Resume Tips for Line Cooks Moving Up to Sous Chef

For line cooks and kitchen leads applying for sous chef or kitchen manager jobs.

By Resume Star · Updated October 2026

You've worked every station, you can run the line on a slammed night, and the newer cooks come to you with questions. Moving up to sous chef or kitchen manager means showing that you can do more than cook: you can lead a line, control costs and keep standards high.

The tips below show you how to put your volume, leadership and kitchen numbers on paper so an executive chef can see you're ready for the next step.

Start with the Cook / Chef template →

7 tips for moving up from line cook to sous chef

Give your volume. Covers per night, seats in the restaurant, and the biggest banquet or event you've cooked for. Volume tells a chef how much pressure you can handle.
Show that you already lead. Running the line, calling tickets, opening or closing the kitchen, writing prep lists and training new cooks. Give the number of cooks you lead or trained.
Show the numbers a sous chef owns. Food cost percentage, waste, ticket times and inventory. "Cut food cost from 33% to 29%" is the kind of line that gets you the interview.
Show menu work. Specials you created, dishes that made the menu, and seasonal or catering menus you helped plan.
Lead with food safety. ServSafe Food Protection Manager is often required for sous chefs. List health inspection results if they were strong.
Name every station and kitchen type. Grill, sauté, fry, pantry, prep, expo; fine dining, hotel, banquet or high-volume casual. Show your range.
Show how you moved up. Prep cook to line cook to kitchen lead, each with its own dates. Promotions prove that chefs have trusted you with more.

Before and after

Before

Line cook. Cooked food on the grill and sauté stations.

After

Run a 6-cook line serving up to 250 covers a night. Cut food cost from 33% to 29% and trained 12 new cooks, with no critical health violations.

The second version shows volume, leadership and cost control: exactly what an executive chef needs from a sous chef.

Example: cook and chef resume

This is the Cook / Chef template you will start with. Replace the sample details with your own. Every section can be renamed, reordered or removed.

Luis Ortega

918 S Presa St, San Antonio, TX 78210

luis.ortega@email.com • (210)-555-3089

Summary

Kitchen Lead and Line Cook with 8 years in high-volume restaurants and hotel banquets. Runs the line on 250-cover nights, works every station from grill to sauté, and keeps tickets under 12 minutes. ServSafe Manager certified, with a record of clean health inspections and lower food cost.

Core Competencies

Grill, Sauté, Fry & Prep Stations, Line Leadership, Menu Development, Food Cost & Inventory, Ordering & Receiving, Food Safety & Sanitation, Banquets & Catering, Training New Cooks.

Professional Experience

Kitchen Lead / Line Cook

Mar 2023 - Present

Riverwalk Grill, San Antonio, TX

Run a 6-cook line serving up to 250 covers a night.
Cut food cost from 33% to 29% through better ordering, portioning and specials.
Created 4 seasonal dishes that made the permanent menu.
Trained 12 new cooks; passed every health inspection with no critical violations.

Line Cook

May 2020 - Feb 2023

Hotel Valencia, San Antonio, TX

Worked grill and sauté for the restaurant and banquets of up to 400 guests.
Prepped and plated for weddings and corporate events on tight timelines.

Prep Cook

Jun 2018 - Apr 2020

Blue Bonnet Café, San Antonio, TX

Prepped proteins, sauces and sides for a 150-seat restaurant.
Promoted to the line within 8 months.

Certifications & Education

ServSafe Food Protection Manager

Current

National Restaurant Association

Culinary Arts Certificate

Completed 2018

St. Philip's College, San Antonio, TX

Use this template

Checklist

A 2 to 3 sentence summary: years of experience, kitchen types and volume
Covers per night or event sizes
Leadership: running the line, training cooks, opening and closing
Food cost, waste, ticket times or inventory results
Dishes and menus you created
ServSafe and health inspection results
Each promotion as its own job with dates

Frequently asked questions

Do I need culinary school to become a sous chef?

No. Many sous chefs learned on the job. Kitchen experience, leadership and results matter more. If you went to culinary school, list it under Education.

How do I show leadership if I have never had a lead title?

Describe what you actually do: running the line when the chef is off, training new cooks, writing prep lists, placing orders. Those are sous chef duties, whatever your title was.

Should I list every restaurant I have worked at?

List the ones from the last 10 years in full. Short stints and older jobs can be combined or left out.

Should I add a link to photos of my food?

Yes, if they are good. An Instagram or portfolio link with your plates can help, especially for menu-driven restaurants.

Do I need a cover letter?

For sous chef and kitchen manager roles, a short one helps. Name the restaurant, say why you want to cook there, and give one result from your current kitchen.

Is a one-page resume enough?

Yes, for most cooks and sous chefs. Two pages is fine if you have 10 or more years across several kitchens.

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