Sous Chef Jobs: December 2024 Job Listings
We’ve gathered 10 high-paying Sous Chef jobs in the U.S. that you can apply for right now.
Top 10 Sous Chef Jobs in the United States
Looking to advance your culinary career by working as a Sous Chef? Below are the 10 best Sous Chef jobs, along with their salaries, requirements, benefits and other key information.
Sous Chef job
Kitchen Manager job
Senior Sous Chef
Kitchen Manager job
Cook Manager Trainee
Lead Cook – Trenton Public Schools
Executive Chef 4
Cook job
Line Cook job
SOUS CHEF (FULL TIME)
Average Salary for Sous Chef Jobs in the US
On average, Sous Chefs working in the United States earn $56,013 a year. This translates to a monthly salary of $4,667.75.
Where Can US-Based Sous Chefs Earn Higher Salaries?
Our list of high-paying Sous Chef jobs covers multiple U.S. regions. However, if you’re wondering which states and districts have the highest average salaries for this role, check out the graph below.
[Calculated using Indeed, Talent.com, Salary.com and ZipRecruiter data]
This graph is interactive. Hover your mouse over different parts of the graph to see detailed data.
Laws and Regulations Related to Sous Chef Jobs
Here are some of the most important federal laws and regulations that every Sous Chef should know about. These cover employment and kitchen operations.
- Overtime pay exemptions: Under the Fair Labor Standards Act, Sous Chefs with a weekly salary of at least $684 may fall under the “learned professionals” category. In such cases, a Sous Chef would be exempt from overtime pay regulations.
- Food safety: In most states, Sous Chefs are required to have a valid food handler’s certification or license. This entails taking classes that cover food safety, which is a crucial aspect of every culinary job.
- Kitchen sanitation: Sous Chefs assist Head Chefs and Executive Chefs in managing back-of-house operations, which involves following kitchen safety and sanitation requirements. As such, a Sous Chef must help ensure that the restaurant passes the state-mandated health inspection.
Want to learn about the specific rules in each state? Explore our collection of Labor Law Guides.
Sous Chef Jobs FAQ
There are no laws or industry rules specifying an age requirement for those applying to be a Sous Chef.
However, many employers require Sous Chef applicants to have at least a high school diploma or GED. In the U.S., high school graduates are typically 17 or 18 years old.
It depends on what you count as “only a few years of experience.” Most Sous Chef jobs require candidates to have around two to three years of experience as a back-of-house staff member.
That said, you’ll most likely need prior experience working as a Sous Chef or in more junior roles such as a Pastry Chef, Line Cook and Prep Cook.
The best way to prepare for a Sous Chef interview is to review the job description included in the job ad. Then, familiarize yourself with the common interview questions employers ask and prepare your talking points based on what was mentioned in the job description.
How We Selected Each of These Top 10 Sous Chef Jobs
Here are the three main criteria we used to ensure that we recommend you the best Sous Chef jobs:
1. Ideal locations
Cities or resort towns with a bustling dining scene often provide Sous Chefs with more opportunities to hone their skills and work alongside industry experts. That said, we’ve made sure to feature Sous Chef jobs that are located in major metropolitan areas and/or well-known travel destinations.
2. Highly competitive salaries
Each of the Sous Chef job listings offers a starting salary of at least $60,000 – which is higher than the national average salary for this role.
3. Extensive benefits and perks
We picked Sous Chef jobs from companies that offer great benefits and perks, such as healthcare coverage, 401(k), employee discounts, commuter benefits and educational assistance.
