Public service, teaching and people · Ohio
Chef: what the job actually is
Running a kitchen: cooking, yes, but also ordering, scheduling, food safety and keeping a team moving fast during the dinner rush.
By Nick Gonzalez, founder, U.S. Air Force veteranChecked against official Ohio sources Pay: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025
The work
What this job actually is
- Most chefs start as line cooks and work their way up over years. There is no license, but there is a ladder.
- Long shifts standing up in a hot kitchen, often nights, weekends and holidays.
- Speed and repetition. You might make the same dish 80 times in one night, and it has to be the same every time.
- The business side: ordering food, controlling waste, costing out menus and scheduling staff.
- Following food safety rules carefully, because a mistake can make people sick.
A Tuesday
What a normal day looks like
Not a good day or a bad one. The ordinary version, which is what you would actually be living.
- 1:00 p.m. Arrive, check deliveries, taste what the prep cooks made.
- 2:00 p.m. Prep: chopping, sauces, portioning meat.
- 4:30 p.m. Pre-shift meeting about specials and what is running low.
- 5:30 p.m. Dinner rush. Calling out orders, checking every plate before it leaves.
- 9:30 p.m. Things slow down. Start cleaning and breaking down stations.
- 11:00 p.m. Write tomorrow's order, then go home.
Honestly
Who loves this, and who should not do it
- You love cooking and do it for fun already.
- You like fast, physical work and stay cool under pressure.
- You like working as a team in tight spaces.
- You enjoy getting better at one skill through lots of practice.
- You want weekends and holidays off.
- Heat, burns, cuts and being on your feet for 10 hours would wear you down.
- Someone yelling an order at you would ruin your night.
- You only want to be creative. Most of the time, you are making someone else's recipe exactly right.
The route in
How you actually get there in Ohio
Start in a kitchen
Most chefs start as dishwashers, prep cooks or line cooks. No state license is needed to cook, so experience is the main way up.Get Ohio food safety certification
Ohio requires at least one person in charge per shift in most licensed food service operations to hold person in charge certification in food protection. A higher level, manager certification in food protection, is issued by the Ohio Department of Health after an approved course and exam.Consider culinary school
Many community colleges and career centers offer culinary programs. They are not required, but they speed up learning the basics.Add certifications as you grow
The American Culinary Federation offers certifications at different levels, earned through education, experience and written and practical exams. They are optional, but some employers value them.
While you are still in high school
- Many Ohio career centers run culinary programs with a student-run restaurant. Mahoning County Career and Technical Center's culinary program, for example, offers ProStart and ServSafe credentials.
- Get a job in a restaurant kitchen when you are old enough. Even washing dishes shows you how a kitchen really runs.
- College Credit Plus lets Ohio students in grades 9 to 12 take college courses at no cost at public colleges.
Where this comes from: Ohio Administrative Code 3701-21-25: person in charge and manager certification in food protection · Ohio Revised Code 3717.43: food service operation licenses · Mahoning County Career and Technical Center: Culinary Arts program · American Culinary Federation: Certification · Ohio Revised Code 3365.02: College Credit Plus eligibility. Rules change, so check the official page before you rely on a detail.
The money
What it pays in Ohio
Last on purpose. Pay matters, but it is a bad reason to pick a job you would dislike for thirty years.
- $53,990
- Median pay in Ohio, a year
- $25.96
- Median pay in Ohio, an hour
- 4,000
- People doing this job in Ohio
- $55,060
- Median pay in the Akron area, a year
Most people in Ohio earn between $38,370 (the lowest-paid tenth, usually new starters) and $89,960 (the highest-paid tenth) a year.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025: Ohio and Akron, OH metro area. Median means half earn more and half earn less.
Try it this week
Run a tiny dinner service
Pick one simple dish and cook it for four people at home.
Write a prep list and a timeline before you start, like a real kitchen would.
Try to get all four plates out at the same time, looking the same.
Afterward, add up what the ingredients cost per plate. That number is what a chef thinks about every day.
Questions to ask somebody who does it
- How did you work your way up?
- What is a normal week of hours like for you?
- Was culinary school worth it?
- What do new cooks get wrong in their first month?
- What would you need to know before opening your own place?
Can you own one?
Yes, and many chefs want to. In Ohio a restaurant, food truck or catering business needs a food service operation license from the local health department. Mobile and catering licenses are recognized across the state. Restaurants are hard businesses with thin margins, so many chefs start with catering, a food truck or a pop-up first.
Thinking about it? How to start a business in Ohio and the free Business 101 course are the place to begin.
Questions
Quick answers
- How much does a chef make in Ohio?
- The median pay for a chef in Ohio is $53,990 a year ($25.96 an hour), according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics for May 2025. Most people earn between $38,370 and $89,960.
- How do you become a chef in Ohio?
- Start in a kitchen. Get Ohio food safety certification. Consider culinary school. Add certifications as you grow.
- Can you own your own business as a chef in Ohio?
- Yes, and many chefs want to. In Ohio a restaurant, food truck or catering business needs a food service operation license from the local health department. Mobile and catering licenses are recognized across the state. Restaurants are hard businesses with thin margins, so many chefs start with catering, a food truck or a pop-up first.
Close cousins
Jobs like this one
- CosmetologistCutting, coloring and styling hair, and sometimes doing nails and skin care, while building a list of regular clients who trust you.$36,260 a year
- Marketing specialistFiguring out who might buy something, what would make them notice it, and then checking the numbers to see whether it actually worked.$72,790 a year
- Sales representativeSelling a company's products to other businesses, keeping those customers happy, and living with a number you are expected to hit every month.$73,960 a year
Still deciding?
Start with you, then look at the work
Living in Canada? Our Ontario job page has Canadian pay and routes.