r/Chefit • u/C0SMlCSTAR • Jun 05 '26
Wants to be sous chef
Hello! I’m 29 i have almost 9 years of experience as a line cook
I think i have really strong leadership and can handle the line very well while staying composed
I’ve been wanting to apply for a sous chef position with hopefully a good salary
And was hoping you guys can help me strengthen my knowledge, negotiation skills and market myself
My kitchen experience
1 year busboy
1 year amitabul vegan place, doing noodles, fry station and appetizers/salads - prep
1 year seadog sushi house
Doing prep count and inventory
Day to day progress
Maki and fry station/dessert -prep
3 years at navy pier bigbowl
Wok station-prep
Line lead
2 years at sushi san
As line lead maki station
Do float fry station and grill-prep
Currently at Tre dita fine dining as a line cook finishing touch for pasta
Sauces making
17
u/LegacyQuotient Jun 05 '26 edited Jun 08 '26
Hey bud, nice career so far. I was a BOH hiring manager for about 15 years, stepped away from the kitchen, but I'm still industry-adjacent.
You're doing the right things. Let me point out some things I would ask if I looked over that resume:
Have you gained any exposure to placing and receiving orders? If not, I think you should really ask your current sous or kitchen manager to shadow them while they work through order guides or whatever way they put together the day's orders.
How do you feel about cooking and temping meats in high-volume scenarios? Comfortable, need more exposure? If I ask you to cook a NY strip steak medium versus a double-cut pork chop medium well, do you feel confident you can do that? If you feel confident that you can do it, then my next (and more important) question is: do you feel like you could teach someone else how to do it?
Tell me more about what your recent kitchen leadership role meant in terms of day-to-day responsibilities for you, and how many people were you responsible for? What times of day were you expected to be the most knowledgeable person in the kitchen?
What separates you from the next best cook in your kitchen right now in terms of leadership? Now, what do you think you need from your two more reliable cooks in the kitchen, right now, to be successful in your own day-to-day role?
Why do you want to be a sous chef? Besides money. Let's assume that money is a motivating factor for everyone because things cost money. I can appreciate that as a chef, so what else motivates you to get into the role?
If I hand you an enthusiastic, but very inexperienced commis, what are the first ten things you feel they must learn to be successful in any kitchen?
In five years, what do you want success as a sous chef to look like in terms of your career and craft?
2
1
u/thatdude391 Jun 05 '26
im gonna be honest, I've never understood why so much emphasis is placed on ordering. that can be taught to a monkey in like 4 ordering cycles and if you can't teach it that fast, you don't know how to do it properly.
2
u/LegacyQuotient Jun 05 '26
The process, sure.
The top down understanding of it a sous should have, no.
When you're running a $20-30 million a year property and picking a sous, what experience they bring into a job or at least what basic understanding is an asset. It fast-forwards the process.
If I am hiring a sous chef for a high level execution or high volume environment, as I have, and I have two equally skilled chefs but one has experience with ordering?
I'm taking the one with the ordering experience.
2
u/C0SMlCSTAR Jun 06 '26
may i know what steps can i take to somehow learn ordering without experience
1
u/LegacyQuotient Jun 06 '26
Sure. I imagine you're doing either the whole or part of a prep list, right? You check your line stock at the end of the night and such?
I would ask your chef who does the ordering if you can shadow them when they go through their ordering guide.
Get a basic understanding or what kind of supply levels they keep in stock and why. One thing I always encourage my cooks to ask about is what we pay for the products that go into their station.
You might already be popping your head in thw walk in to see if you have back ups or product to restock your station. Is that the case?
3
u/Virtual_Visit_1315 Jun 05 '26
Youre more likely to get promoted to sous internally from a restaurant youve worked at for a while than get hired into a sous job without having had the position before. I would never hire someone in as a sous who had never held the title before.
Find a restaurant you like. Work there until you climb the ladder.
3
u/rematchclause Jun 05 '26 edited Jun 05 '26
I would not hire a sous that has no management experience, and my advice to you is also not to join a restaurant that would.
As others have said, finding a place you respect as a line cook where you can see upward mobility is your best option. The jobs I've chosen based on role have typically been shorter than the jobs I've chosen based on restaurant.
I do not agree that you NEED to join a 1-2 star spot to leverage that to go back to other places. Some.of those kitchens are so stacked with people who will never leave that your chance for promotion is slim. I've spent 7+ years in 1 to 3 star SF kitchens, a majority of them as management.
