeeping of the business. Being able to understand the report is useful for seeing which menu items customers have repeatedly ordered, and the GP on these dishes. It can be a key source of information when it comes to designing new menu items. It is also helpful to see where expenditure is high so you can work towards reducing business costs. As a senior member of the team, this is your responsibility too, and your interviewer will be keen to see you taking this on. Question What do you look for when hiring chefs? Answer If you are successful in your job application, it may fall to you to build a team of your own. A question like this will tell your interviewer a lot about you. For example, do you prefer to hire new chefs with a positive attitude and not much experience? Or perhaps you prefer to hire chefs who have learnt in certain schools? Whatever you look for in a chef it will inform your employer on your personality and demonstrate your commitment to the role. Question Give an example of a time when your advice to management led to an improvement in the business, or otherwise helped your employer. Answer This question is looking to see if you can think outside the box and come up with helpful business solutions. Have some examples ready of times you were able to help previous businesses and employers. It could be anything from developing an early bird menu to drive mid-week sales, to finding a way to incorporate what would have been bar wastage into menu items, such as using short shelf-life stout beer to make a chocolate stout cake. The interviewer wants to see your willingness to work for the benefit of the business, and that you can be creative in your solutions. Back to Top What Should I Wear for the Interview? As with any interview, you should always dress smartly with clean and ironed clothes. First impressions do count so it’s a good idea to demonstrate your knowledge of food safety through your appearance. Make sure long hair is tied back, keep jewellery to a minimum and make sure your hands and nails are clean, with no nail polish. If you have been invited for a trial shift you should expect to be in the kitchen, so bring your chef whites with you – these too should be clean and ironed! Your chef whites should only be worn in the kitchen to ensure you don’t become a source of cross-contamination, so you do not need to wear chef whites for an initial interview. Learn more about the importance of a chef uniform here. Back to Interview Questions for Hospitality Staff Whether you are looking for entry level commis chef interview questions, through to head chef interview questions, we hope you found some of these examples useful. Remember to draw on your experience and ideas to make your answers your own. Be sure to highlight your key skills and your transferable skills. Most of all, Good Luck! What to Read Next Brigade de Cuisine What Are the Different Types of Chefs? Is There a Difference Between Food Hygiene & Food Safety? Level 3 Supervising Food Safety in Catering Training

Finding a job13 Reasons To Become a Chef Why You Should Choose This CareerA chef is a trained professional who prepares meals for customers and supervises their kitchen staff. There are many ways to become a chef, and you can pursue a variety of opportunities in this profession. This can be a rewarding career if you're creative and and enjoy continually learning. In this article, we discuss a chef's duties and highlight 13 reasons to choose this does a chef do?A chef manages all aspects of food preparation at a restaurant, hotel or any other establishment that serves food. They ensure that all team members perform their jobs adequately and meet the kitchen's quality standards. A chef enforces safety in the kitchen relating to food preparation and sanitation. Depending on the kitchen, a chef also plates and garnishes dishes. They ensure each customer receives a dish that is appealing in terms of taste, smell and visual also perform administrative tasks for their establishment. During slow periods or non-business hours, a chef may evaluate inventory, order kitchen supplies and create work schedules for other employees. They can also help the establishment's owners or managers create menu reasons to become a chefHere's a list of 13 reasons to become a chef1. You want to travelDining establishments exist all over the world, so you can work nearly anywhere as a chef. If you work for a franchised restaurant, you may have the opportunity to transfer to different locations. There are also opportunities to work as a chef on cruise ships, giving you the ability to visit and experience the cultures of multiple 14 Jobs That Involve Travel2. You want to experiment with different cuisinesMany chefs begin their careers specializing in a specific cuisine, like French, Greek or Turkish. Some chefs are content with their specialization and focus on it for the duration of their careers, while others explore many types of cuisine to expand their culinary knowledge. You can also try experimenting with fusion cuisine, creating new dishes. Having knowledge of several types of cuisines and cooking techniques can also make you a more competitive You're science-orientedChefs use science to develop their food preparation techniques and invent new methods of cooking. Chefs understand how cutting, heating and cooling food change its composition. Cooking and food preparation are applied sciences, and chefs understand them fully to succeed at their may also use tools, like liquid nitrogen and lasers, to prepare traditional dishes in innovative ways. A chef also regularly measures elements in the kitchen using measuring cups, scales and thermometers, which can be rewarding work for an individual who's interested in the accuracy and precision that are essential in scientific You want to become a better chef in your personal lifeWorking as a professional chef gives you the chance to hone a skill that's practical in everyday life. You can apply the techniques you learn at work to the meals you prepare for yourself. As a result, you may be able to prepare healthier meals more You enjoy being creativeA career as a chef allows you to exercise your creativity. You can develop your own recipes or alter to existing ones. You can also experiment with different ways to garnish your dishes and impress customers with visual busy work periods or times of inconsistent supply, a chef may find themselves limited on the ingredients they have available. They can use their problem-solving and creative skills to make substitutions where necessary. Many chefs enjoy the excitement that this quick thinking 18 Well-Paying Jobs for Creative People6. You like working flexible hoursA career as a chef is a great option for individuals who want to work nontraditional hours. For example, a restaurant that serves brunch may only be open from 9 to A chef who works at a location like this can go to work and come home early, allowing them to spend time with their family and maintain a good work-life balance. Some chefs prefer to work evening hours so they can go to appointments and complete errands during the You prefer to remain active while at workA career as a chef allows individuals to remain physically active. They spend most of their workdays standing and walking while monitoring different areas of the kitchen. They also often lift heavy items, like large stock pots and sacks of rice, making this an ideal job for those who want to be physically You want access to self-employment opportunitiesAfter you get some experience as a chef, you can consider opening your own restaurant. Head chefs can choose who they employ, what dishes to serve and what hours to work. Opening your own restaurant can give you personal satisfaction and the flexibility to run an establishment however you You want the opportunity to work in various settingsChefs can work in many different settings, giving them plenty of variety. A chef can work in a restaurant, hotel or another food-service establishment in their area. They can also work as a personal chef for one or several private You want to engage in meaningful workThe work a chef does can be very meaningful. They can help customers expand their palate and discover new taste combinations that they had never considered before. Some chefs specialize in creating meals for customers on special gluten-free or keto diets, helping them eat healthily or achieve personal You want to advance in the culinary industryBecoming a chef is usually the next step to take if you're a cook. While many people use the terms cook and chef interchangeably, there are some differences. A cook follows pre-existing recipes and techniques to create food, while a chef uses their experience to develop new recipes. You can gain a few years of experience in a kitchen as a cook, then become a chef if you're interested in advancing your Chef vs. Cook What's the Difference?12. You can learn new skillsThere are plenty of learning opportunities for a chef. If you're new to the culinary industry, you can apply for an internship and find a mentor who's willing to teach you more about the industry. You can also learn new cooking methods and techniques from online videos and other formal education isn't necessary to become a professional chef, but it can be beneficial to pursue one. You can attend a university and earn a Bachelor of Science in Culinary Arts. You can also attend a culinary school to earn a certification or associate degree, then focus on gaining hands-on Everything You Need To Know About Earning a Chef Degree13. You enjoy socializing with many peopleA chef is responsible for the actions of many team members. They communicate with their servers, line cooks, dishwashers and fellow chefs to ensure that everything in the kitchen is running as smoothly as possible. A career as a chef is a very social one that allows them to converse with people daily. It's an ideal job if you like to interact with many different types of people.

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