Food service

Cook CV: example and template

This example is for cooks at restaurants, hotels, canteens, caterers and bars, and for catering school graduates and kitchen assistants who want to work on their own station.

The head chef wants to know which stations you work, which cuisine you know, how many dishes you send out a shift and whether you work to recipes and hygiene rules. We show you how to describe this on your CV.

Create your CV in the builderSee the example

Example CV: cook

All the details in this example are fictional. Treat it as a model of layout and wording, and replace the content with your own experience.

Paweł Mazur

Cook

Poznan +48 123 456 789 pawel.mazur@example.com

Professional profile

Cook with 7 years of experience at a modern Polish restaurant and a hotel. I work the hot kitchen, grill and cold stations, prepare mise en place, send out up to 180 dishes a shift and keep to the plating standard. I work to recipes and HACCP and stand in for the shift leader.

Work experience

Cook, deputy shift leader

03.2021 - present

Modern Polish restaurant, Poznan

  • Hot kitchen and grill station, up to 180 dishes a shift.
  • Preparing mise en place and semi-finished products for the whole shift.
  • Plating dishes to the standard and recipes.
  • Checking dates, temperatures and HACCP records.
  • Standing in for the shift leader and training new cooks.

Cook

06.2017 - 02.2021

Hotel, Poznan

  • Buffet breakfasts for hotel guests.
  • Banquet dishes for events.
  • Cold kitchen and starters.

Education

Nutrition and catering services technician

2012 - 2016

Catering School in Poznan

Skills

  • Hot kitchen and grill
  • Cold kitchen
  • Mise en place
  • Plating to standard
  • Recipes and portioning
  • HACCP

Licences and courses

  • Food safety health certificate
  • Sous vide cooking course, 2022
  • HACCP training, 2025

Languages

  • English: B1

Additional information

  • Shift work, including weekends and public holidays

I hereby consent to the processing of my personal data for the purposes necessary to carry out the recruitment process, in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 (GDPR).

How to write a cook CV

Professional summary

Write which stations you work, which cuisine you know and at which venue, and how many dishes you send out a shift. Add recipes and HACCP, because the head chef must know you keep to the standard. If you stand in for the shift leader, mention it.

Kitchen assistant with 2 years of experience at a restaurant who prepares semi-finished products, salads and starters and helps at the pass at peak times. I hold a health certificate. I am looking for work as a junior cook on the cold kitchen.

Experience: duties and achievements

Describe stations, the type of cuisine, the number of dishes, prep and standards. Show independence and responsibility, for example standing in or training new people. Add banquets and catering if you work in them.

Weaker: Cooking.

Better: Hot kitchen and grill station, up to 180 dishes a shift.

Weaker: Prep.

Better: Preparing mise en place and semi-finished products for the whole shift.

Weaker: Hygiene.

Better: Checking dates, temperatures and HACCP records.

Skills worth listing

List stations, techniques, types of cuisine and hygiene rules. In your soft skills show pace, resilience to stress and teamwork, because at peak times the kitchen works as one.

Professional skills

  • Hot kitchen
  • Cold kitchen
  • Grill
  • Mise en place
  • Recipes
  • HACCP

Personal skills

  • Pace
  • Resilience to stress
  • Teamwork
  • Tidiness
  • Punctuality

Licences and courses

List the food safety health certificate, HACCP training and cooking courses. Courses in techniques, for example sous vide or Asian cuisine, show development.

Cook CV with no experience

Describe catering school, placements and work as a kitchen assistant. Give the dishes you can make on your own.

Start as a kitchen assistant or cook on the cold kitchen. Write that you can work shifts and weekends.

Tailoring your CV to the job offer

A restaurant looks for a station and the plating standard, a hotel for breakfasts and banquets, and a canteen or caterer for large quantities and pace. Move to the top what the job ad is about.

The most common mistakes on a cook CV

Questions and answers

What should a cook put on a CV?

Stations, the type of cuisine, the venue, the number of dishes, prep, recipes, HACCP, the health certificate and availability.

Does a cook need a food safety health certificate?

Yes, for work with food it is required.

Can you become a cook with no experience?

Yes, people usually start as a kitchen assistant or on the cold kitchen.

Are cooking courses worth listing?

Yes, they show development and new techniques.

Create a cook CV in the builder

In the CV Majster builder you enter your details step by step and see right away what the document looks like. You can copy the wording from this page and adapt it to yourself. The finished CV as a PDF costs a one-off PLN 5, with no subscription, and you see the preview before you pay.

Go to the CV builder

See also

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Career guide

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