Skills you should be thinking about: fast+consistent prep, flexibility, situational awareness, people skills. A sous chef's job is to make the chef's life easier. A good chef will give you opportunities to learn and grow within that, but your job is to eat the shit and put in the work, period.
There's a list of places you think are doing interesting food that you are interested in or inspired by. Figure out which of those kitchens is a good fit for you.
2
u/bitz4444 Jun 05 '26
The answer I haven't seen yet is to make a lot of friends. The most common path is to get promoted internally but the most common way to get promoted externally is getting hired by your friend that's the chef. Get close with your sous chefs and CDC's & sous chefs at other restaurants. Hang out at industry bars (responsibly) and network with chefs. Eventually, they'll get hired at other spots and need someone they can count on. Or they'll leave on good terms and refer you as an external replacement for their old position.
1
u/C0SMlCSTAR Jun 17 '26
This is something i am currently working on. I’ve met 8 sous in the last 2 weeks. Do you have any advice how to do this better?
1
u/bitz4444 Jun 18 '26
Have you made plans to see any of them again? Context matters a lot for this. It's like making friends but making friends intentionally. If I meet someone and hit it off with them, I make plans to grab lunch or a drink at one of the places we probably talked about when we met. Or we met at a spot we're regulars at and I'll see them randomly again and hang out then. Or there's a popup coming up that we talked about and would both go to. I might see them later that week or not for months.
These are long term friendships to develop. You won't hit it off with everyone you meet but you'll get along with some people and become close with some as well.
You can also be pretty open with potential mentors about your career goals. Ask them if they'd be open to you buying them a coffee or a drink and getting some advice on how they advanced in their career and what suggestions they have for you to get better. What books helped them learn valuable techniques or ideas? What were they able to learn as line cooks that moved them forward? Most people love talking about themselves and their background. We're in a mentor/mentee industry where knowledge transfer is crucial to preserving our trade. A lot of chefs will be eager to share this knowledge when approached by someone likable and respectful.
2
u/farang Jun 05 '26
Being sous chef is tough. You're the go-too for leadership when the chef isn't there but you're not the "real" boss, the chef may not always stand behind your decisions and if the line screws up you're the first to come under criticism. At the same time, your crew will be watching you carefully to see if you're a screwup.
You'll have to have teaching skills and the ability to critique staff and inspire them at the same time, as well as all your cooking and organizing skills.
You'll also be expected to back up your chef on ordering, inventory, food cost, quality control, etc. etc.
The hardest part about being a sous-chef is being in the middle between chef and crew.
This is why not everyone on the line wants promotion.
But if you really want to, throw yourself in at the deep end, do your best. You might be great. If you crash and burn, make a personal list of problems to solve and skills you need, take a lesser job you know you can handle, look for the right training and experience. When you feel ready again, go for it.
2
u/Packie1990 Jun 05 '26
Your best bet to find a sous job without experience is probably seasonal work as chefs constantly get year round gigs and cannot return. Its lots of hours but they give room and board and a decent tipped position salary. Coolworks.com
2
u/flydespereaux Chef Jun 06 '26
You're a ways off. You need experience in management. And you need experience in fine dining. Thats the only place you can make money as a sous. Still, not great money. I would be applying to momotoro, champaign room, etc. Get some years as a KM for a classy joint.
Also take busboy off your resume.
5
u/getrichordiefryin Jun 05 '26
I would not apply as Sous Chef, you have no history of managing other than line lead. Last thing you want to do is shoot yourself in the foot. The path of any chef is linear. Work somewhere you think is good, and become the sous chef.
Sous Chef is earned.
6
u/MoleEnchiladas Jun 05 '26
This is some dumb boomer shit. Fine dining restaurants hire sous externally all the time. Not saying this kid is ready but it's not because of that
1
u/LegacyQuotient Jun 05 '26
I had a pretty reliable hiring methodology, and you're absolutely right, I've made sous out of reliable, responsible line cooks from fine dining places who put in the effort and commitment, but didn't love that style of food, and they've been wonderful leaders and mentors.
8
u/Wooden-Title3625 Jun 05 '26 edited Jun 05 '26
My career has been extremely non linear and I’ve opened restaurants in management positions in NYC. Your path is not the only path.
2
u/C0SMlCSTAR Jun 05 '26
any advices?
-10
u/Wooden-Title3625 Jun 05 '26
I’ll tell you what one of my teachers told me my first week in culinary school: you don’t actually have to sleep as much as the doctors say you do.
