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Interview Questions

Top 35 Head Chef Interview Questions and Answers  

If you are looking to hire a Head Chef, you came to the right place. These questions will show hiring managers how to assess their candidates’ skills. At the same time, the example answers will help aspiring Head Chefs prepare for the upcoming interview.

Table of Contents

A lot of the things hiring managers require for a Head Chef position can’t be found on the candidates’ resumes. It is very important that both sides prepare for the interview by considering what are the best ways to check and prove leadership skills, business orientation and resourcefulness.

1. Interview Questions About Skills and Experience

2. Situational Head Chef Interview Questions

3. Business Operation Interview Questions

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Types of Head Chef Interview Questions

  • Head Chef interview questions regarding skills and experience: This category will help you understand the candidate’s motivation and overall alignment with your requirements. As a candidate, you can use these questions to go into detail about the skills you are particularly proud of but didn’t have space to describe on your resume.
  • Situational Head Chef interview questions and answers: As a hiring manager, you need to ensure that the candidate’s reactions match your establishment’s way of operating. If you’re a candidate, you can use these questions to showcase your problem-solving skills. The most important piece of advice here is to be true to yourself and speak led by your instinct and previous experience.
  • Interview questions for Head Chef about business operations: A Head Chef must understand all the business elements at the same level as the owners. Those this position will be in charge of ensuring smooth operation and that requires cost efficiency. That said, this set of questions determines if a candidate has what it takes to run the kitchen operations.

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What Are the Top Head Chef Interview Questions and Answers?

Make sure to also go through these additional 27 questions below. This way, you'll anticipate what might the employer ask and prepare the answers beforehand in a more confident manner.

27 More Questions for a Head Chef Interview

  • What are your culinary aspirations and how do you plan on achieving them?
  • What is the latest culinary innovation that you're most excited about?
  • Describe a time when you had to learn a new technique on the spot.
  • What is your favorite dish and how do you usually prepare it?
  • How do you ensure all tasks are distributed equally in the kitchen?
  • Tell me about a time you faced a challenge at work. How did you overcome it?
  • What is your experience catering for large events with thousands of guests?
  • How would you approach training a new inexperienced employee in the kitchen?
  • How do you handle and minimize waste in the kitchen?
  • How do you handle situations where guests dislike your dish?
  • How do you deliver feedback to someone who's underperforming?
  • Which precautions do you take when cooking for guests with allergies?
  • Tell me about a time when something broke in the kitchen and you had to find a workaround.
  • What is your go-to method for prioritizing important task during rush hours?
  • How would you handle a conflict with your manager who's being rude to you?
  • What would you do if you noticed the food quality declining at the restaurant?
  • How do you maintain the quality of dishes with increasing costs of ingredients?
  • Walk me through the process of creating a menu.
  • How do you build relationships with your fellow managers and assistants?
  • What would you do in case the restaurant's short-staffed on a busy night?
  • Have you ever received a bad review from a guest? What was the outcome?
  • How do you motivate your team to stay positive throughout the shift?
  • What usually drives your decision to change the items on the menu?
  • What is the most rewarding aspect of being a Head Chef?
  • How do you maintain work-life balance with such a demanding job?

How To Prepare for a Head Chef Interview

Check out the extra tips and trick you can use to increase your chances of getting hired.

Gordon Ramsay’s Head Chef Interview Test

Tips for Candidates

Research the establishment: Make sure you know which type of food the restaurant prepares. Go to their website, check customer feedback and if possible, eat there. This way, you will be able to incorporate your answers more with the establishment’s values and its requirements.

Showcase unique skills: Always emphasize the facts that prove that you are unique among all the candidates. Whether it is a unique certification which you have earned, a distinctive technique that you have applied in the preparation of food or even any interesting thing which has happened, ensure that you prove your added values effectively.

Prepare situational responses: To be ready to answer situational questions, reflect on the situations that occurred in your practice. STAR (Situation, Task, Action and Result) is a strategic approach that will help to organize your response. This includes describing the situation, the task or your role, the action you took and the result you achieved.

Tips for Hiring Managers

Create a comfortable environment: When beginning the interview, immediately introduce the organization. Take some time to make small talk to help the candidate feel more at ease. Relaxed candidates will be more candid in their answers and provide more depth and thought into their answers.

Ask for practical demonstrations: If possible, one may include a practical section in which the candidate may be asked to prepare a dish or even design a sample menu. This will help you see how good they are in the kitchen, how creative and the kind of pressure they can handle.

Evaluate cultural fit: Finally, check whether the candidate has the right personality as well as the work attitude for your organization and the restaurant.

Tips From a Head Chef

While we gave you thorough interview preparation for the Head Chef position, there is nothing that speaks louder than personal experience.

Jimmy Chill the Head Chef, at Branja Miami,
Image courtesy of Jimmy Chill, the Head Chef at Branja Miami

We asked Jimmy Chill, the Head Chef at Branja Miami, to share his insights on the most rewarding aspects of being a Head Chef.

“In perspective, and after all, I'm an entertainer. I love being hospitable, and curating experiences. The greatest satisfaction and the most rewarding aspect of my work takes place when the boundaries and formalities are broken between myself and the guests, as it makes them feel a part of an inner circle, and thanks to food that's not a very difficult task.”

Keep these words at heart, and if you are ready to dive into the job market check out the open Head Chef Positions now.

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Written by Lidija Misic

Content Specialist

Lidija holds a BA in English Language and has lived in five different countries, where she has worked in various roles, including as a flight attendant, teacher, writer and recruiter. Her biggest passion is crafting great content and reading. She is particularly passionate about creating punchy copy that inspires people to make positive changes in their lives.

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Editor and SEO Content Writer

With over 10 years of experience as a writer and editor, Stefan has worked in the automotive, IT, health and hospitality industries. Familiar with Google Search Console and other SEO tools like Ahrefs and Semrush, Stefan uses his experience to create content that's visually appealing to the user but also ranks in the SERPs.