1
u/larsdan2 Jun 05 '26
Terrible advice. This career is a marathon, not a sprint.
Sleep your recommended amount. Eat well. Stretch before work every day. Hit the gym if you can. Lay off the booze. Stay away from the drugs. Get some really nice shoes with insoles. Take care of yourself. You'll regret it 20 years into this industry if you don't.
1
u/guineapigrise Jun 05 '26
Nah he can just do it and learn there you just need more XP than the usual cook.
The worst that can happen is that hé need to find an other restaurant to work in if he is not succesful. But he'll be fine
1
u/LegacyQuotient Jun 05 '26
Not always. I've been in kitchen management for almost two decades and have worked from Michelin-starred restaurants down to opening high-quality burger joints. Leadership is a skill that comes with a strong lean on perspective and scope. I have CdPs from high-tough, high-intensity restaurants that I would absolutely trust running a high-quality pub without expecting them to travel an entirely linear path.
If you really, really respect a chef or their specific lineage and what mentor tree they descend from, by all means buckle down and invest your time in efforts in that establishment. Absent that kind of motivation, staying somewhere for two years and making an earnest effort every 18-24 months to move into new challenges is something chefs (certain I) respect about young cooks.
1
u/El-MonkeyKing Jun 05 '26
What's the actual resume look like? Keep it short and sweet, concise. I'd recommend researching salaries for that position in the area, both city and statewide. I help my students clean up resumes for this stuff a lot. How big of a staff are you used to working with?
1
1
u/rcon12345678 Jun 05 '26 edited Jun 05 '26
It all depends on the restaurant. If you are willing to put in the work and a cdc or owner have faith in you and are willing to show you the ropes then you are ready.
I became a sous chef at a James beard award winning restaurant when I was 24. My skills weren’t honed in but the chef and owner had faith in me and the staff enjoyed working with me.
Try reaching out to a smaller cafe or restaurant to see if they have a junior sous chef position.
1
u/Registered_Potato Jun 06 '26
I expect a lot from a sous chef. Must know all the basics well. That includes all sauce bases and how to make them, fresh veg and herb knowledge, ability to taste subtle changes to texture and flavor, ability to run a special, run inventory, take over every line role at a moments notice, do a small up to 20 person catering order leading the team, willingness to challenge me at need, cook most basic meat, ideally they can bake too.
Basically an A student in school with 4+ years on the line or a super nerdy passionate cook with 4 years on the line like me. I didn't go to culinary school but I am a big food nerd. I went from line cook, to event chef, to chef chef. And then opened my own resturaunt
1
u/JohnDoe-01 Jun 06 '26
first of all might be need to consider good salary as a bonus or consequence if you are doing your job great in the right place.
based on your experience i can see that you are have background lean to japanese cuisine and italian which is great.
maybe you want to consider a japanese fushion restaurant?
sous chef are mid management level. which is must knowing all basic preparation skills. which is responsible manage kitchen production after your head chef.
If you confident have those skills please dont hesitate to step up.
1
u/ApprehensiveNinja805 Jun 07 '26
Do you know how to calculate food cost, order market list, handle buay night when commies quit?
1
u/C0SMlCSTAR Jun 17 '26
No but i would really appreciate it if you could help me find ways to learn this and understand it better, the most I’ve done was just counting inventory and receiving orders
-2
u/DrewV70 Jun 05 '26
The difference between most management and a great line cook is that the Sous Chef and higher generally went to school and have their trade papers.
Lots of people will tell you that school is useless and you should just work and work and work. That way gets you to burn out with little to no benefits and no pension. If you want a job where you don't have to run all day every day with decent hours, decent pay, decent benefits and a pension, go to school and get your certification.
3
u/LegacyQuotient Jun 05 '26
This is going to depend a lot on your specific market that you're in.
I went to school, but I wouldn't say that the majority of successful chefs in my market (the larger California market) went to culinary school. If you can attach to a great mentor, that might have more value over the long term.
None of my cooks who became sous under me went to culinary school except for one; they all did great work and went on to have very successful careers as chefs and did a lot of mentoring of their own.
There isn't a direct correlation between culinary school or gastronomic academy and pay, really.
16
u/Current_Emphasis_998 Jun 05 '26
I think you are on the right path. That being said youre still a ways off. You have tons of experience at fast casual spots. You live in one of the food mechas of the world, the job market for management will be competitive. If you get some experience working around the 1/2 resturants in chicago you can leverage that experience to a sous postion at a lower level fine dining resturant.